6 Alternative CV Formats To Get You Noticed
Applying for graduate jobs can feel draining and monotonous, especially when you’ve applied for 50 and still haven’t had a reply. But you have to imagine being on the other end, too. Trawling through endless black & white CVs with ‘people person’ and ‘team player’ listed under skills isn’t exactly exciting. You need a CV that will jump out at your prospective employer and make them want to meet you in person. Here are some of our favourite unique CVs to give you some inspiration.
Game
There’s certainly nothing boring about this CV. One clever designer, Robby Leonardi, created his interactive CV in the style of an old-school game like Super Mario Bros. It’s an exciting way of viewing information that is usually dry and bland such as skills and work experience. In the end, Leonardi installed a contact form for employers to get in touch.
Since then he has worked for huge companies like Fox News and FX Networks, so he’s the real winner of the game.
Fabric
Worried you’ll get caught in the rain while delivering your CV? Luckily, you can put this one in the dryer. Melissa Washin created her CV from fabric, proving that she’s good at making both physical and digital things and bringing one of her passions to life. She has since worked for brands like Etsy and Modcloth.
You certainly couldn’t accuse her of hogging the photocopier in the student library…
Build-an-intern
How do you create something ideal? Build it yourself, of course. That was the thought behind wannabee intern Leah’s creative application. She applied to advertising agencies with a kit to make a mini version of her entitled ‘Build the perfect account service intern’. She designed the packaging and included a cover letter with all her best qualities in the style of a toy advertisement. We’d have definitely given her the position – who doesn’t love Lego?!
T-shirt
Carrying around CVs sounds too tiring? Don’t worry, just wear it instead.
Kelly Kinney wanted a job so much that she printed a T-shirt with the words ‘I need a job’ on the front and a copy of her CV on the back. She wandered around coffee shops and bars to bag herself a job. It’s a great talking point and shows that you’re confident and committed to job hunting. Why not give it a try yourself?
Infographic
One CV style that you can produce yourself, especially if you are a designer (or have one as a friend) is an infographic. This is a piece of design work which uses images, graphs, stats and concise sentences to convey information clearly. It’s the perfect way to see all the necessary information at a glance without having to read through (let’s face it) boring paragraphs.
If you’re looking for a creative or design job, this is the perfect way to introduce yourself to an employer. It shows your imagination and ability to convey information clearly. Put your best work forward and bag yourself that job!
Chocolate bar
This one gives you a taste of what’s to come! One creative candidate made his CV into a chocolate bar wrapper for the employer to enjoy while reading. Using the layout of the chocolate bar information, Nicholas filled in his details in a concise and interesting way. And, he got the job!
Now that’s one sweet CV. See also 20 Quick Student Job Hunting Tips for more student job advice.
It just goes to show that your CV can be almost anything. We hope this has given you some inspiration to update yours!