How creativity can kill your resume (Plus: 3 useful salary negotiation tools)

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Ever heard the saying “You can’t put lipstick on a pig?”

In my line of work, I come across a lot of resumes. I review them. Write them. Comment on them. One concept I encounter often is the idea that a resume needs to “stand out”.

I get it - you’re competing for a job with 100s of other applicants. You want to try to differentiate yourself in some way. I have no problem with that.

Where the issue lies is focusing your attention too much on the creative stuff (the design) and not enough on what matters (the content).

The Pitfalls of Over-Creativity

Let's first address the balance between creativity and clarity. While an elaborate design might seem fun and interesting, it can often overshadow the real purpose of a resume.

Your resume only has one job: To convince the recruiter (or hiring manager) that you’re the perfect fit for the job, and then send you an interview request. That’s it.

How do you increase your chances of success?

Aesthetic Over Substance: Think of your resume as a reflection of your professional self. An overly fancy design can divert focus away from your genuine qualifications. Do you really want to be known for your design skills?

Distraction from Core Message: Your resume's primary objective is to convey how you’re a great hire for the job. Too much design might distract the recruiter and make it hard for them to see how you’re a great hire.

Attracting the Right Kind of Attention

There’s also the matter of what kind of attention you get by going creative. As a former recruiter, I’ve been involved in discussions with hiring managers involving prospective candidates. Here are two real scenarios that have happened before:

That’s literally how one conversation went. Needless to say, we didn’t call that person.

See the difference? I know you do. So if you’re ever considering using Canva to write a resume, consider what message you’re sending, and what kind of attention you want.

Let’s look at an example…

I found this template by searching “resume” in Canva’s search bar. Don’t get me wrong, this template is pretty dang snazzy, but it has 3 major flaws - let’s talk about them:

• Not likely to be compatible with many ATS platforms: This is a key issue with this type of resume. Unless you’re sending this to someone via email (and even then), using this to apply online is likely to result in failure, simply because most ATS platforms won’t be able to properly parse the content from it.

• Not enough room for content: Speaking of content, there’s not much of it because the design is what’s meant to take center stage. You’re only given a few boxes to play with, which is hardly enough room for somebody with even just a few years of experience.

• Disorienting to a recruiter that’s used to reading resumes a particular way: Recruiters typically read resumes from top to bottom and are used to seeing sections at specific locations. Messing around with that order demands they take the time to orient themselves to this new template, which is not a good thing if you’re looking to get your foot in the door.

Salary negotiations suck! Here’s how to make them a little better and ensure you walk away with the salary you deserve!

Do salary negotiations make you squirm? Me too. But going into one unprepared is like walking through a forest without a map or compass. You’re just asking for trouble.

The thing is, there are tools out there that will help ensure you never go in unprepared again. Here are three of them (Disclaimer: I’m not affiliated with any of these companies):

About the Author

I’m James, Cofounder of Final Draft Resumes. I’ve been in the career consulting space for 13 years, and before that, I was a recruiter for AECOM.

I’ve helped thousands of job seekers, from industries like software engineering, IT, sales, marketing, manufacturing, and more generate job opportunities through well-written resumes that translate unique backgrounds into coherent narratives.

If you’re struggling with your resume for whatever reason, reach out - I just might be able to help!

If you’re more of a DIY person, then check out Resumatic, my free-to-try resume builder.