Resumes with creative designs are best for job applicants who want to show their unconventional and innovative sides. These templates combine hints of color and unique design elements with a professional look, so applicants can stay on point while keeping it real.
Creative template designs are especially well-suited for those who:
Work in the arts (i.e., graphic design, illustration or photography) or other creative industries (i.e., advertising, architecture or entertainment)
Want to show their personality
Want to add some style to their resume
Creative templates are not well-suited for those who:
Work in traditional fields (i.e., law, medicine or finance) or government roles (i.e., social services, treasury, and police or fire departments)
Want to present themselves in a straightforward way
Want their qualifications to stand out
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Creative resume templates by industry
How to format a creative resume
- Choose a resume format. There are three standard formats to choose from: chronological, combination and functional. Each one organizes resumes depending on an applicant’s job history, level of expertise, skill set and industry. For example, if you have gaps in your work experience but your skills make you an excellent candidate for a position, a functional resume format is a good choice because it highlights your skill set over your employment history.
- Keep it subtle. It can be tempting to add some extra flair to a creative resume, but don’t go overboard! Save the graphics and photos for your portfolio and leave your hobbies at home. Only add interests and volunteer work if they are relevant to the position, and hold the references until you are asked for them. Nicknames, personal social media links and biographies are unprofessional on a resume, so leave them off, too. Creative resumes have some visual elements to make your resume pop, so keep it clean and let the content speak for itself.
- Sweat the small stuff. Details are vital when it comes to crafting a stand-out resume. This means that you need to follow best practices for resume writing if you want hiring managers to take you seriously. So skip the fancy and oddball fonts and choose from the most appropriate: Arial, Times New Roman, Calibri and Verdana, and stay within a 10-12 point size for maximum legibility. Keep margins no smaller than ½ inch and no wider than 1 inch to make your resume look polished and so applicant tracking systems (ATS) can scan it. Resume Now’s professionally designed creative resume templates are all formatted to be easy to read by both software and human eyes.
4 tips for writing a creative resume
- Customize your resume for the job. There’s no getting past it: You’ve got to write a brand-new resume for every job application. Review each job description as you write your resume and focus on the requirements that match your skills and work experience, then describe how you have used those qualifications in the past. Show what you’re capable of doing for the new job by highlighting your top measurable achievements for each position.
- List your most recent and relevant work experience. Only include the most appropriate positions from the last five to ten years. If you don’t have any work experience, then list any pertinent volunteer roles, internships, apprenticeships, and relevant school or community projects, and don’t forget to emphasize your transferable and applicable soft skills in sections above those experiences.
- Be concise and clear. Remember, hiring managers see hundreds of resumes a day, so you have to get to the point. One way to do this is to use bullets to highlight your key strengths and achievements. Another way is to quantify your accomplishments with numbers. For example, if you’re a floral designer, you might include that you “arranged and placed 200 separate floral displays under budget for a large wedding with more than 500 guests.”
- Proofread! Imagine this: You found the right creative resume template, chose the proper format, and read the job description thoroughly. You wrote and rewrote your sentences, highlighted your most notable measurable achievements, and listed your most relevant skills. Everything looks right, but as soon as you send it you realize you misspelled a word and your fonts look off.
Sure enough, you never get a reply. You don’t know for sure if those mistakes cost you the job, but you know they didn’t help. So what’s the lesson? Always double-check your resume at least once to make sure it has no spelling or grammatical errors, typos, inconsistencies, false statements and missing information. It could cost you an interview!
Create a creative resume in minutes!
Get noticed
Choose from more than a dozen eye-catching professional design templates that will help you create a unique resume employers will notice.
Find the right words
Writing your resume is a snap — just use our pre-written text bullet points to showcase your skills and accomplishments.
Get step-by-step advice
We’re there for you, every step of the way. Our professional resume tips and guidance will save you time and help your resume stand out from the competition!
Format your finished resume
Our simple editing tools make it easy to get exactly the resume you want. Download in your choice of formats, then print and send as many copies as you need.
FAQ
Can I change the template and have my resume information updated into the new one?
Yes! Once you’ve finished building and downloading your resume for one employer, we’ll save your information for you. You can then choose a new template for another employer and use your saved resume information to populate it, or you can update your information with the new template using our builder. Easy, right?
After finishing my resume, can I go back and edit it?
Absolutely! Resume Now’s fast and easy Resume Builder provides editing tools to help you build the best version of your resume. Edit it as much as you need — just be sure to save your changes each time.
In which file type(s) can I download my resume?
Our Resume Now builder gives you the option to save your resume as a Word, PDF or plain-text file.
Do I need a cover letter with a creative resume?
Our certified professional resume writers recommend writing a cover letter to accompany every resume because they help you shine by giving you space to expand on your resume, express your enthusiasm for the job and the company, and introduce yourself to the hiring manager.
Resume Now’s Cover Letter Builder will help you create the perfect cover letter to accompany your resume.