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# The Case for Visual Resumes
- URL: https://www.philsimon.com/the-case-for-visual-resumes/
- Published: 2014-05-07T18:33:16.000Z
- Updated: 2025-07-05T01:13:31.000Z
- Description: A neat way of showing how you're not only qualified for the position, but über-creative.
- Author: Phil Simon
- Tags: Big Data, Dataviz, Tableau

Like you, I know a thing or two about resumes. Upon graduating college, I submitted “normal” resumes and cover letters to more jobs than I could count. Then, I sat on the other side of the desk. Back in my HR days, I did a decent amount of recruiting for both CapitalOne and Merck.

## Newsflash: It's No Longer 1998

Today, though, I'm not a big fan of traditional resumes. The way that I see it, my body of work is much larger than a three-page, text-laden document that lists my work experience, qualifications, and skills. To me, they just show that I can follow rules. It turns out that there are plenty of über-creative folks who share my thoughts about old-school CVs. As I mentioned in [a recent story for *Fortune*](https://fortune.com/2014/05/02/the-next-big-thing-in-big-data-jobs-dataviz/?ref=philsimon.com), it behooves applicants to illustrate their experiences in a much more visual–and I'd argue more interesting–way.

> Traditional resumes emphasize conformity, not creativity.

To this end, check out this [fascinating Pinterest board of visual resumes](https://www.pinterest.com/rtkrum/infographic-visual-resumes/?ref=philsimon.com). And don't get me started on [this Amazon-inspired one](https://phildub.com/?ref=philsimon.com) from a guy also named *Phil*. Sick.

My current favorite is this Tableau one.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8f/b5/8fb5e321-49a6-4cf5-8a28-c6f6d5417e54/content/images/2025/07/EA_Curriculum_Vizae.png)

Go nuts on [Tableau Public](https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/eman.alvani/viz/EmanAlvani-CurriculumVizaeCV/EA%5FCurriculum%5FVizae?ref=philsimon.com).

## Simon Says

I can tell you that a resume like the one above stands out from the others, especially if recruiting for any type of position requiring design skills and creativity. Although a cool CV alone rarely gets a person a job or interview by itself, it would certainly warrant a second look from many recruiters. And, when you think about it, isn't that exactly what a resume is supposed to do?