The Infographic Resume: How to Create a Visual Portfolio that Showcases Your Skills and Lands the Job

Book description

The STANDOUT guide to creating a stunning resume

Applying for a job used to require two pieces of paper: a resume and an application. Times have changed.

Infographic resumes are in, and they’re not just for designers. Free online tools are popping up every day to help anyone create a dynamic, visual resume—adding panache without sacrificing substance for style.

The Infographic Resume provides essential tips and ideas for how to create visual resumes and portfolios that will make you stand out from the crowd. Richly illustrated in full color and including lots of inspiring examples, the book will teach you how to:

  • Create a powerful digital presence and develop the right digital content for your goals
  • Build your self-brand and manage your online reputation
  • Showcase your best work online
  • Grab a hiring manager’s attention in seconds

Packed with dynamic infographics, visual resumes, and other creative digital portfolios, The Infographic Resume reveals the most effective tools, eye-catching strategies, and best practices to position yourself for any job in any kind of business.

“In today’s free-agent economy, The Infographic Resume is a must for anyone looking to stand out among the competition.”
— Sharlyn Lauby, president of ITM Group, Inc.

“If you’re on the market, you need to read this book and follow its guidance immediately.”
— Alexandra Levit , author of Blind Spots

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Contents
  5. Acknowledgments
  6. CHAPTER 1: How We Got Where We Are Today
    1. Changes in Hiring, Workforce, and Technology
      1. 1. The Death of the Paper Resume
      2. 2. The Morphing of Job Boards and Resume Databases
      3. 3. The Dreaded Black Hole
      4. 4. The Rise of Referrals
      5. 5. Employer-Candidate Mismatch
      6. 6. Communication Mismatch
      7. 7. The Gig Economy
      8. 8. The Web as a Tool for the Masses
      9. 9. Trend Setters as Trailblazers
      10. 10. The Rise of LinkedIn
    2. Power to the People—Look Like a Rock Star
    3. New Thinking
      1. The Many Hats You’ll Wear
    4. Your Strategy for Success
  7. CHAPTER 2: Your Online Portfolio
    1. What Will You Include in Your Portfolio?
    2. What to Showcase
      1. Samples of Work
      2. Headshot
      3. Your Bio or Summary
      4. Resume
      5. Social Media Outlet Links
      6. Letters of Recommendation
      7. Satisfied Customer and Client E-mails
      8. Awards or Recognition
      9. Special Projects
      10. Volunteer Involvement
    3. The Best Portfolio Is One You Own: Claim Your Domain
      1. Buy the URL
    4. Option 1: Create Your Site
      1. Pages for Your Online Portfolio or Website
    5. Option 2: Use Creative Portfolio Platforms and Communities
      1. Behance (http://www.behance.net)
      2. Carbonmade (http://www.carbonmade.com)
      3. DeviantArt (http://www.deviantart.com)
      4. Dribbble (http://dribbble.com)
      5. GitHub (http://github.com)
    6. Sample Portfolios
  8. CHAPTER 3: Telling the Story of You
    1. Inventory Your Assets
      1. Personality Traits
      2. Your Technical Skills
      3. Industry Experience
      4. Projects
      5. Accomplishments
      6. A Framework for Documenting Your Accomplishment
    2. Summing It Up
    3. A System for Explaining
    4. The Pitch
    5. Key Components to Gather
      1. Headshot
      2. Bio or Summary
      3. Resume
    6. Social Media Outlet Links
      1. Social Media Outlets
      2. Most Popular Social Networks
      3. Claim Your Profiles Across Social Media Outlets
      4. Tools for Hosting and Sharing Files
    7. Portfolio of Work
      1. Consistency
  9. CHAPTER 4: Resumes with Visual Flair
    1. Making the Initial Cut
    2. Does Your Resume Answer These Questions?
      1. Test Your Resume
    3. The Most Common Pitfalls to Avoid
    4. Learn from Graphic Designers
      1. Visual Resumes
    5. Putting Your Toe in the Graphic Water
    6. Totally Out of the Box
    7. What Won’t Work
    8. Words of Caution
  10. CHAPTER 5: Infographic Resumes
    1. Data Visualization
      1. Proof
    2. Who Is Using Infographic Resumes?
      1. Infographics Used by Noncreatives
    3. The Beauty Is in Shareability
    4. Success Stories
    5. Generating Ideas Is Only Step One
  11. CHAPTER 6: Professionally Crafted Infographic Resumes
    1. Get a Winning Design
    2. Anyone Can Have an Infographic Resume
    3. No Two Snowflakes Are Alike
  12. CHAPTER 7: Creating Your Own Infographic Resume
    1. Design Basics
      1. Components of Design
      2. Color Makes an Impact
      3. Color-Combination Tools
      4. Typography
      5. Art, Illustration, and Photography
      6. Texture
    2. Rules for Creating Great Infographics
      1. Planning Your Infographic
      2. Gather Ideas from Other Infographics
      3. Choose the Best Infographic Elements
    3. Tools to Create Infographics
    4. Infographic Resume Applications
    5. Advice to Ponder
  13. CHAPTER 8: Don’t Overlook LinkedIn
    1. Turn Your LinkedIn Profile into a Portfolio
      1. What Media Can I Add?
      2. Where to Put Embedded Media
      3. What to Showcase
      4. I’ve Got Nothing
    2. LinkedIn Profile Checklist
      1. Headline
      2. Photo
      3. E-mail
      4. Vanity URL
      5. Other Web References
      6. Summary
      7. Work Experience
      8. Embed Media
      9. Skills and Endorsements
      10. Education
      11. Certifications, Test Scores, and Courses
      12. Projects
      13. Recommendations
      14. Honors and Awards, Publications, and Patents
      15. Organizations, Volunteering, and Causes
      16. Personal Details
      17. Make It Complete
      18. Make It Public
      19. Special Sections for College Students and Recent Graduates
    3. How to Get the Most Out of LinkedIn
      1. Endorsements
      2. Share What You Know in Group Discussions
      3. Follow Companies
      4. Applying for Jobs Through LinkedIn
    4. More Ways to Get More from LinkedIn
      1. Keep Up with Industry News
      2. Who’s Influencing You
      3. Connect with People
      4. Keep in Touch
      5. Write Recommendations
      6. Reconsider How You Use LinkedIn
    5. Sample LinkedIn Profiles
    6. One Final Word of Caution: There Are Few Absolutes
  14. CHAPTER 9: Social Resumes
    1. Who Benefits Most?
    2. How to Set Up Social Resumes
      1. Don’t Be Too Wordy
      2. Choosing the Right Name and Handle
      3. Choosing the Right Photo
      4. Connecting Sites and Content to Your Profile
      5. Link or Post Your Social Resume to Your Website or Online Portfolio
      6. Ways to Share Your Social Resume
      7. Proactively Send It to a Potential Employer
      8. Fringe Benefits
    3. Social Resume Sites
      1. About.me
      2. Re.vu
      3. Flavors.me
      4. Career Cloud’s Social Resume
    4. Claim Your Terrain
  15. CHAPTER 10: Interactive Resumes and Slide Shows
    1. Presentations Rock
      1. How to Get Started
      2. Emulate Great Presenters
      3. Start with a Storyboard
      4. Find and Use Images
      5. Design Elements
      6. Presentation Tools
      7. It’s Not the Tool; It’s the Content
      8. Success Stories
        1. Company-Specific Campaigns
        2. Going Viral
      9. Step Up Your Game
  16. CHAPTER 11: Choose What You Share Online Carefully
    1. Do Recruiters Really Care What You Are Saying Online?
    2. Prominent Social Networks
      1. Independent Adoption of Social Media
      2. Company Adoption of Social Media
    3. Plan What You’ll Talk About Online
      1. Share Industry News
      2. Share Events or Activities You Participate In
      3. Find and Follow Online Talent Communities
    4. What to Avoid Saying Online
    5. Attract Attention with Hashtags
    6. Proactive Targeting
    7. Do the Two-Step
      1. Step One
      2. Step Two
    8. Use the Power of LinkedIn
      1. Don’t Stop There
    9. How to Share Your Infographic Resume
      1. Name It Wisely
      2. Give Your Infographic Resume a Home
      3. Get a Tumblr Page for Your Career
      4. Share It with Your Network
      5. Share It with People at Target Companies
      6. Post It Everywhere and Often
      7. Create a Pinboard for Your Career Documentation
      8. Instagram Updates
    10. Pulling It All Together
  17. CHAPTER 12: Numbers Speak
    1. Your First Priority
    2. Your Second Priority
    3. Your Third Priority—Monitor How Many Views You Get
      1. No Tracking, No Problem
    4. Social Proof Through Measurement
    5. Take Corrective Action Before It’s Too Late
    6. Tap into Objective Resources
    7. Your Campaign Never Truly Ends
  18. Conclusion
    1. The Quest for Talent
      1. Reach Out and Stand Out
      2. Create and Innovate
      3. Proactively Manage Your Career
      4. Hiring Is Ultimately About Likability
      5. Look Outside Your Industry for Trends and Ideas
      6. Maximize Tools to Simplify the Work
      7. Diversify Your Marketing Materials
      8. Images Are Powerful
      9. Your Real-Time Resume Is on the Web
      10. Build the Right Digital Dirt
    2. Final Checklist
    3. Stay Connected and Informed
  19. Notes
  20. Figure Credits
  21. Index
  22. About the Author

Product information

  • Title: The Infographic Resume: How to Create a Visual Portfolio that Showcases Your Skills and Lands the Job
  • Author(s): Hannah Morgan
  • Release date: June 2014
  • Publisher(s): McGraw-Hill
  • ISBN: 9780071825627