It is best to start by creating a traditional, text-only resume to act as the skeleton for your creative resume. Once you’ve written all of your resume’s sections, you can begin to brainstorm formatting and design ideas for your creative resume. You can transform your basic resume into a creative resume by simply adding an accent color (as in all the samples on this page), an accent font (see samples one, two, three, six and seven) or a personal logo (samples seven and eight).

You may also choose to split your entire resume into two columns, but please note that it is easy for columns to make your resume hard to scan if they are of similar sizes! If you decide to use columns, be sure that one is much bigger than the other. You may also decide to highlight your smaller column in a less saturated color, like gray on a mostly white resume, so that your bigger column stands out. See samples five, six, and seven on this page for examples of columns that don’t disrupt the scan-ability of the resume.

If you only want to add additional colors and/or fonts, you may be able to use a normal word processor like Microsoft Word or Google Docs. If you want to add more complex graphics, you may find a graphic design platform like Canva or Adobe Photoshop more useful.

First, it is important to understand that a resume’s foremost purpose is to showcase your experience to your potential employer. Also, remember that on average, recruiters only spend six seconds reviewing a resume, so it is extremely important that your resume is “scan-able” — easy for an employer to very briefly visually “scan” and glean the most important information.

There are many creative resume templates and examples online that are simply too complex or confusing for an employer to understand in six seconds. It is therefore very important to balance your use of attractive graphics with formatting that is easy for the employer to quickly look over. If you want to show off your complex graphic design skills, it is best to link to your portfolio website in your resume rather than cluttering the resume itself with too many graphics.

It is very strongly recommended that you do not use a headshot in your resume. Many recruiters will instantly discard resumes with headshots, as they may lead to unconscious or conscious employment discrimination right off the bat. Don’t give a potential employer any reason to ignore your skills by focusing on your appearance! Additionally, your resume is a place to showcase your skills and experience, and a headshot would take up valuable space to showcase your appearance instead.