Extreme And Awesome Examples of CVs

Personal branding is the process of unearthing your unique talents and communicating them, through various mediums, to the right audience Dan Schawbel (author of Promote Yoursef: The New Rules For Career Success)

Nowadays, in the highly competitive and brand driven world, companies recruit candidates according to their high level of performance and professionalism. This is why being able to build a personal brand while you are looking for a job, represents a strong and useful tool in order to differentiate yourself from the other candidates.

The strategy consists of creating an appealing professional identity through the use of a medium (digital or physical) like an active personal blog, website, social network, or original resume that could attract potential recruiters. The personal brand will serve as a portfolio demonstrating your distinct abilities and what you represent. 

But how to make the difference? How to have more chance to land the perfect job? 

We have selected for you 10 inspiring examples of personal branding that have helped some job seekers to draw job opportunities. 

1: Robby Leonardi: the platform game   

Sometimes, it’s better to assume your personality and not to be afraid to use an explosive design for your online portfolio. Robby perfectly understood the concept and used his graphical talents to create this amazing interactive resume. As a graphic designer, it works well for him because people can directly see his skills in one click.  Good job Rob! 

2: Victor Petit: the speaking resume

Another ingenious resume, although it may seem a little banal at first glance. When you flip the document over, you will discover a full picture of Victor’s face with a QR code instead of his mouth. By scanning the QR code, a video of Victor’s missing mouth pops up. Once the mobile phone is placed in position, it allows the recruiter to hear Victor’s story from his own mouth. A good way to break the monotony of a recruiter’s day.   

3: Deda: the newspaper’s style 

A creative online resume with a perfect touch of humour. Even if you´re not as gifted a designer as Deda, there are definitely some tips and tricks you can pick up from this dazzling design and the content. You are going to love it.   

4:  Mike Freeman: the e-commerce CV 

In order to increase the chances of achieving his dream job at his ideal company, Mike decided to build an online store by using the Shopify’s platform. But instead of selling a common product, Mike is selling an interview with him for $0. Shopify’s manager says that this was the best resume they have ever received. And yes, he got the job.   

5: Beckham Roy: catch the eye

Beckham is a creative designer and frontend developer and here is his unique resume, which skilfully mixes lightness and high quality pictures. This very impressive project won him four awards.  Our tip: If you want to create a personal website like Beckham, be sure to be photogenic!   

6: Miguel Rato: the milk carton 

How can you be sure that your CV won’t be thrown in the wastepaper basket of the recruiter’s office? Ask Miguel. This guy uses the traditional milk carton as a resume. For example, in the ingredient section, you can find all his skills. Nice idea to get noticed! 

7: Matthew Epstein: the actor 

Matthew wanted to be hired by Google. As he knew how hard it is to enter in Google’s HR process, he tried to create a buzz around his application. Success: his moustache, his Google branded website design and his hilarious video (entitled Google Please Hire Me) received a lot of attention from the media. His video is a testament to what he loves more in the digital marketing: grabbing consumer’s attention.   

8: Mahedine Yahia: Young and talented

A creative portfolio made by a 22 years old French girl and designer. One of the strengths of her portfolio is the presentation of her previous works that directly gives a good impression to the recruiter. You can also check this link for more advice about how to make a good CV.  

9: Keith Hinman: less is more

On the contrary of Robby Leonardi, Keith opted for a clean and sober style design. We particularly love the historical timeline that describes all his job experiences over time and illustrated by pictures. Good choice!   

10: Melissa Washin: sweet handmade resume 

Melissa is maker of things, she likes using her hands to give birth to objects. As she is also passionate about sewing, she decided to use her ability to produce her own resume. A good way to show your design skills! 

Of course we don’t expect you to emulate such extreme examples of creative genius but we hope that you can take on some cool tips and ideas from these examples. Remember – on a CV originality is everything!