Steven Savage

Chuck Lay’s resume looks like a set of retro ads from a magazine, newspaper, or comic book. The iconic art, the different fonts, the text blurbs, it’s all there. A quick glance at it and you might think for a moment someone was trying to do a retro ‘zine. Actually it was part of something similar that he created.

But it’s all there, a complete resume that just happens to look like it comes with X-ray specs. Let’s dive in and see what we can learn . . .

The high points of the resume:

• He’s really captured the sense of the classic ads – while keeping them clear. it very quickly gets attention and shows talent and skill.
• THis resume also shows a definite sense of humor. Not many resumes actually say “I have a sense of humor” effectively, so it communicates personality.
• The use of the icons in the classic ad look really helps sell it – and breaks up the resume, since many can be rather dull.
• The “want more” cut out at the bottom is a hilarious and witty addition – and reinforces his contact information.
• He uses different font colors and sizes to call attention to different sections, as well as different section sizes. Thus, each section is unique and draws attention.
• This basic idea would not be that difficult to maintain or modify if done right. It would also not be hard to make several versions.

A few issues I have with the resume:

• The non-standard resume layout may not quite work here. The use of one column for skills (on the right) and the career history dominating 2/3 of the page provides some workflow, but I don’t think it works with the variable fonts and elements – a bit too chaotic. It might work on a different resume.
• Some of the font sizes are a bit small.
• I wouldn’t make the Designer Profile section quite as big – it over dominates.
• I might put the education and affiliations lower on the page – but I say might. With this layout, oddly, it works.

This is a good example of making a resume that looks like something else – but also subtle in its own way. It walks a good line between “looks like this” and “is a resume” while maintaining it’s theme.

Steve’s Summary: Hand me this resume and I’m going to have a good laugh – and a series of ones. Backed up with a good portfolio (because I’d want to see more) and it’s pretty powerful.

[“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