50 Shades Of Resume #24: The Colorful Standard

Resume 24

Peter Hrinko gives us a colorful resume that looks almost like some product packaging. The shaded pictures, the gradient text, the unified color scheme all look like there’s some kind of product here. You’d almost wonder if “Peter Hrinko” is a new graphics card or a band.

Yet what it really is is a colorful version of a standard resume. Peter’s jazzed up the usual resume while keeping it standard. There’s actually quite a few lessons here about making a resume interesting without breaking form:

  • The use of the inverted color scheme, of dark background and light text (which I covered earlier) is compelling – and he expands on this by using light colored text of different colors. It’s interesting and it stands out, without being distracting.
  • The large title is actually effective – and it sets the stage for using different-colored headers (below).
  • Putting the Objective as a quote is a smart, personalizing touch.
  • He uses different font sizes and colors to emphasize specific sections and areas. That makes them stand out – and note how he cleverly uses multicolor/multi-format headers to make each title have the core word stand out – like “Experience” or “info” This is part of a consistent theme.
  • The use of darker-colored dividers makes the divisions more subtle, and focuses on the brighter-colored words.
  • Using a two-column model for his education, work experience, awards, and skills is a bold touch, and a good space-saver.
  • He incorporates icons into the resume on top of everything else, adding visual richness, drawing the eye, and showing knowledge.
  • He uses a picture of himself – but it’s a less personal one, it’s him at work. It keeps the personal element, but also adds a sense of the serious.
  • The picture in the right side is a nice break from “usual resume” look, and along with his photo, breaks up the entire resume.
  • He does a lot on one page.

There’s also very little I’d change, but . . .

  • As usual I think skills should go earlier. In this case he also mixes them in with the experience/education/honors column which is a bit confusing. Me might want to move the skills and program knowledge into their own parallel columns.
  • The “About Me” text is a bit too flush with the picture. Actually, it might go good lower so the picture stands out, or may not be needed.
  • I’d like to see more work experience, but that might not be possible and still keep it on one page.

As I analyze resumes I’m seeing more “multicolumn” models and changes to standard color schemes. I think these are areas we can really explore as resume-makers.

Steve’s Summary: Hand me this resume and I get a very positive impression. Here’s a solid, professional resume that shows his skills as well as his history, communicating them well – and communication is what a resume is about in the end.

[“50 Shades of Resume” is an analysis of various interesting resumes to celebrate the launch of the second edition of my book “Fan To Pro” and to give our readers inspiration for their own unique creations.]

– Steven Savage