When is a creative approach appropriate on your resume?

Dear Sam: I graduated with a degree in communications four years ago, but I ended up outside my field after graduation. I’m willing to go back to an entry-level job if it means securing a communications position. Still, I’m afraid I’ll be overlooked because I don’t have any recent, relevant experience. I’ve revamped my resume to give it more personality— and have received some advice from friends and family—but I’m still worried. Have I given it too much personality? Is this a resume that would stand out in a crowd in a good way?

— Beth

Dear Beth: Great job stepping outside of the box and thinking about how you could uniquely present your candidacy! I applaud your creativity and willingness to do something bold! I believe your resume’s design will glean some attention, but I am concerned hiring managers will not know what you want and who you are.

The key piece you are missing from your well-designed resume is a positioning statement. You do not have a qualifications summary, so the reviewer will be forced to evaluate you as you have been. By that, I mean the reader will only have information to believe you are positioning yourself as a property management assistant as that is how your resume opens based on your current position. This is precisely what you don’t want. To avoid that unfortunate assumption, you must position your candidacy.

Given your field of study was communications, I imagine you know a little about marketing, messaging, and positioning information on a page to attract the reader and prioritize their scan. Take advantage of this knowledge when you present the value of your candidacy for a communications role. Build a summary that promotes the transferability of your professional and pre-graduation experiences, combined with the strengths of your academic program and courses of study. I am confident when you have a little more attention to content and messaging, coupled with your beautiful design, you will be exceptionally successful. Great job!

Dear Sam: Due to downsizing, I have recently found myself back in the market searching for a job. I have not had issues getting my resume noticed in the past. I have more than seven years of experience in outside sales and have my resume organized in chronological order. Do you think I would get noticed by choice employers more quickly if I used a functional resume format instead of a chronological format?

— Lauren

Dear Lauren: Probably not. Functional resumes are rarely as effective because they leave the reader wondering what you did when and where. Functional formats should be resorted to only when you have little chance of getting past the screening process if you use the traditional and much more widely accepted reverse chronological format. These situations could include frequent job hops, limited related experience, significant employment gaps, and more. You can certainly pull out some career highlights and organize those by functional area, creating a combination or hybrid format, but be sure to note where each was achieved. Your qualifications summary should serve as the overview of your related and/or transferable skills and experiences; in that summary, you can pull out keywords that will focus attention on the areas you would likely highlight in a functional format. Instead of resorting to the functional structure, use great content, organization, formatting, achievements, and a strong qualifications summary to grab the reader’s attention.