It’s a tried and tested formula: a two-page resumé created in Microsoft Word or Google Sheets, which contains minimal formatting, an easy-to-read font, lots of bullet points and that’s it: job done.
Or––is it? A new report from the graphic design app Canva has revealed that hiring managers, traditionally inundated with vast amounts of plain-text resumés, are more receptive to applications that contain a visual element.
Canva’s New Year New Job report, which surveyed jobseekers and hiring managers across the United States, reveals that 57% of hiring managers prefer resumés with visual elements over traditional all-text word documents.
Additionally, 71% of hiring managers believe that so-called “text-based” resumés will become obsolete within the next five years.
As new as the thinking may be, that probably won’t come as a surprise. After all, a single corporate job opening can receive an average of 250 applications, according to Glassdoor.
Owing to that, more than 80% of resumés don’t make it past initial screening (often carried out by a junior team member), and just one in 10 will reach the relevant hiring manager.
A majority of employers, including most Fortune 500 companies, use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to manage applications, but there are many tales out there of ATS’ not screening applicants efficiently. As a result, strong applicants can be eliminated before they’ve even got a virtual foot in the door.
Returning to Canva’s report, it found that job seekers are no longer satisfied with the feel of an all-text resumé, and believe that a 75%/25% split between text and visuals will improve their chances of progress.
There’s no doubt that getting the attention of those tasked with poring over hundreds of applications is an uphill battle; 24% of hiring managers spend no more than 30 seconds reviewing a resume.
In other words, adding some color and creative flair seems to make sense.
Canva recommends images and infographics that illustrate your skills and experience, as well as “clickable content”–– in other words, a linked digital portfolio.
Traditionally the realm of applicants for creative or artistic roles, increasingly, hiring managers are keen to see the prior work of applicants in tech, engineering, marketing, and many other disciplines.
Only one-third of applicants currently include one, so this can offer a real point of difference, with a well-designed portfolio boosting your chances of making progress in a competitive hiring landscape.
So which should you choose? Github is the best-known online repository for displaying and demonstrating tech prowess. The platform allows users to create a free website to host projects and interactive demonstrations of code and other projects.
Or try CodePen. An online code editor and web development tool that allows users to demonstrate more intricate examples of HTML, CSS and Javascript work.
Netlify is a developer-friendly platform that provides free hosting for static websites, with the ability to deploy them directly from a Github profile.
Vercel specializes in serverless deployment of web pages, and is particularly strong for JavaScript portfolios. It enables users to create their own APIs and dynamic pages too.
Dribbble is known for being particularly useful for showcasing UX/UI skills. Mockups, prototypes and animations can be displayed as work-in-progress examples.
Finally, the golden rule for any resumé is to always keep it relevant. Some figures indicate that 77% of resumés exceed the recommended length of 600 words.
Want to put your new resumé to the test? Visit the nextpit Job Board to take the next step in your career journey.
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Put your resumé to the test: search the nextpit Job Board for your next role. This article was written by Doug Whelan.
