I have found a lot of articles recommending resume templates for designers and even developers that hurt more than not advising at all. I would like to discuss three of the reasons why that cool resume template will affect your chances of getting the job.
“Cool” is Relative
The attractiveness of a resume is in the eyes of the reader. You might create a resume that looks like a Google results page. However, if you are not applying to Google, it is irrelevant and even disappointing to the reader.
Make Hiring Teams Lifes Easier
Hiring teams need to go over hundreds or even thousands of resumes. They only have enough time to scan the resume for keywords relevant to the job so they can put it aside for review. If a resume does not have a straightforward way to read it or scan it because it is “too creative”, unfortunately, your resume will end up in the trash can.
ATS Won’t Let You Pass
A lot of companies are using AI or Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to do the heavy lifting of managing thousands of resumes by extracting keywords and skills from the resume. Nevertheless, if the ATS cannot read your resume, you will be rejected by the system. Having a simple resume listing your skills and experience is better for getting the interview. Later during the interview process, you can showcase what you know by showing your portfolio or something you did. Don’t try to fight or cheat the ATS because your resume will be sent to the no-hire pile.
Conclusion
In conclusion, take a step back when creating your resume to apply for jobs. If you want to get fancy with the format of your resume, I suggest adding a page to your website so you can be fully creative and a link to this page in your resume for further review. However, when you change the typical format of a resume, you are lowering your chances of getting an interview because your resume is more difficult to scan by humans and machines.
