by Wahidabi Sulaiman

Created on: February 03, 2010

Almost everyone has a resume on hand. Neatly identifying the academic and career achievements, all the details are stated in bullet format and neatly crafted for an easy read for any prospective employer. You post your completed resume on the job portals. You send them out in mails and faxes as well as by email to all employers who could possibly hire you. Everyone does that. So what is so unique about your resume that will get the attention of your prospective employer?

Creativity! Yes, creativity is the only thing that will help you stand out in the crowd. You may not be academically brilliant. However, if you are able to make an impression to your prospective employer that you are a creative person, you are sure to land that very first interview.

How to be creative in a resume?

The position you are applying for is the best source of reference to get your creative idea.

Suppose you are applying for a Customer Service job. Obviously you have to list your qualifications and such. However, if you are able to showcase your potential as a customer service person, you will land that job. How? You could provide hyper-links in your resume that point to your uploaded images of certifications and commendations you have received. You could get an audio or video testimonial of a person you have helped personally or that of your colleagues.

Suppose you are applying for the job as a Graphic designer. You could send out your resume with a sample of work that features the company you are applying to. Instead of saying in your resume that you have done this and that in your previous job, you could mention how your expertise can help the company you are applying to via the sample piece. Be confident and show that you can already be a part of the company even before you get the offer.

If you applying for the job as a chef, upload your video on the net and provide reference in your resume so that the prospective employer could view your style of cooking. Going a little overboard, you could package your resume with a simple dish and send it personally to the hiring manager.

I don't think I can be creative. So what do I do?

If you are not able to come up with any creative idea in your field of job, you need to ensure you do a good job writing that resume itself. 

-Provide clear headings.

-List your accomplishments in as precise manner as possible.

-Provide enough references. Put your photo on the resume so that the prospective employer could put a face to your resume.

-Experiment with color or font highlight important points.

-Leave out your personal interests unless it is closely related to your job requirements.

-Accompany your resume with a cover letter and tailor your cover letter according to the job requirements.

-Polish up your resume every time you want to send them out to prospective employers and ensure that you list only things that are relevant to your job application. This means you have to create a separate resume for each and every job application you make. Use the one size fits all attitude and your resume will be the same everyone else's.

In conclusion, whatever you do, do it with passion. Make this commitment to yourself and not only will your resume stand out but you as a person will stand out.

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