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If you are looking for a job in a creative field, or one that requires you to stand out from the crowd, these creative templates will help you show your personality and impress potential employers.
Use one of these creative resume templates to show that you know great visual design. They can also be edited and customized to further show off your design skills.
These resume templates highlight your sales and marketing abilities using creative ways to display professional achievements.
A creative resume template featuring your professional portrait is great for everything from sales positions to acting jobs.
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When applying for entry-level positions or changing careers, it’s best to limit your resume to one page. Creative layouts in this category are designed to be presented on a single page.
The times you should use a creative resume are fewer than when you should use a formal one.
Still, it’s a good idea to make your resume reflect your desired career opportunity and ideal work environment. If your dream job is creative, then you may want a resume to match.
“In a creative business, it’s almost standard to have a creative resume,” said professional resume designer Rick Mundonto to the Business Insider. You might use one when applying to a very innovative company like Google, or when your future employer values creativity.
This type of resume allows you to showcase your creative talent and skills on the document itself. If you’re applying for a job in marketing, for example, a creative resume can show off your ability to sell something: in this case, yourself. If you want to be a graphic designer, you can show off your graphic design skills.
Of course, even in creative fields, some companies will place more value on the traditional resume. So, it’s a good idea to have both a creative resume and a standard resume.
The following are some fields in which a creative resume can be a good fit:
Always pay close attention to any guidelines the company posts regarding resumes. If they request a Word document in standard 12-point font, they probably aren’t looking for a modern resume.
Some companies use an applicant tracking system (ATS) before the resume is read by a human. With an ATS, some creative designs might not be read accurately by the software, so a simple layout is a safer choice. Consider the size of a company and how many applicants they may be fielding at a given time to speculate whether or not they may be using ATS to sift through resumes.
It’s also a good idea to find out who’ll be reading your resume, if possible. If you’re applying to a creative job, but your resume will be read by recruiters who don’t work in your field, the creative elements of your resume may be lost on them.
Think a creative resume is right for you? Let’s find out what goes into producing one.
With a creative resume, the sky’s the limit on what design elements you can play with. However, there are several tried-and-true ideas to get you started. Here are a few of the possibilities to consider.
You can use color in more whimsical ways on a creative resume than on traditional or modern ones. It’s OK to use bold, bright and multiple colors. Just make sure your document is still easy to read.
If the company you’re applying to has a corporate color scheme (check their logo, website or offices for ideas), you might want to reflect that in your design. This is a good way to subtly signal that you will fit into their work environment well.
A creative resume might contain symbols or graphics that are related to your industry. You can use a different icon for each section, or have a single graphic related to your field featured prominently on your resume.
No matter what graphic you choose, make sure that it’s high-quality and fits with the content of your resume. Several of our creative resume templates below have excellent built-in graphics.
Maybe you’re applying to work for a quirky local business where personality is a bonus. Or maybe your field is direct sales or marketing, where you’ll be interacting face-to-face and forming business relationships with new clients.
In any field where your personality or professional appearance is a key component of the job, a photo is a good way to show that. Including a professional photo of yourself can be a great addition to a creative resume.
Make sure your photo is professional. A silly, heavily edited or unconventional photo is a detraction. It doesn’t provide potential employers with helpful information about you and might hurt your chances of getting a job interview.
Creative resumes have been made to look like everything from movie posters to subway maps.
You don’t want to copy another candidate’s unique design, but you can use designs like these as inspiration. Then use one of our free templates to make your own appealing resume.
Get creative with your own resume layout if it’s appropriate for the job you’re applying for. What documents are relevant to your field, and how might you model your resume after them? For example, a resume that looks like a playbill might be a fun twist for a job at a theater. A resume that’s modeled after a popular social media site could work well for a social media marketing position.
Beyond the traditional text-based resumes, there are other innovative ways to present yourself that could help you make a bold impression on a potential employer.
Some people may opt to make a creative resume in an exclusively online format. Some job seekers have created resumes using the presentation software Prezi. Others have made short videos that tell the story of their achievements and work experience. Several websites exist specifically to help you make an attractive visual resume.
These can be viewed online or saved as an image to send to potential employers. An online resume is a bit unconventional and best for creative fields. If you think an online or video resume will help you stand out from the competition, go for it — just make sure you have a paper version handy, too.
The infographic resume uses a visual format to provide information about you and your experience. It might include a graph, a pie chart or another visual way of presenting this information. Or, the entire resume might be modeled as an infographic.
Creating a good infographic resume from scratch can be difficult and time-consuming. There’s more to it than just making a simple table or chart. Instead of doing it all on your own, check out our infographic resume guide and templates to make the job easy for you.
Whichever creative resume design you choose, the content must be easy to find and logically organized. Your resume tells a story about you and your experience. Is the story arranged in a way that makes sense?
Don’t waste a hiring manager’s time by including unnecessary information or making critical information difficult to find. Make sure your contact information is clear, prominent and easy to read. Include all the necessary information about your professional experience and education.
You can still use a chronological, functional or combination resume format with your creative resume design.
If you go with a creative format, it’s still crucial that your resume is free of grammar and spelling errors. Although it takes a different approach to presenting information, your creative resume should be just as professional and polished as a formal resume.
A good creative resume design will enhance and highlight your content, not obscure or distract from it. No matter how creative or unique your resume design is, it’s the content that will get you the job.
Here are some links where you can find even more creative resume ideas and inspiration:
Build a Resume 
How to Format a Resume in Word 
Resume Formats 
Resume Examples 
How to Write a Resume 
CV Samples 
Resume Skills 
Build a Cover Letter 
Cover Letter Formats 
Cover Letter Examples 
How to Write a Cover Letter 
Template Collection 
Flyer 
Title / Cover Page 
Invitation 
Certificate 
Invoice 
Fax Cover Sheet 
