Are Infographic CVs A Good Idea?
The usual purpose of an infographic is to explain a topic or tell a story using interesting data and awesome visual design. But recently, infographics have been becoming increasingly used as a way to present CVs. There is huge debate over whether this is something that people who are looking for jobs should do. People from both sides of the debate have put forward plenty of good points. This article will highlight and discuss the main points that have been raised and will conclude on whether or not using an infographic CV is a good idea.
They Might Not Get Found
The large majority of the time employers tend to use keyword tools to sift through all of the CV’s that they receive. This allows them to whittle the number of applicants down to only the ones that have the skills and qualifications that they are after. For example, if they require someone that can use Adobe Photoshop they will simply do a search of “Adobe Photoshop” and remove all the CVs that do not contain these keywords. This is an issue for infographic CV’s as because text is usually embedded within an image, they won’t get found when employers use a keyword tool. However, this is only a problem when CVs are submitted online. If they are handed in on paper this isn’t an issue.
They May Just Be Suited To Some Job Fields
A lot of people state that infographic CVs are only suitable when applying for certain jobs. The general consensus is that they work well when applying to startups, design companies and jobs that involve a high level of creativity—but not for many other types of jobs. It makes sense really. For example, a company that specializes in the creation of infographics, such as infographic world, would love to see applicants design skills. But a large company like Tesco or McDonalds isn’t going to be interested in design skills whatsoever. Because of this it is highly recommended that if you are using an infographic CV you ensure that the place you are applying to is actually going to appreciate it. Yet, you never really know who is going to be looking at the CVs so it is possible that an infographic CV may work when applying to a large company.
They Definitely Stand Out
It cannot be denied that using an infographic CV would ensure that the application stands out from the rest. Think about it. If an employer is looking through a large number of CVs that are all plain white with size 12 text, an infographic CV is definitely going to stand out and catch an employer’s eye. This greatly increases the chances of your CV actually getting read.
The main argument against this point is that some people believe that using an infographic CV may lead employers to believe that your qualifications could not stand out on their own, hence why an infographic is being used. However, as long as you have the required qualifications this shouldn’t be an issue because as soon as your CV is read, an employer will be able to see them clearly.
They Contain The Most Important Facts
One argument for infographic CV’s being a bad choice is that some people believe that they don’t allow enough room for all the information that needs to be included in a CV. This is because infographics tend to contain a lot of images and other visuals that limit the amount of room there is for text. Yet, others argue that using an infographic CV does allow enough information to be included. If anything they make sure that ONLY the most important facts are contained. The reason for this that the lack of space causes people to carefully consider what actually needs to be included and what doesn’t. This works to make the CV incredibly powerful as employers can see everything that they need to know about the applicant really easily.
So Are Infographic CVs A Good Idea?
The answer is: It depends on the job. If you’re applying for a job that requires applicants to be creative then an infographic CV is a great way to show this. However, if it’s an online application it’s best not to use an infographic CV so that your CV can actually be found. Nonetheless infographic CVs can really help an applicant stand out, which is extremely useful when thousands of people are applying for the same job. Just make sure that if you are going to use one, you know that it will be suitable for the job that you are applying to.
