Graphics on a Resume, Yay or Nay?

[Thresh]

Had a discussion with my roommate earlier who is a recruiter. She believes it is better not to have graphics on your resume, I believe otherwise, and we both have good reasons. When I say graphics, I mean something like the "A+" logo on the top left hand corner and the Dell Certified logo on the top right of the resume, nothing overbearing. What does tech-forums think?

[Dr. IP]

I'm not sure what tech-forums thinks, but I'd stay away unless there is a really good, specific reason to do it. If you are sending your resume in for review for a position that is specifically asking for certification credentials or a certification from a manufacturer ... sure. But, in my opinion, graphics just make resumes looks too gaudy. If I were looking at a resume with a cisco logo on it, I would question the motives behind the person. It is hard to explain what I'm thinking, but think of your resume as your own advertisement. You are trying to sell YOU not some 3rd party company. There is no harm in certification pride, but that comes in thousands of ways other than showing off a logo from some firm that has nothing to do with WHO you are... after all... it's WHO you are not WHAT you are.

[Lexluethar]

I'm not a recruiter, but my BS is in HR, and I would say no. A resume should be clean, precise, and to the point. Putting things like graphics or pictures won't help the resume at all - in fact I know of some 'strict' recruiters that will pass up a candidate if their resume doesn't fit certain specifications (IE no graphics, one page, to the point, no bs, etc).

You should be content w/ what certifications you have, and place them in the correct area of your resume, graphics and other things are not needed. I would agrue that putting graphics may actual detour someone from selecting you, because they may feel that you are not confident enough in your knowledge, skills, and abilities enough to leave it at that. And that you may be trying to hide a lack of abilities by making the resume look 'pretty'.

[Mak213]

Hello,

I would have to say no as well. I have several certifications and not 1 of them do i show with a graphic. It is much better to be very specific under education right after yoru high school or college to jsut add a certification or other area.

There you put in when you attended classes or get certified. Adding the graphic makes it seem like you are a avid supporter of those things only. Could be that they are opposed to Dell or their Support. That would eliminate you almost instantly cause you show that you are a avid Dell supporter instead of jsut saying that you are Dell Certified and show that you are willing to do something from the norm of what would be expected of a Dell Certified person.

The A+ is nice. But it really isnt that great. Being a MCP or having a specific Microsoft Certification would do you much better. A+ is very generic while the Microsoft certifications are very specific.

At least that is my view. I am going for MCDST ASAP.

Cheers,
Mak

[surgeVel]

I agree with all them. It's a no for me. Most jobs that have many applicants, will sift through resumes very quickly. And for those important jobs, especially, they will look straight for your education background, experience, and references. If you have worked in the field a long time and have respectable individuals/companies as references, those will go farther than any certification will. I doubt I will ever get certified in anything, but that doesn't mean I have less experience or knowledge than anyone else.

My father is a programmer, worked for Lincoln Life, IBM, and now a large Insurance company. He was never Microsoft certified in anyway. The only thing I could ever see myself possibly doing is the MCDST or MCST as both of those I could probably nearly pass without even studying for them. I've had so many experiences with Technical support already in XP that it would be a breeze. Vista I would have to study up, since I've not actually been at a workplace that used it heavily and therefore have not seen as many issues.

[superdave1984]

Keep it simple with nothing out of the ordinary. List your credentials but don't use graphics. Unless maybe you are applying for a job in that field, then create a resume disk with some examples of your work.

[Mobius]

i would say nay to graphics on resume. Even if you are going for a graphics related job, you should have a seperate "portfolio" for showcasing your work.

[DoubleHelix]

HR departments use electronic resume processing. The graphic would either be discarded anyway or cause problems in the conversion. Either way, I don't see a benefit.

[NetCablesPlus]

As a hiring manager who has hired, trained and/or fired hundreds of employees, I have to say that a graphic on a resume might catch my eye at first and cause me to look a little more closely at the resume. But then, I would begin wondering about the personality of the person (out of the box thinker or loose cannon?) that would take such a risk with the format of the resume, etc. If I were looking for a creative, risk-taker, I might be favorably impressed. Otherwise, I might stay away from this person...