Ask any human resource professional or recruiter and they’ll tell you that they receive an avalanche of resumes every day. While most applicants opt for the standard look and feel of a traditional 12-point Times New Roman Word document or resume template, there are some who go above and beyond to catch the eye of their target company or staffing agency. We decided to dig deep and find some of the most unique, thoughtful and, sometimes, downright funny resume ideas we’ve ever seen.
Here are our top-five picks for the most creative resumes.
do you want to play a game?
Fans of a certain, massively popular Nintendo game about pocket monsters may recognize the motif this designer is going for with this interactive resume. This web-hosted, playable and interactive resume takes just a few minutes to navigate through and understand. Not only does this resume thoroughly introduce the applicant, it knows hiring managers sometimes only have minutes to spare when evaluating candidates and gives them the opportunity to either play through or quickly select the pertinent info at the top of the window.
roadmap to application success
While interactive in itself, this creative resume, built with Google Maps, shows off the applicant's work experience — and indicates that they aren’t afraid of the professional challenges geography, culture and globetrotting can present to some employees. Plus, the easily digestible format makes reviewing the resume fun, interactive and expressive.
all that and a bag of chips
The ideal resume you want to see come across your desk if you’re craving a snack, this resume is literally printed on a bag of real potato chips. It features a brief intro to the candidate, and, in place of ingredients, a detailed work and career summary. Add to that an extra benefit for hiring managers: If they review a resume like this and don’t see a potential fit, at least they’ll get a nice little treat out of it.
applying is like a box of chocolates
Speaking of treats, this particularly creative resume is literally packed with them. Perhaps the applicant was hoping that their skills would shine through, but the physiological effects of chocolate could be a differentiator when the sweets kick in and release stress-relieving dopamine.
hollywood care package
In the world of show business, a little flash can be a good thing. This resume, which was sent to Pixar Animation Studios, looks like a relic pulled from the Disney Vault. While it looks authentic, many of the elements of this physical resume were aged meticulously by hand by its creator. Located inside this package is a film reel which contains a hand-drawn notebook outlining the applicant’s skills and work history. Talk about movie magic!
Now these are all particularly unique resume designs to get you thinking, but a standard, well-written resume that includes all the right components is really all you need. That said, from high-tech design jobs to your next administrative job, you still need to catch the eye of whoever is evaluating candidates. Check out all of our resume resources for more practical ways to improve the “wow” factor of your resume.
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