Branded resumes

If you’re writing your resume based on a word processing template, then your approach is to be one of the pack. (And who wants to be in there?) If you’re copying your friend’s resume, then you’re doing both your friend and yourself a disservice with virtually identical resumes out in the market. You deserve to be presented as the person you are—whether you’re gregarious and outspoken or analytical and logical. There should be no one-size-fits-all when it comes to resumes—as my resume examples below show.

Executive Sample 1: (Jack Santis)

Bold lines, plenty of white space and a focus on contextual results and problem-solving, provides a clean, neat, crisp environment for high-impact results driven by this no-nonsense logistics executive. Note how the first page provides an opportunity for the job seeker to send just the first page for cold approaches and networking.  Page 2 provides “just the facts” in a highly compelling side bar.

Executive Sample 2 (Stephen Lannister)

An unusual turquoise and charcoal colour scheme befits this rising star’s personal brand as a bold, fresh, trendsetter. Page one represents the visual centrepiece of his experience, skills and stellar reputation.   The resume positions the client for his next role as General Manager—showing experience differentiators from other similar candidates, and everything needed for at-a-glance review.  

Executive Sample 3 Ahmad Prince

A sophisticated, branded document in the client’s preferred shades of powder blue, where black provides depth and strength.  A serial business entrepreneur, the client sought a corporate role. With an interest in six different businesses, presenting multiple “current” jobs and involvement on boards and committees was challenging. I opted to focus on experience instead of dates.

Sales Resume Sample 1 (Natasha Poplovich)

A bold resume for a fearless professional who has addressed thousands of people publicly, who has produced innovative ideas to expand revenue growth and one who is relentlessly determined to succeed. A contemporary, business-focused resume with the wow factor. Not for everyone, but perfect for Natasha, the resume features her personal brand colour of red in bullets and other elements.

Sales Resume Sample 2 (Mike Simpson)

Resume for a sales dynamo who had proved his talents continuously over his career. Olive green stripes on the left transform the no-frills presentation that shows both confidence and caution. Resume solidifies Mike’s reputation early through a glowing testimonial extract, while contextual achievements pack a punch.

Sales Resume Sample 3 (Summer Mathias)

A not-for-everyone, but perfect for this one resume, this presentation is flashy, audacious and attracts just the right type of decision-makers seeking an employer with Summer’s real estate expertise. Featuring a first page that emulates a typical real estate brochure, the resume focuses on sales achievements—the core of a real estate role and features career highlights on page 3.

Information Technology Resume Sample (Robert Maxfield)

Muted levels of grey provide a quiet sophistication that exudes “achiever” and “leader” for this client seeking to transition from consultancy gigs to an operational management role. A blend of technical expertise and leadership skills, along with a branding statement, focuses on Robert’s commitment to customer service—making this a highly compelling read..

Information Technology Resume Sample 2 (Tamer Ashishma)

A clean-by-design presentation that takes the reader on a journey that transformed his dry, list-like original resume to show Tamer in a whole new light as a person with a direct and positive impact on business. Multi-part design provides a taste tempter for who Tamer is and what successes, qualifications, talents and skills on page 1; following pages explore projects in a case study format.

Information Technology Resume Sample 3 (James Kane)

James suffered age bias with a CV highlighting a long career that hindered his interview chances. This new, contemporary resume featured highlighted achievements on page one that presented him as a “doer”. To counteract perceptions of age, older jobs were eliminated and newer roles focused on achievements to make definitive statements on his achievements to the present day.

Graduate Resume Sample 1 (Kyle Ng)

The aim with this résumé́, was to ‘humanise’ complicated scientific content so it wasn’t all chemicals and experiment outcomes, but instead that his endeavours related to the business world in real terms. The format is clean, neat and tidy as befitting a science-focused resume and a recently graduated student with a track record of academic excellence..

Graduate Resume Sample 2 (Emily Chapman)

Emily was passionate about science and she wanted her resume to represent her energetic personality and stand out from the crowd. Headings represent stylised test rubs, and turquoise/black her brand colours. Interpreting and communicating high-level scientific concepts and offering a unique value proposition while exuding Emily’s brand and personality, meant this was not an easy resume to write!

Graduate Resume Sample 3 (Sean C. Evans)

Conservative yet modern-looking presentation with a grey border, black text and burgundy bullets to meet the traditional finance sector. Grey dividers make for easy-to-grasp content separation. Opening banner points to his aims for employment, while his CAP and degree with Honours are featured early to push the key message home. Academic showcase and leadership engagements solidify his unique value proposition.