Fun Friday: The world’s most creative CVs

In the old days of recruitment – long before the magic of applicant tracking systems expedited the vetting of candidates – the average recruiter spent just 7.4 seconds assessing a single resumé.

Going through CV after CV during high-volume hiring meant recruiters would only glance at a candidate’s credentials and decide whether to move forward with, or toss out, the application.

Read more: Out of the box? Job applicant prints CV on cereal boxes

So, how does a candidate win over a hiring manager? Some hopefuls landed their dream job by skipping the ATS altogether and connecting straight with the recruiter – portfolio (or … PR package?) in hand. They didn’t opt for a boring two-dimensional CV. After all, if crafting a resumé is all about making an impression, then they certainly took theirs to the next level.

The ‘Hirschy’ Bar

It’s a creative play on Matthew Hirsch’s name. As he shared on his website: “I created this packaging in hopes of striking up a dialogue and giving potential employers an idea of my skill set. I used the ‘daily value percentage’ to rank abilities. I also snuck in my educational background, contact information, and made it all fit on the small wrapper without it feeling cluttered. The key part of the design is the customisable ‘Thank You,’ which changes based on who’s receiving the candy bar.”

^{Credit: Matthew Hirsch}

^{Credit: Matthew Hirsch}

The jazzed-up juice box

Samuel Profeta was studying design management when he created this project. “The challenge was to create an unconventional resumé using an innovative platform,” he said.

^{Credit: Samuel Profeta}

Thinking out of the (cereal) box

So my job comes to an end in Jan... taking a leap here and decided to get creative with my CV. So choosing 10 employers i want to work for and sending these to them... complete with cereal! pic.twitter.com/1JPAYTeq1P

— LoveLee. (@mac_lee) November 6, 2019

Lee MacNeall crafted a cereal box resumé and used the power of social media to get recruiters’ attention.

Design samples

Graphic designer Rebecca Fisk showed recruiters a sampling of her aesthetic with cards typically used when selecting paint colour, wallpaper or fabric.

^{Credit: Rebecca Fisk}

^{Credit: Rebecca Fisk}

Special edition

Applying for his dream job at GQ, Sumukh Mehta flaunted his style on a special-edition cover.

^{Credit: Sumukh Mehta}

Read more: Fun Friday: HR’s 10 most hated CV buzzwords

Add to Cart

Product consultant and SEO specialist Philippe Dubost turned his profile into an Amazon product page and made a bulleted list of his skills and background as part of his unique selling point. The only problem is that he is “currently unavailable”.

^{Credit: Philippe Dubost}

Playing games

Freelance animator Robby Leonardi is pulling you into his world with this video game CV – and clearly winning in life.

^{Credit: Robby Leonardi}