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The title of this post suggests that todays world is somewhat different from
yesterdays world, and that it is more creative. Before we explore this notion, lets
look at the definition of the word creativity. Most dictionaries or academic
researchers of creativity will agree creativity is the process of generating ideas,
that are both (a) novel (new) and (b) useful for (c) solving problems.
To be remarkable (i.e. worth making a remark about[3]) your resume should be
somewhat different from everyone else. If you aspire to be remarkable, you have
to be different (i.e. novel) and your resume must be useful (for the person reading
it) and solve a problem (i.e. you getting that amazing job). While most people think
about art when it comes to being creative, this post will follow the traditional
definition of creativity (novel, useful, solving a problem) to make you shine brighter
and your resume, a star.
If on the other hand, you dont think todays world is any different than yesterdays
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world and that your resume should follow traditional (may I say old-school?)
resume-writing-advices you once got from an HR director or a career counselor,
watch the following video:
Daniel Pink, the author of A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule
the Future[4]:
Before we start with actual tips, let me suggest a possibility, that every piece of
advice you ever got about how to write a resume (or about anything else really)
could be 100% true and 100% false at the same time. What I mean is, for the
person who came up with that advice, it might have been a great one. For you, on
the other hand, this advice might be a really bad one. Why you ask? (1) They may
be different people than you are, (2) working in a different environment or industry,
(3) they may be more concerned with practicality (like how your resume will be
scanned) vs. likability or remarkability.
Watch Seth Goodin, the Author of Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by
Being Remarkable[5]:
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Tip #1 Dont Listen To Every Advice You Get (including this one):
As a rule of thumb, when someone gives me advice, I always ask why? (as in,
why is that a good advice?). If their explanation makes sense to me sure, Ill
follow their advice. But many times, the original reasons for that advice may not
apply to me or may be irrelevant, outdated or serve someone elses benefit rather
than mine.
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Most people think the purpose of a resume is to get you a job. Wrong; the purpose
of a resume is to get you an interview. Similarly, most people think the purpose of
an interview is to get you the job. Wrong again.
The purpose of an interview is to connect with a human being (i.e. the interviewer)
on a personal level and leave a remarkable impression on them.
Personal connection, remarkable impression and likability will get you
a dream job, not the resume or the interview.
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Art Director is a title Visual Thinker is a skill. Account Planner is a title Cultural
Curious or Cultural Maven is a value.
People are more likely to hire you for your skills and values, rather
than for your title.
Plus, youre communicating that you are creative, unique, and passionate about
these values/skills.
Instead of trying to convey youre good at everything, emphasize a
few areas where youve accomplished the most
Additional Resources:
FastCompany: The Brand Called You[8]
FastCompany: Brand You Survival Kit[9]
BusinessWeek: Creating Brand You[10]
Most people believe they should write as much information about themselves as
possible in a resume. They dont want to omit anything, thinking more is better. If
you agree with tip #2, that the purpose of a resume is to get you an interview
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rather than a job, then you might want to think of a resume as a first-date.
Weve all been there a horrifying first date, where the other side just wont stop
talking about themselves; and the more they talk, the more you dont want to see
them again. On the other hand, weve all experienced an amazing first date, which
left us wanting to know more about the other person.
Similarly, if the purpose of a resume is to get you a second date (an interview)
rather than marriage (long-term career), you want to leave the other side curious
and wanting to know more about you.
In addition, the more information you have on your resume, the more likely you are
to decrease the value of brand YOU (by saying something they dont want to hear,
something they dont care about, in a way they dont like, etc). If you include very
little information about yourself, on the other hand, they might not get the essence
of brand YOU, which isnt a good thing either. The solution:
Your resume should have the least amount of information that will
make you a star.
The same goes for a Portfolio, by the way (adverting, design, etc). If I see three
amazing campaigns in your portfolio, Ill think youre a star. But if I see three
amazing campaign, plus two just-ok ones and one bad one, Id think youre just ok.
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The metaphor I like to use comes from the world of personal relationships. Its
Friday night, you go out and meet an interesting guy/gal. What would you think of
them, if they came to you and said: yeah, um, I think Im ok in relationships or
well I kinda wanna be great in relationships rather than them presenting
themselves as someone whos great in relating to other people? You might not
know them yet, youre definitely not in a relationship with them yet, but youre more
likely to go out with them if youd get the sense their most important value/skill is
their ability to relate to people.
Tip #7 The FedEx Rule When You Absolutely, Positively Have to Be There
on Time:
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Tip #9 Structure:
If you want to have the least amount of information that will make you shine
brighter, the structure of your resume should be super simple and skimmable. Id
recommend having only four main categories: Education, Experience, Skills, and
Life.
If your education section is more impressive than your experience section, put it
first, and vice versa. In the creative sector (any job focused on generating new
ideas), awards are sometimes more important than education. If you won
impressive awards, honors or other forms of recognition, which are directly related
to the position youre applying for, Id add an Awards section before education or
experience. If the awards are not directly related to the position, but are worth
mentioning, Id put them under the Life section.
If you agree with the previous tip, that first and last impressions are more important
than anything in the middle, a good structure to follow is:
What What did you do? (job title, position, etc)
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Where & When Where & when did you do it? (name of the company or institution
and time frame)
Why (in bullet points) Why should I care? That is to say, what did you do for
them, that you can do for me?
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* Note: the actual lines on the left example are to show you the indentation; I
wouldnt actually have them in my resume.
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Dont tell me only your previous job titles. I cant learn much about you or your
skills from your job titles. Identify and quantify your past accomplishments instead
of listing a general job descriptions. In other words:
Tell me what you did for them, that you can do for me. Be specific and
quantify as much as you can.
For example, instead of writing:
Cashier and Shift Manager
Starbucks, Los Angeles, 2001-2006
Was in charge of the cash-register
Opened and closed the store daily
Served customers
Write:
Cashier and Shift Manager
Starbucks, Los Angeles, 2001-2006
Managed a weekly budget of $25,000
Opened the store on time and always stayed until the last happy customer left
Served 0ver 50 happy customers daily without a single complaint for 5 years
See the difference? The second example communicates so much more about you
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than the first one. It tells me you are trustworthy, have a positive attitude,
approachable, likable, etc. Most people will write attributes like these under their
Skills section without even giving examples. By writing them under the Why
section of each experience, instead of under the Skills section, you are
demonstrating your skills rather than just saying you have them.
Leave me curious and wanting to know more about those skills and
how you achieved them.
Life experiences are great, even if you didnt get paid for them. Thats why I
suggested the title Experience for this category, and not Work Experience. If
you volunteered for a summer camp, for example, you might be great at multitasking, solving problems, dealing with demanding customers (kids in this
example, but still customers). All of these are great skills I would love to know
about.
For each experience listed, add one, two, or maximum three things you did for
them, that you can do for me (the Why). Bullet point style, one line for each. If
you list three, put the most impressive first, the second most impressive last,
and the least impressive in the middle.
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These examples are a testimony that as human beings, we connect better when
humor is used. And if you subscribe to tip #2, that the purpose of a resume is not
necessarily to present information, but rather to get people to like you enough to
invite you for a second date, humor can definitely make you remarkable.
Back to the resume instead of just having a What':
Server, Amys Ice Cream
Add a humorous Why':
Made 50 people smile daily @ Amys Ice Cream
Instead of just having a What':
Sales Manager, McDonalds
Add a humorous Why':
Made the big bosses 20% richer @ McDonalds
These can lead to great conversations during your interview and will present you
in a positive way, while communicating the what you did for them that you can do
for me.
IMPORTANT NOTE: You dont want to come out as a joker, so keep the humor
light and the language professional.
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you a dream job, not the interview. This section should be one or two paragraphs,
in the format of story-telling. People connect with good stories and this is your
chance to show youre a human being and not just another paper resume.
You can talk about your hobbies, countries youve visited, languages you speak
(although if relevant to the position, these can also go under skills), anything really,
but once again be remarkable.
If you tell me you beat anyone you know in Guitar Hero, I might conclude from this
you are passionate, goal oriented, enjoy challenges, etc. If you tell me you perform
at poetry slam open mic gigs every third Tuesday of the month, I might conclude
you are a great communicator, a story teller, can present in front of a large
audience, risk taker, not afraid of failure, etc.
While this section ends your resume, it should provide a great conversation-starter
for your interviewer. Remember: your goal is to make it easier for them to connect
with you on a personal level.
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Watch Simon Sineks TED on How Great Leaders Inspire Action and tell me whats
your personal WHY?
Tell me something about how you see the world, about who you are as a human
being, not just as an employee. 99% of resumes dont tell much about the persons
attitude, quickness, humor, curiosity, personal manner, what makes them tick, and
a few dozen other really important traits. Most people assume these will be
revealed at the interview but the truth is I am more likely to call you for an interview
if I perceive you as the human being Id like to connect with.
In advertising, we call this Why Unique Selling Proposition (USP).
Whats your USP?
Its always better to demonstrate/show your USP rather than telling/writing about it.
If you think youre a great writer, for example, your resume should be a written
testimony (instead of writing: Great writing skills under the Skills section).
Similarly, if your USP is a personality trait show it to me using examples rather
than telling me about it.
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address), or Email:, or Phone:, or Degree: or, ok, you got the point.
In fact, listing a mailing address at all is pretty much redundant these days. All I
get in the mail in the last 5 years are bills and I doubt youll get any letter of
acceptance (maybe a rejection letter, but hey, you probably dont want to get
these any ways
If you got the job, youll get a phone call usually and if you
were rejected, they can email you.
Listing more than one phone number (like home, cell, work). Why would they
need anything other than your cell phone? If they cant reach you, theyll leave
you a voice mail, not turn you down.
Writing Objective well, we talked about that in Tip #5. Instead, write your
name, dash (-) your title at the very top of your resume. Bold.
Having a title like Relevant Work Experience if its not relevant, why would it
even be on your resume? And why would you want to limit your experiences to
only work related ones? Any experience that makes you shine brighter should
be on your resume, even if its a volunteer experience. The title should just be
Experience.
When the name of an institution you work for (or study at) includes the city it is
in, you dont really need to add the city, do you? For example, I teach at
California State University, Fullerton (thats the actual name of the university,
CSU have other campuses as well) and its located in You guessed it:
Fullerton. No need to write: California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, CA.
Why write Bachelor of Arts, when you can write B.A.? Remember less is
GOOD.
Under education, I often see students write: Expected Graduation Date: May,
2015. If were now in 2014, and you simply write May, 2015 believe me, Ill
understand youre still a student.
References Available Upon Request If they need them, theyll ask for them
(usually when you come for an interview).
Links to your LinkedIn, Facebook, or even MySpace (I swear Ive seen that one
once
profiles. Why? So I can get more information I dont have time to read?
Remember, your goal is NOT to provide MORE information but be likable and
leave me wanting to know more about you (in an interview, not via social media
sites).
Words like: Major in: / Minor in:. Instead, write: California State University,
Fullerton Communications/Advertising
Listing months under the dates of your experiences (June 2011 Sept 2014,
for example). Dates are on your resume to provide a general time-line and its
really not important what month you started or finished that job; 2011-2014 is
good enough. The only exception is when you worked somewhere less than a
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Tip #21 Dont believe everything I just told you without asking why and
agreeing with it:
Learn from others. Shop around for options. If three people tell you its a horse, try
to ride it, but if you get contradicting advise, own your opinion. Read and Use:
Really Ugly Resumes:
http://www.slideshare.net/jessedee/really-ugly-resumes[19]
The Seven Deadly Sins of Resume Design:
http://www.lifeclever.com/the-7-deadly-sins-of-resume-design/[20]
Top 10 Ways to Rock Your Resume
http://lifehacker.com/5777317/top-10-ways-to-rock-your-resume[21]
The Periodic Table of Typefaces
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http://www.behance.net/Gallery/Periodic-Table-of-Typefaces/193759[22]
Give Your Resume a Face-Lift
http://www.lifeclever.com/give-your-resume-a-face-lift/[23]
If your resume goes online, read Ten Principles for Readable Web Typography:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/03/18/10-principles-for-readableweb-typography/[24]
Ten Things that Define a Killer Resume:
http://www.squawkfox.com/2008/11/17/10-things-that-define-a-killer-resume/[25]
Ten Resume Dos
http://www.squawkfox.com/2008/11/18/10-ways-to-build-a-resume-like-aprofessional-resume-writer-the-dos/[26]
Ten Resume Sins:
http://www.squawkfox.com/2008/11/20/10-deadly-sins-of-resume-writing/[27]
Six Words That Make Your Resume Suck:
http://www.squawkfox.com/2009/01/19/6-words-that-make-your-resume-suck/[28]
Six Word That Make Your Resume Rock:
http://www.squawkfox.com/2009/03/08/6-action-words-that-make-your-resumerock/[29]
How To Create A Great Web Design CV and Resume
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/04/01/10-handy-tips-for-web-designcvs-and-resumes[30]
10 Ways Your Resume Irks Hiring Managers
http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2008/12/24/10-ways-your-resume-irks-hiringmanagers/[31]
Top 5 mistakes on executive resumes
http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2011/06/03/top-5-mistakes-on-executive-
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resumes/?section=money_topstories[32]
The 12 Most Relevant Online Resources for Job Seekers
http://12most.com/2011/09/14/12most-online-resources-job-seekers/[33]
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1. http://www.creativelifeplanning.com/author/life-coach
2. http://www.creativelifeplanning.com/category/blog
3. http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/01/how_to_be_remar.html
4. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594481717/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&
tag=creatiintens-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&
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5. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591843170/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&
tag=creatiintens-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&
creativeASIN=1591843170
6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBIVlM435Zg
7. http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/03/whats-your-super-power.html
8. http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/10/brandyou.html
9. http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/83/playbook.html
10. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_34/b4047419.htm
11. http://www.creativelifeplanning.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Visual_Structure.gif
12. http://www.creativelifeplanning.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Visual_Structure.gif
13. http://imdb.com/title/tt0118799/
14. https://www.google.com/search?q=typography+intro
15. http://sixrevisions.com/graphics-design/comic-sans-the-font-everyone-loves-to-hate/
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16. http://www.visualmess.com/
17. http://tinyurl.com/yf6wgfo
18. http://faq.1and1.com/e_mail/create_email_address/
19. http://www.slideshare.net/jessedee/really-ugly-resumes
20. http://www.lifeclever.com/the-7-deadly-sins-of-resume-design/
21. http://lifehacker.com/5777317/top-10-ways-to-rock-your-resume
22. http://www.behance.net/Gallery/Periodic-Table-of-Typefaces/193759
23. http://www.lifeclever.com/give-your-resume-a-face-lift/
24. http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/03/18/10-principles-for-readableweb-typography/
25. http://www.squawkfox.com/2008/11/17/10-things-that-define-a-killer-resume/
26. http://www.squawkfox.com/2008/11/18/10-ways-to-build-a-resume-like-a-professionalresume-writer-the-dos/
27. http://www.squawkfox.com/2008/11/20/10-deadly-sins-of-resume-writing/
28. http://www.squawkfox.com/2009/01/19/6-words-that-make-your-resume-suck/
29. http://www.squawkfox.com/2009/03/08/6-action-words-that-make-your-resume-rock/
30. http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/04/01/10-handy-tips-for-web-design-cvs-andresumes
31. http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2008/12/24/10-ways-your-resume-irks-hiring-managers/
32. http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2011/06/03/top-5-mistakes-on-executive-resumes
/?section=money_topstories
33. http://12most.com/2011/09/14/12most-online-resources-job-seekers/
34. http://peadig.com/wordpress-plugins/facebook-comments/
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