The Infographic Resume: How to Create a Visual Portfolio that Showcases Your Skills and Lands the Job

By Hannah Morgan

The STANDOUT guide to creating a stunning resume

Applying for a job used to require two pieces of paper: a resume and an application. Times have changed.

Infographic resumes are in, and they’re not just for designers. Free online tools are popping up every day to help anyone create a dynamic, visual resume—adding panache without sacrificing substance for style.

The Infographic Resume provides essential tips and ideas for how to create visual resumes and portfolios that will make you stand out from the crowd. Richly illustrated in full color and including lots of inspiring examples, the book will teach you how to:

• Create a powerful digital presence and develop the right digital content for your goals
• Build your self-brand and manage your online reputation
• Showcase your best work online
• Grab a hiring manager’s attention in seconds

Packed with dynamic infographics, visual resumes, and other creative digital portfolios, The Infographic Resume reveals the most effective tools, eye-catching strategies, and best practices to position yourself for any job in any kind of business.

“In today’s free-agent economy, The Infographic Resume is a must for anyone looking to stand out among the competition.”
—Sharlyn Lauby, president of ITM Group, Inc.

“If you’re on the market, you need to read this book and follow its guidance immediately.”
—Alexandra Levit , author of Blind Spots

• Language: English
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education
• Release date: Jun 27, 2014
• ISBN: 9780071825627

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Copyright © 2014 by Hannah Morgan. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher, with the exception that the program listings may be entered, stored, and executed in a computer system, but they may not be reproduced for publication.

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CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

CHAPTER 1   How We Got Where We Are Today

Changes in Hiring, Workforce, and Technology

1. The Death of the Paper Resume

2. The Morphing of Job Boards and Resume Databases

3. The Dreaded Black Hole

4. The Rise of Referrals

5. Employer-Candidate Mismatch

6. Communication Mismatch

7. The Gig Economy

8. The Web as a Tool for the Masses

9. Trend Setters as Trailblazers

10. The Rise of LinkedIn

Power to the People—Look Like a Rock Star

New Thinking

The Many Hats You’ll Wear

Your Strategy for Success

CHAPTER 2   Your Online Portfolio

What Will You Include in Your Portfolio?

What to Showcase

Samples of Work

Headshot

Your Bio or Summary

Resume

Social Media Outlet Links

Letters of Recommendation

Satisfied Customer and Client E-mails

Awards or Recognition

Special Projects

Volunteer Involvement

The Best Portfolio Is One You Own: Claim Your Domain

Buy the URL

Option 1: Create Your Site

Pages for Your Online Portfolio or Website

Option 2: Use Creative Portfolio Platforms and Communities

Behance (http://www.behance.net)

Carbonmade (http://www.carbonmade.com)

DeviantArt (http://www.deviantart.com)

Dribbble (http://dribbble.com)

GitHub (http://github.com)

Sample Portfolios

CHAPTER 3   Telling the Story of You

Inventory Your Assets

Personality Traits

Your Technical Skills

Industry Experience

Projects

Accomplishments

A Framework for Documenting Your Accomplishment

Summing It Up

A System for Explaining

The Pitch

Key Components to Gather

Headshot

Bio or Summary

Resume

Social Media Outlet Links

Social Media Outlets

Most Popular Social Networks

Claim Your Profiles Across Social Media Outlets

Tools for Hosting and Sharing Files

Portfolio of Work

Consistency

CHAPTER 4   Resumes with Visual Flair

Making the Initial Cut

Does Your Resume Answer These Questions?

Test Your Resume

The Most Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Learn from Graphic Designers

Visual Resumes

Putting Your Toe in the Graphic Water

Totally Out of the Box

What Won’t Work

Words of Caution

CHAPTER 5   Infographic Resumes

Data Visualization

Proof

Who Is Using Infographic Resumes?

Infographics Used by Noncreatives

The Beauty Is in Shareability

Success Stories

Generating Ideas Is Only Step One

CHAPTER 6   Professionally Crafted Infographic Resumes

Get a Winning Design

Anyone Can Have an Infographic Resume

No Two Snowflakes Are Alike

CHAPTER 7   Creating Your Own Infographic Resume

Design Basics

Components of Design

Color Makes an Impact

Color-Combination Tools

Typography

Art, Illustration, and Photography

Texture

Rules for Creating Great Infographics

Planning Your Infographic

Gather Ideas from Other Infographics

Choose the Best Infographic Elements

Tools to Create Infographics

Infographic Resume Applications

Advice to Ponder

CHAPTER 8   Don’t Overlook LinkedIn

Turn Your LinkedIn Profile into a Portfolio

What Media Can I Add?

Where to Put Embedded Media

What to Showcase

I’ve Got Nothing

LinkedIn Profile Checklist

Headline

Photo

E-mail

Vanity URL

Other Web References

Summary

Work Experience

Embed Media

Skills and Endorsements

Education

Certifications, Test Scores, and Courses

Projects

Recommendations

Honors and Awards, Publications, and Patents

Organizations, Volunteering, and Causes

Personal Details

Make It Complete

Make It Public

Special Sections for College Students and Recent Graduates

How to Get the Most Out of LinkedIn

Endorsements

Share What You Know in Group Discussions

Follow Companies

Applying for Jobs Through LinkedIn

More Ways to Get More from LinkedIn

Keep Up with Industry News

Who’s Influencing You

Connect with People

Keep in Touch

Write Recommendations

Reconsider How You Use LinkedIn

Sample LinkedIn Profiles

One Final Word of Caution: There Are Few Absolutes

CHAPTER 9   Social Resumes

Who Benefits Most?

How to Set Up Social Resumes

Don’t Be Too Wordy

Choosing the Right Name and Handle

Choosing the Right Photo

Connecting Sites and Content to Your Profile

Link or Post Your Social Resume to Your Website or Online Portfolio

Ways to Share Your Social Resume

Proactively Send It to a Potential Employer

Fringe Benefits

Social Resume Sites

About.me

Re.vu

Flavors.me

Career Cloud’s Social Resume

Claim Your Terrain

CHAPTER 10   Interactive Resumes and Slide Shows

Presentations Rock

How to Get Started

Emulate Great Presenters

Start with a Storyboard

Find and Use Images

Design Elements

Presentation Tools

It’s Not the Tool; It’s the Content

Success Stories

Company-Specific Campaigns

Going Viral

Step Up Your Game

CHAPTER 11   Choose What You Share Online Carefully

Do Recruiters Really Care What You Are Saying Online?

Prominent Social Networks

Independent Adoption of Social Media

Company Adoption of Social Media

Plan What You’ll Talk About Online

Share Industry News

Share Events or Activities You Participate In

Find and Follow Online Talent Communities

What to Avoid Saying Online

Attract Attention with Hashtags

Proactive Targeting

Do the Two-Step

Step One

Step Two

Use the Power of LinkedIn

Don’t Stop There

How to Share Your Infographic Resume

Name It Wisely

Give Your Infographic Resume a Home

Get a Tumblr Page for Your Career

Share It with Your Network

Share It with People at Target Companies

Post It Everywhere and Often

Create a Pinboard for Your Career Documentation

Instagram Updates

Pulling It All Together

CHAPTER 12   Numbers Speak

Your First Priority

Your Second Priority

Your Third Priority—Monitor How Many Views You Get

No Tracking, No Problem

Social Proof Through Measurement

Take Corrective Action Before It’s Too Late

Tap into Objective Resources

Your Campaign Never Truly Ends

Conclusion

The Quest for Talent

Reach Out and Stand Out

Create and Innovate

Proactively Manage Your Career

Hiring Is Ultimately About Likability

Look Outside Your Industry for Trends and Ideas

Maximize Tools to Simplify the Work

Diversify Your Marketing Materials

Images Are Powerful

Your Real-Time Resume Is on the Web

Build the Right Digital Dirt

Final Checklist

Stay Connected and Informed

Notes

Figure Credits

Index

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Iam regularly surprised and awed by the amazing opportunities that seem to present themselves and the interconnectedness of people, places, and things in my world—all of which I am incredibly grateful for.

Collaborating with the team at McGraw-Hill Education is a prime example of what a small world we live in! Thank you to Tom Miller, Dannalie Diaz, and Casie Vogel, the talented editors at McGraw-Hill Education. Casie’s excitement and encouraging words helped fuel the fire to collect and share this information on infographic and other new forms of resumes.

Thank you to the talented graphic designers and dedicated professionals who so willingly allowed me to feature their work in this book—and for the educational conversations that transpired along the way.

My brilliant connections in the recruiting and HR world continue to deliver great insight and filled in the background pieces to help make this book, what I hope will be seen as, a valuable resource. And I owe my humble gratitude to all the career professionals I follow and collaborate with to produce and share amazing work with job seekers.

I am increasingly inspired and curious about the future direction of recruitment and the use of images as well as alternative forms of communication between companies and those seeking employment. I hope, and think, we are on the cutting edge of a long series of advancements in improving the process across both sides of the desk.

Finally, thank you to my family who support me and my friends who endure me! Relationships are the web of life, and mine is incredibly strong because of all of you!

CHAPTER 1

How We Got Where We Are Today

Historically, job seekers have been required to respond to job postings by submitting a piece of paper (or two) to the organization with the opening. This piece of paper, known as a resume, is supposed to encapsulate the job seeker’s work experiences, skills, and successes and then convince the reader to call and eventually hire the most qualified job seeker. This is the way it used to go, but today, due to a variety of circumstances, which this chapter will outline, the job seeker has to do more than submit a piece of paper in order to stand out and win the job.

The hiring process as we knew it is broken. Here are 10 ways today’s job search has to be different and approached in a new way.

Changes in Hiring, Workforce, and Technology

1. The Death of the Paper Resume

You may have noticed fewer help wanted jobs that request you mail your resume and more employers at career fairs who do not accept hard-copy resumes. The old-fashioned hard-copy paper resume is fading away. It used to be you would type your resume on a typewriter, bring it to a copy shop, and have 100 copies made. Each time you applied for a job, you would type a cover letter, trifold it with the resume and stuff it in a number 10 envelope, seal it and put a stamp on it, travel to the mailbox, and wait.

That was a lot of work, it took time, and the cost of supplies and stamps meant that job seekers were somewhat more discriminatory about the jobs they applied for.

Too Many Applicants—Not Enough Time

Today, with several mouse clicks, some tweaking of electronic files, and data entry time, a job seeker could conceivably apply for hundreds of jobs in a single day.

So what does this mean for the companies doing the hiring? They are overwhelmed with applications and files with data to search and analyze. CareerXroads, a company that provides consulting and resources for corporate recruiters, has conducted a sources-of-hire study for the past 10 years. In the most recent report, information supplied by approximately 1,500 recruiters, human resources staff, and hiring managers across 250 companies was analyzed.¹ The summary report found the average job posting received 74 applications. Obviously, some jobs received more and some received less. Imagine reviewing 74 resumes and sifting that down to a manageable number of candidates to phone-screen.

With too many candidates to evaluate in a

Reviews for The Infographic Resume

[teezie-968389 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great read. Very informative. Can't wait to try out the suggestions.