Cool Infographics: Effective Communication with Data Visualization and Design

The more strikingly visual your presentation is, the more people will remember it. And more importantly, they will remember you.

—PAUL ARDEN, WHATEVER YOU THINK, THINK THE OPPOSITE

Infographic Resumes

The principles behind good infographic design have recently made their way into the resumes of individuals. Job candidates are looking for new ways to make their resumes stand out from the crowd, quickly communicate their top attributes, and be more memorable to the prospective employer who may review hundreds of resumes for an open position. Infographics are a fantastic way to tell your story to a potential hiring manager—and they're cool too!

This rising trend of infographic resumes is a hotly debated topic. Recruiters, candidates, resume writers, hiring managers, and human resources managers can have widely opposing, strong opinions. Some believe that adding any graphics to a resume is unprofessional and may lead to a candidate not being considered for a position. Many others are huge supporters of graphic resumes because they break the monotony of all-text resumes and stand out from the pile of resumes reviewed.

As discussed in Chapter 1, “The Science of Infographics,” the research behind visual communication of information shows that visualizations can often be more effective than ...