Want to land the job of your dreams? Maybe take a leaf out of these designers’ books…
We all know finding work in the creative industry is extremely competitive. With so many talented people in the world, just getting noticed is a job in itself. So creatives all over the world have been coming up with unusual strategies for job resumés to gain an edge in the hunt for employment. Here are 20 brilliant examples of inventive job resumés to inspire you..
01. Box of chocolates
“I handed out and emailed way more conventional CVs than I can remember, and got a response from about two or three of those,” recalls designer Rob Jervis. “So I redesigned my CV and turned it into a box, learning how to make the chocolates inside as well (Oreo truffles, peanut butter cups, amaretto ganaches, etc).” LFH called Jervis up an hour after receiving his chocolate-themed resume and offered him a paid internship, which led to a full time job.
02. Personal portfolio
Designer Scott Duffey created this desktop scene to use in the back of his portfolios as his resume. “I wanted to end my portfolio in a way that would leave an impression,” explains . “I wanted to be remembered by my interviewer, so I needed to deliver key information whilst also giving a feel of my personality.”
03. Branding box
“Rather than sending a covering email and a CV, I posted multiple self promotional mailers to companies I would like to work with,” explains designer Emma Hopkins. Packed full of adorable badges and an entire catalogue featuring her work and skills, this is a package any agency or client would be lucky to receive.
04. Medication
Designed by Cai Griffith of She Was Only, this fake medication résumé design for copywriter Jon Ryder is pure genius. The leaflet inside explained that the medicine could be used for the ‘short-term treatment of acute, moderate creative pain’, detailing how to store it, all known interactions, side-effects and whether or not it can be used while operating heavy machinery.
“The active ingredients in Jon Ryder are creativity, originality and typing. Together, they form a powerful painkiller (analgesic) that works by eradicating stress that naturally occurs in agencies during busy times. it works by increasing the flow of ideas through the system.”
The leaflet adds: “Drinking alcohol with Jon Ryder will not cause any adverse effects. Mixing Jon Ryder with moderate alcohol consumption after the end of the working day may improve effectiveness.”
05. Carton of milk
“I decided to create a Milk BOX with my CV on it, so I could send it to the agencies inside a ‘Creative Lunch Box’,” explains designer Miguel Rato. Using the ingredients to showcase his skills, such as ‘High Calories for Photoshop’ and ‘Medium Calories for HTML and CSS’, it’s a truly innovative way of getting the right kind of attention.
06. The Game of Design
This would certainly catch a potential employer’s eye. Created by a designer with work woes, ‘The Game of Design‘ includes instructions and dice as well as research, client, visual communication and composition cards.
We know it is said that employers only look at résumés for a matter of seconds but we hope that they would take some time with this one. Working in a creative industry, you would assume that they would relish a résumé such as this. We certainly do!
07. The infographic
Singapore-based student Chen Zhi Liang was set a task by hisgraphic design tutor to create an inventive résumé that would make him stand out from the crowd. The semester-end assignment was to create an infographic résumé and we think he’s come up trumps with this design.
Showcasing the all-important qualifications and skills, the résumé is eye-catching without being overwhelming. Liang’s minimal approach is perfect for an overcrowded job market. We’d definitely hire him!
08. Sewn fabric
What a way to show off your design skills! Here, Melissa wanted to showcase her sewing abilities to potential employers, so decided to create this beautiful sewn résumé. Crafted during her senior year in college, she wanted to represent her affection for sewing and including handmade elements in her design work for a more intimate feel.
It was such a hit that Melissa did infact, get the first job she applied for out of college. We certainly wouldn’t toss this offering in the trash!
09. Billboard
In response to mass unemployment and the prospect of having to emigrate, Féilim Mac An Iomaire spent his entire life savings on this billboard. Placing the ad on a busy road in South Dublin, the billboard sees the marketing graduate staring at a number of instantly recognisable landmarks with the tag line ‘save me from emigration’.
10. The Creative Relocation Program
Matt Stafford was in a bind. Already employed at a well-known agency, he was looking for a new challenge, and wanted to create a web-based campaign that would showcase his talent to creative directors at leading shops, hopefully getting him hired. But how to do it without his current employer finding out, and giving him the HR equivalent of a Chinese burn?
Here’s how. Matt created an alter ego, Miguel Jackson, who – viaThe Creative Relocation Program – contacted creative directors via anonymous video messages, where he gave them one chance to contact him via Skype (Matt would remain disguised behind a balaclava at all times, inlcuding ‘face to face’ meetings, until he was offered a job). Seven out of nine creative directors responded, one of whom hired him on the spot. And Matt may have inspired others to follow suit …
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11. The Creative Ransom
This stunt comes to us courtesy of creative team Andrew Grinter and Lee Spencer-Michaelsen. The duo decided against a traditional approach to job applications and instead opted to send mysterious notes, using letters cut out of a magazine, to top creative directors in Melbourne.
The notes directed each to a URL that held a digital ransom note. Their demands? Simple. Arrange an interview or the site gets it. And it worked! The idea landed the duo an interview with no less than seven directors, each of which they met wearing traditional kidnapper balaclavas. The pair are now working at digital marketing firm DT Digital/Ogilvy. Pure genius.
12. Vintage Pixar resumé
Getting your foot in the door at animation giant Pixar is a tough job, so in order to get his resumé noticed among the thousands of others, creative artist Brian Moose created this gorgeous vintage package to house his application.
Inside, the Pixar hiring team would have been delighted to find a old-school film case, which housed a notebook featuring gorgeous illustrations and notes detailing Moose’s skills and previous employment history. We don’t know if it worked but it’s a brilliantly presented and genius idea.
- Also read: How to get a job at Pixar Studios
13. Google job experiment
Copywriter Alec Brownstein‘s goal was to secure a position working for a top creative director in New York. While Googling his favourite creatives, Brownstein noticed they had no sponsored links attached to their names.
Seeing an opportunity, he purchased five directors’ names on Google AdWords, meaning whenever someone ran a search for one, the following message appeared at the top of the results page: “Hey, [creative director’s name]: Goooogling [sic] yourself is a lot of fun.”
He recieved calls from all but one of the creative directors whose names he purchased, and was offered a job by two. He now works for Young & Rubicam New York. And it cost him a total of $6.
14. QR code resumé
When applying for internships at communications agencies, French creative Victor Petit quickly realised that the hardest part of the process was getting an interview. So he decided to spice up his paper resumé with the inclusion of a QR code.
One side of his application features a pretty standard resumé design. The other is a close-up of Petit’s face, with a QR code in place of his mouth. Prospective employers scan the code, which then plays a YouTube video, featuring Petit’s mouth and transforming his paper application into a talking resumé.
15. Lego resumé
Okay, so this idea didn’t get Kendra Wiig the job she was after, but it’s still a cracking idea. After finding an opening for a company working on a Lego-themed game, she built a model of its mascot in the famous little bricks and put her resumé in the fish’s jaws.
Despite not being successful, the idea still attracted Wiig a lot of attention, with the hiring manager sending her back a personal email thanking her for the model. She was also sent details of positions they expected to open up in the near future. Bet she had a great time building it, too!
16. Twitter job hustle
Knowing that many creatives spend a lot of time seeing what others are up to on Twitter, freelance creative team Bas Van de Poel and Daan van Dam decided to use this to their advantage. Their brief was to ‘land a job at an awesome agency’.
The duo created five new Twitter accounts and uploaded different letters as profile pics that would spell out ‘HIRE US’. They then followed creative directors from AKQA, BBH, Sid Leeand Boondoggle so the message appeared on their Twitter pages. Each letter linked to the team’s portfolio on their Twitter timeline. The nifty idea did the trick too, with the duo landing themselves a job with Boondoggle.
17. ‘Vick’ cereal box
When Canada-based web and graphic designer Victor Rodriguezwas looking for work, his design for a resumé was reached by thinking outside of the box. Literally.
Inspired by his morning meal, Rodrigues based his concept on a cereal box, featuring a bright, eye-catching design on the front and his personal information down the side. His skills were awarded percentages, much like the nutritional information listed on traditional cereal packets.
18. Google Map CV
When London-based copywriter Ed Hamilton was out of work, he decided to put his time to good use and develop a creative way to stand out to prospective employers.
Using Google Maps’ My Maps feature, Hamilton mapped his resumé, using different coloured pins to create personalised placemarkers, each accompanied by explanatory text. The brilliant design includes pins for where Hamilton lives, his interests and his previous employment.
19. Resumé in lights
Now this is the kind of resumé Clark Griswold would be proud of! And with Christmas just around the corner, we just had to include this resumé in festive lights. Known for her Christmas light show, HR specialist Liz Hickok decided to modify her display slightly by adding a sign to employers that she was on hunt for a HR job.
The resumé, lit up on the front of her house, read ‘My wish, HR job, Liz Hickok, Linked In’. In addition to many appreciation messages on LinkedIn, Hickok also landed four interviews as a result of the lights.
20. This is Erika
The 90-second video by Miguel Durao showcases his model girlfriend Erika, whom, he explains, is not just a pretty face but also does charity work, is caring, sensitive and has been dating Durao for six years. There’s a brilliant pay off at the end, in which the whole scenario becomes clear.
Off the back of it, Miguel had several interviews and job offers from big name agencies, a series of freelance jobs, and a permanent position which he’s had for a year now. Well done that man!
Have you seen any brilliant examples of job resumés? Share them with us in the comments box below!