The 10 Most Creative Resumes that helped people land their dream jobs

‍

There’s an age-old theory that average length of time it takes for a recruiter to look at your resume is about 5-8 seconds. That means you need to find a way to grab their attention quickly. Now, couple that with the competition from hundreds of other applicants reaching for the same opportunity – Your chances of getting noticed are slimmed down.

‍

So, how does one tackle this problem? How do you get your resume to stand out from the rest? You can start by getting creative.

‍

Creative resumes stand apart from the traditional, text-only resumes, and adds a host of other creative elements to the mix. They can include animation, code, video games – honestly, the sky is the limit! Not to mention, you could also get creative by starting your own website and adding eye-catching designs of resumes to it.

‍

That said, your creative job resume needs to be tailored to the job that you really want. So, it’ll be a fun practice to show off your skills.

‍

So, let’s have a look at some of the most creative resumes out there, developed by individuals who knew just what they needed to do to grab the right peoples’ attention and land their dream jobs. Perhaps this could give you some inspiration on how you can make your job application efforts eye-catching, fruitful, and (can’t believe I’m saying this) fun.

‍

Here are 10 truly unique creative resume examples to show you just what’s possible.

‍

Most Creative Resumes that helped people land their dream jobs

‍

1. Video Game Resume

Robby Leonardi feels your pain… that’s why he created a playable one instead! Leonardi, who has had past jobs at Incognito Digital and Fox News, built a side scrolling interactive resume reminiscent of games like Mario, where you run through the “level” while learning about his experience and achievements. It’s quite the thrill ride as well, where you go underwater to see his skills while catching a hot air balloon to see what awards he’s won.
‍

‍

‍

2. The Google Resume

When Eric Gandhi was on the hunt for a job as a web designer, he decided to use the web to help him land the role. Using his skills, he made it so that the search phrase “Creative+Hard-Working+Talented+Excellent+Designer+Unique+Autodidactic” would prompt the “Did you mean: Eric Ghandhi?” suggestion and display the applicant’s full resume underneath.

‍

And yes, his resume story has a happy ending. In an interview with the Business Insider, Gandhi said that a Google employee found his unusual CV on LinkedIn and offered “to refer me for a position there, which led to an interview.”

3. 3D Resume

In November of 2021, Enric Moreu, a PhD candidate at Dublin City University - Marie Curie Research Fellow, designed a 3D resume that showcased his skills in 3D animation and treated our eyes with a creative visualization about himself and his experiences. He used Blender for the 3D modeling and Three.js to visualize it in the browser.

‍

‍

4. Christmas Lights Resume‍

Liz Hickok used Christmas lights to spell out her resume outside her home. She received a whole lot of attention. People told her about jobs they’d heard of and recruiters and other people reached out to her on LinkedIn with possible job openings.

‍

5. Candy Bar resume

‍This guy gave a candy bar to the company he was interviewing with. Instead of the health and nutrition facts, he had written his skills on the back.

He apparently got the job because of the creative candy bar resume.

‍

‍

6. Donut Box Resume ‍

This guy personally delivered donuts to the companies he admired with his resume attached in the box.

‍

7. Pinterest Resume ‍

This woman turned her Pinterest account into an online CV because she wanted a job at Pinterest. Each pin conveyed a particular skill set, like education, experience and achievements.

‍

‍

8. Coder Resume

Are you a designer and you code? Well this piece of creativity will amaze you. This resume has been coded and carries all the information of the candidate who’s applying the job. Go through this resume.css!

‍

‍

9. Hand-sewn resume ‍

This graphic designer used her love of sewing to show off her attention to detail.

‍

Paper is passé! If you’re looking to make an impression, follow Graphic Designer Melissa Washin’s example and get sewing.

‍

“Sewing is one of my biggest passions, and I wanted to convey that somehow in my resume. I printed my info onto iron-on paper, transferred it to white fabric, and sewed it to a variety of printed fabrics. The result was a tactile item that said something about me without having to be read.”

‍

‍

10. The Amazon Resume‍

In 2013, Philippe Dubost, a Web Product Manager, was out of work and looking for a job. So, rather than writing the traditional resume, he decided to build an “Amaz-ing” one that looked EXACTLY like an Amazon product page… exactly like one. Like, the level of detail is unparalleled. Not only did it boast a list of his experiences and achievements in the “Product Details” section, and a “frequently bought together” section showing running shoes and plane tickets (he’s an avid runner and traveler), it also had an extensive customer review section, which included several five-star reviews from past employees and a few one-star reviews Dubost attributed to “ex-girlfriends”.

‍

His efforts went viral, racking up 1.5 million views over the course of his job search, and eventually got him 150 job offers and finally a job as a Tech Product Manager at a rapidly growing New York start-up named, Birchbox. Once he was hired, he made sure to update his Amazon resume to show the “product” was no longer in stock. Nice touch!

‍