Times are definitely changing and there is scope for you to show your creative flair when it comes to your resume – it just depends on the organisation, and the type of job you are applying for.

There used to be about four different ‘standard’ types of resumes:

1. Chronological: Working from present to past to list your education and employment etc.
2. Functional: Listing experience and skills over dates
3. Targeted: Focusing on a specific position or occupation
4. Creative: Creative content and presentation, often a one-pager

But nowadays your resume can take multiple forms on multiple platforms, for examples a video resume, a blog style or infographic resume, a LinkedIn profile and even a website.

At the end of the day, the purpose is the same…to showcase your talents!

So, what are 21^st century employers thinking?

Rio Tinto and other employers are keen for applicants to also have some creative flair – it can demonstrate that they may be good at preparing interesting reports – so they are not averse to a well-positioned infographic within the body of a resume.

This doesn’t mean that everyone should go out and do this. The general rule is if you have the skills, go ahead. If you don’t have the skills, don’t go there. Work out what best suits your personality and skill set, as well as the type of job you are going for – this could be a targeted resume and a good LinkedIn profile, or a one-page creative resume backed up with a website displaying your portfolio.

It’s also important to remember that more traditional employers, like Federal, State and Local Government, may prefer that you stick to a traditional resume.

Times are definitely changing and there is scope for you to show your creative flair – it just depends on the organisation, and the type of job you are applying for.