In an in credibly tight job market job seekers must do everything they can to make their abilities and experiences shine through to potential employers. Traditional paper resumes are still necessary in most cases, but more and more the curriculum vitae (CV) is making a move to the online environment. Curriculum vitae's are a suppliment to a traditional resume that deals with a person's life experiences and relevant work experiences. Visual CV's are becoming more and more the norm for some areas of employment, and especially for those seeking higher end jobs that have fierce competition for a scarce number of positions.
What exactly is a Visual Curriculum Vitae (Visual CV)?
Most well written resumes include a section in which the applicant lists their recent work history and other parts of their lives that relate to the position being sought. In a visual CV these experiences are documented in visual form via an Internet web site. An applicant will record videos of their work, activities, and other events that they believe would be of significance to a potential employer. These videos are often collected along with traditional text based CV information and placed together on a web page that can then be used for marketing themselves to potential employers. There are many real life examples of visualCV's available through various web sites that provide visual CV development services.
Potential items that an applicant might include in their visual CV include:
- videos of presentations they have given
- PowerPoints of presentations they have created
- examples of artwork they have created
- personal interviews
- copies of awards or letters of recommendation
- samples of brochures, posters, or handouts that were created by the applicant
- Almost anything that is too large or impractical to include in a brief two page resume
Where can a person create a visual CV?
There are several dedicated web sites that cater to individuals wishing to create a visual CV. Sites such as the aptly named Visual CV do an excellent job providing attractive and easy to use layouts that can be customized in many different ways. These paid online services are not necessary for everyone however, as anyone with a moderate amount of experience in creating or publishing a web site can do the exact same thing using freely available web design tools and an inexpensive web hosting subscription.
While a visual CV is not necessary for every position or for every applicant, having one on the Internet that is quickly and easily accessible by potential employers can lead to potential opportunities that had not even been considered by the applicant. Any serious professional in the technology, arts, or management fields should consider creating a Visual CV.
