You’ve been told for years to “get creative” when applying for a job as the applicants who “stand out” are the only ones who actually get hired. Sure, we’ve all read amazing stories about the guy who spent his last few dollars on a giant billboard outside a company’s office. Or the person whose comic video resume went viral. But for every one of these successes there are, literally, thousands of failures.
The reality is that there is often a fine line between being tastefully creative and awkwardly off-key. As someone who has interviewed hundreds of candidates over the years, I can assure you that when a “creative” candidate does not hit the mark, it can be incredibly damaging for his/her application. So, how far should you go to try and deviate from the norm and make your application truly memorable?
Human vs computer
Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are becoming more commonplace in today’s recruitment world so it is important to determine if your resume will be passed through one (hint: if the company has more than 500 employees, it is almost certainly using an ATS). If so, you should be aware that an algorithm will determine how relevant your resume is. In such a case, you probably don’t have much room to be creative on as your resume is being evaluated mechanically and unemotionally (for better or worse). As such, don’t spend a great deal of time and effort creating an interactive and graphically rich resume as an ATS will probably not be able to properly evaluate it.
Know your audience
Before you invest in creating a wonderfully creative and unique resume, take a step back and determine if your intended audience would actually appreciate such a gesture. (It should also go without saying that the industry into which you are applying bears some consideration as well.) In some cases, a company may actually have some fairly strict rules about the types of resumes they are willing to accept. Sure, this may not sound terribly inspiring, but every company has its way of doing things and will immediately disqualify candidates who do not follow their guidelines. Unfortunately, this is a mistake that many candidates make all too frequently as they take the "get creative" advice a little too blindly.
Get personal
I recently mentioned that a very strong candidate will not be shy to get personal in an interview. For instance, when applying for a job, do your best to determine who is involved in the hiring process and see if you can learn their names and positions ahead of time. Even better: see if you know anyone within the company to provide you with some insider knowledge. With this research, you will be able to plan for a more personal and impactful approach. For example, I was looking for a social media intern a few years ago. One candidate had taken the time to follow me on social media and had noticed that I was extremely active on Facebook. So, when applying for the internship, she decided to create a Facebook page dedicated to her candidacy rather than send me a traditional resume. Taking the time to approach me through a non-traditional medium was extremely creative and personal and left a very favorable impression upon me.
Be bold not reckless
Fortune favors the bold so it is certainly worth taking some measure of risk when applying for that dream job. Having said that, do not enter into the process like the proverbial wrecking ball. If you are considering doing something that is non-traditional, I would strongly suggest you solicit some feedback from friends or family (and ideally someone within the same industry). What may seem like a good idea to you could be actually be a tragically flawed approach. Here's one embarrassing example from my younger years: when applying for an editorial position, I wrote my cover letter in rhyming verse (as the editor was a reasonably well-known amateur poet). I never did get a callback and only now do I fully understand why. A sanity check is always a good idea.
Get to the point
Regardless of how you choose to apply for a job, you should always adhere to a universal rule: be clear and concise. If you are able to re-package your job application into something that is entirely unique and memorable, that's great. But don't sacrifice function for form. Keep in mind that your ultimate objective is to represent your strengths and qualities in an easy-to-understand format. If a recruiter has to spend any extra time deciphering who you are or what your application represents, you have gone too far astray. Stay on message and let your talents do the rest.
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