Infographic Résumé or Resum-nay?

I love infographics.

As a graphic designer I appreciate everything that a well-designed infographic has to offer visually from great typography to simple color palettes to cute vector images. And if there is a solid concept behind the data being visualized, even better!

But as an audience, I love infographics because I don't always have the time, desire, or mental capacity to read paragraphs of copy pertaining to anything data or stats driven. A well designed infographic communicates facts or shows contrasts and comparisons in an upfront manner without any distracting, fluffy copy in between the main points.

Plus, I'm a visual/picture-memory kind of consumer. Take this extremely simple, but effective, Know Your Coffee graphic for example. For years I've been ordering a macchiato, latte, or cappuccino not knowing there was an actual difference. Even after asking half a dozen times, I never could remember which is which, but seeing a visual makes all the difference.

Of course infographics can be much more complexed, like this one to the right, Why 2017 Is the Year to Take Snapchat Seriously. It that highlights how and why Snapchat is important for advertising. 

But would you entertain the thought of an infographic resume? 

Depending on who you talk to or what blog you read, an infographic resume is surely going to either set you apart from other candidates or send you right into the rejection pile. You only have seconds to impress – that's either seconds to grab someone's attention with your unconventional resume or seconds to fluster or annoy a reader who can't find your name or skills in the mix.

Of course you need to pay attention to what and for whom you're applying to. An in-house marketing manager for a law firm? Probably not. An entry level designer for a top creative agency? Sure, take a chance. But proceed with caution.

Resume screening software can't pick up key words in an infographic, so I would highly suggest having a traditional resume as your front runner. Perhaps add the infographic as a self-branding piece to your online website or portfolio and direct employers to view it there, after they've seen your resume first. Or maybe at an in-person interview print your resume front and back, using both versions. Just keep in mind that both resumes should have a sense of continuity. 

Check out these templates. What do you think?