A short while ago, my colleague Tim Anderson posted an innovative piece about
augmented reality CVs. Seeing yourself floating above a piece of paper on a webcam surrounded by digital artefacts is nothing short of awesome. But not everyone has the capability to undertake a production like that, involving large amounts of coding, green screen video, and 3D production work. How can the rest of us get our CV to stand out above the others?
When people ask me for a CV these days, I just point them to my Linkedin page, which is a handy way of presenting my information. My favourite aspect of LinkedIn is that it is dynamic. Not only can you expand the page on an ongoing basis with testimonials from happy customers and colleagues, but you can also update your status on the page. It is also extensible, supporting third party applications including an Amazon reading list and a blog app, so that potential employers can be wowed by your insightful posts.
Another option is
VisualCV, which lets you pull together multiple information sources, including files, video, and performance charts, into a central page that you can update regularly. This page can be forwarded to potential employers.
Still, while informative, these aren't the most eye-catching CV options that I've seen. One of the most stunning job applications I saw was by an artist applying for a job on a magazine. He sketched out his job application as a cartoon to catch the editor's attention.
This excellent Mashable
article highlights some innovative designs that compress large amounts of information about an individual onto a single page using some stunning infographic designs, such as this one from Michael Anderson:
This chap decided to innovate a little more and create a KML version of his CV, enabling potential employers to view it on a map:
It might be something of a gimmick, but could be a useful addition to an interactive CV, presented online.
With so many tired, text-heavy CVs making their way onto potential employers' desks, doesn't it pay to be a little creative? What are you doing to make your job application more effective?
