

My Visual Resume - ajaimk
http://www.ajaimk.com/blog/2009/7/3/my-visual-resume.html

======
seanstickle
Ajai, I really like the idea of creating a resume based on the Toyota
Production System A3 report
(<http://www.coe.montana.edu/IE/faculty/sobek/A3/report.htm>). I'm not sure if
that's what you meant to do, but the idea certainly is striking.

Specific comments, clockwise from the top left:

\--------------------------------------------------

The chart of effort over time

\--------------------------------------------------

* The axes are unlabeled, which makes for an unclear chart. Although it seems that the horizontal axis is time, I don't know what the vertical axis is; the name of the chart implies that the vertical axis is "effort", but I'm not sure how to read that (eg, what are the units of effort that you are using here?)

* The third dimension of the chart clearly does not add any informational value, and in my opinion does not add any aesthetic value.

* The grid lines make the words inside the chart harder to read, and do not contribute to an easier understanding of the data.

* I think you were going for a stacked area chart, which would be a pretty good choice for this, but I would clean it up: drop the third dimension, remove the grid lines, clarify the axes and units.

* The scattering of achievements underneath the chart use colors in the stars that match colors in the chart above, but do not seem to have any real connection to the information in the chart. In addition, I think the achievements would be more powerful presented in a separate timeline chart.

\--------------------------------------------------

The chart of drivers

\--------------------------------------------------

* The meters are a little dark, and hard to read.

* The numbers on each meter go up to 100, which seems to imply a percentage. Ie, 40% driven by money, 70% driven by coffee. But, since the numbers don't total to 100%, my interpretation is wrong, or the chart is misleading. Either way, the meaning of the numbers you are using should be cleared up: what are the units, and what is the relation between the different meters?

* The chart also implies that deadlines are more effective at driving you than money is, which makes me think that if I give you a lot of deadlines, I don't have to pay you very much. Is this your intent?

* Overall, I think the use of meters here does not do well to communicate what I think you are trying to get across: that you are driven by interest in the material, by the importance of delivering a product, and only then by the money. I get that, but it takes awhile to unpack the meaning.

\--------------------------------------------------

The tag cloud

\--------------------------------------------------

* This is essentially just a bunch of words of various sizes. On a website, I can see the purpose: indicating the relative appearance of the words in twitter posts, or in tags used to describe a set of blog posts, etc. In this context, I think you're trying to communicate the relative strength of your interests on various topics. Not a bad idea. I'd make the difference between the sizes of the words a little stronger, make the big ones bigger, and the small ones smaller. Right now, they are all sort of the same size. The things you want to make more prominent should be really obvious.

\--------------------------------------------------

The chart of desired careers

\--------------------------------------------------

* I don't know what information the colors are supposed to communicate to me. Maybe you just wanted to use some color in the chart, but it seems like the colors want to be telling me something. But there is no key to the colors, so I end up confused as to the purpose of the colors.

* No units on the chart. Maybe this is, again, a relative measure of your desire. If so, that needs to be a little clearer. At any rate, should I be reading this as your desire for a career in coding is 1/9th your desire for a career in entrepreneurship?

* That's a lot of space taken up to tell me not a whole lot of information.

\--------------------------------------------------

The binder clipped note

\--------------------------------------------------

* Is this telling me that your resume is licensed under the creative commons, or something else? I am not at all clear what this block is trying to tell me.

\--------------------------------------------------

The yellow sticky note

\--------------------------------------------------

* No notes here. The information is clear.

\--------------------------------------------------

The chart of skills in various categories

\--------------------------------------------------

* The categories are never named, leaving the reader to infer the categories from the items in each pie chart. You should list the categories over each pie chart.

* The last pie chart doesn't make any sense to me. Pie charts are for showing relative values between multiple things. A pie chart with 100% of something doesn't tell me anything, unless there is a list of other things that are not in the pie chart. Like, 100% on people and networking skills, 0% on animal training skills, 0% on sewing and crocheting skills. Otherwise, what does that pie chart communicate?

\--------------------------------------------------

Conclusion

\--------------------------------------------------

Overall, I think the idea is very smart. A3 reports are a great way to
communicate a lot of complicated and important information in a confined
space, forcing the report writer to analyze and summarize for the benefit of
other people.

I'm far less concerned than other people as to the beauty of this resume; A3
reports are not known for their aesthetic merits, and I've seen a lot of ugly
but invaluable A3 reports.

This is a solid start, but it needs a lot of work to clean it up, emphasize
the important information, and remove the unnecessary graphical cruft. The
chart in the upper left (effort over time) is a good anchor for the rest of
the resume; cleaned up and simplified, it could be a powerful and clear way to
represent your work over the last few years.

~~~
ajaimk
Thanks a lot Sean. Wow. You sure did put a lot of time on this. It was indeed
the most helpful one of the lot and I agree with most of your observations if
not all. The next one should look better.

~~~
seanstickle
It was time well spent if I could help a fellow HackerNewsian.

------
brk
As a hiring manager, I can honestly say if that crossed my desk I would
probably pitch it. Way too busy and takes too much time to get the desired
info out of it, especially for someone who claims "UI Design".

I will also tell you from my own experience, that I'm a more than a tad
hesitant about college students and recent graduates who are heavy-handed with
the "CEO, co-founder, and entrepreneur" titles and interests on their resumes.
Not to be too harsh, but since when does a "society", which in most cases is
just a loose grouping of people with similar interests, have or need a "CEO".

Get some actual experience under your belt and list some bona-fide measurable
accomplishments on your resume (this is generic advice, not just targeted at
you). There are many people who are legends in their own mind, but if you list
bottom-line things you have actually done, that will come through on your
resume. There is no benefit, IMO, to over-hyping glorified titles.

Much of the data on here tells me very little. You appear to have more OSX
skills than linux skills, but relative to what? Linus Torvalds, or my
grandmother?

I'm not 100% sure, but it looks like over the same period of time you put as
much effort into "Firewall" as you did "classes". Were you a slacker in class,
or are you good at managing your time such that you could handle both.

The resume format may be considered stale and dated, but from a hiring
perspective I can tell you that it the best way to try and make impartial
comparisons of people in regards to work experience, education, and other
factors. This format is highly devoid of content that I could use to make a
decision about your applicability for a job, which is not a good idea for a
resume.

------
thisduck
While I understand the "creative" aspects of designing a resume like this, I
find that they end up giving me a headache. Firstly, because the overuse of
colour. And secondly, because I'm not sure where to get the information I want
to get.

In the end, I end up being more frustrated with resumes like this. I think
using certain bits (like the pie charts) in a regular resume would yield
better results in terms of usability.

------
andrewljohnson
I don't want to see a tag cloud on your blog, much less your resume.

Actually, I don't want to see a tag cloud on your resume in particular. On
your blog, it shows the jumble of stuff you write about. But your resume
should not look like a haphazard jumble - it should be customized and laser
focused to get a particular job.

~~~
falsestprophet
The tag cloud is understandable: one of his interests is "Cloud" after all.

------
hectorir
I thought it was a neat concept. If he were actually sending this to an
employer, it would need some refining to properly target the intended job
opening.

But dont worry Ajai, just wait a day or two and everyone else will start
copying you.

I think you should look into making a program that can generate this type of
resume, I'm sure Visual CV or another company would show some interest in
acquiring that kind of work.

------
tedunangst
I'd think I'd leave off the desired career chart. A little too honest for most
employers.

~~~
troels
I don't know. It tells that he has a sense of individualism and confidence.
Even if you can't keep him for a long time, an employer might still be able to
benefit from such a personality. Also, honesty is a pretty bold statement to
make.

~~~
jackchristopher
He should also do it to disqualify _others_. I'm sure some will like it and
some won't.

If he does it, hopefully his bold statement reflects the real him — it's not
just an experiment. It's a great strategy when executed well.

------
thingie
I don't understand it. There are some "factoids" floating around, and many
gauges and pie charts and diagrams. But nowhere it is explained what does they
mean. Pie chart with HTML part, what does it tell about your HTML skills? That
they are roughly one third of something, while C is one tenth? Of what? That
big diagram in upper left corner, it's in hours every month?

I really don't like when vague feelings and rough estimates are presented like
they are serious comparable measuers. I don't think this resume is an
appropriate way to present information that a resume is expected to present.

------
DannoHung
Cute, but hokey.

I think the Pie chart section is actually fairly informative, a rare feat for
pie charts.

------
die_sekte
No whitespace. Gimmicky fake post-its. Random design elements. Strange charts
and graphs. Clutter. My eyes are burning.

(And some of the charts, eg. the pie chart, make absolutely no sense.)

------
yan
I generally agree with the negative feedback here. The idea can potentially
work, but not as it is done right now. Also, Java is not an acronym. While
those pie-charts are effective at introducing keywords, they say nothing about
what you can actually do with these technologies. What does a small sliver for
"C" mean? Or even, what does a large sliver for RoR mean?

It's just very messy also. What would you think if someone sent in one of
these?

------
davetufts
This is an interesting idea that might work nicely as a supplement to a normal
resume and coverletter.

In terms of design quality, this execution seems a bit amateurish due to all
the colors and typography.

The gold standard for personal information graphics is Nicholas Felton who
publishes an annual report of his life at <http://feltron.com>

------
edw519
Creativity: 10

Content: 4

If you could find a way to answer the reader's questions immediately using
your presentation, you'd have a great resume.

As it stands, it's not easy to find out what I want to know. But one thing's
for sure: you will not be easily forgotten.

~~~
gojomo
I think he'd be best served to put this as a cover sheet atop a traditional
resume. Certain people would love this; anyone who prefers a traditional
presentation could just turn the page.

~~~
hack_edu
Don't forget to write a _real_ cover letter!

------
dejan
well, I got to say that I like your idea. It explores the other possibilities
of representing self and own achievements, as well personal attitudes and
interests. I am not sure if this is the right form, it is not mine to judge,
but you are on to something. The CV/resume needs a significant change and
should be rethought of. It needs to be highly personalized, but yet to have a
somewhat standardized form.

I see that your interests are in UI and you found out the perfect one that has
not been altered in almost a century. All kudos for initiating the focus on
this topic. Just remember that people really do not want to figure out your
resume. They just want to quickly compare (main purpose of CVs/resumes), and
if that quickly isn't there, you might only end up quickly in the trash
unfortunately.

However, I am also thinking of how to re-implement the CV/resume so that it
reflects the creative capabilities of people on www.aleveo.com. In this case,
I want it dynamic and involving ideas and public ratings. Currently I am
playing with timelines and weighted image scaling for ideas to reach a
functional form.

If you are interested drop in the idea of visual resume on aleveo.com?

Anyway I encourage you to explore it further, finding balance between written
and visual form.

Cheers!

------
mgenzel
Frankly, hiring managers and recruiters have little time to decipher the
resume. Standard formats improve the speed of cognitive processing. Even if
you're the candidate of their dreams, they'll curse you for making them spend
more time understanding that. And "remembering the candidate" is not
necessarily a good thing: I still remember the resume from 1999 whose
objective read: "Want to become the expert in Peoplesoft in 5 years", but not
for flattering reasons, of course.

------
joez
In writing a resume, you want to put your strongest points first. What I see
is too cluttered. I see how you spent your time all over the place but time
doesn't always equivocate with something amazing, a blockbuster on your
resume. An example could be the a business course you took on entrepreneurship
that was three hours a week but made the most significant impact on you in
college and a discussion point you want an interviewer to bring up.

------
avner
Immoderately cluttered and labyrinthine to mensurate.

------
michaelawill
I think this resume stands out perfectly for the type of job he's trying to
land. Sure this resume falls flat for a company looking for specific skills
but I think this is more geared towards a company and position where they
aren't sure what they want until they see it.

I'd definitely spend the time to figure the whole thing out if I got a resume
like this on my desk.

------
jpwagner
I love the concept, but...

I dislike the big chart on the top left. It's difficult to read and there's
the disorganized star array underneath that gives me a headache. (Not to
mention the content, are you applying to grad school?)

(The tag cloud is contrived right? (ie not from any data))

The "Skills" section is by far the most inspiring.

~~~
sosuke
The skills section is where my focus when immediately but I'm thrown off by
the groupings. How are InDesign and Dreamweaver in the same category? How is
HTML next too C and Ruby? Why even mention these skills if you look at the
right columns and see he has almost no interest in coding?

~~~
jpwagner
_Why even mention these skills if you look at the right columns and see he has
almost no interest in coding?_

Great point.

In my comment I was suggesting that the idea was inspiring to personally reuse
or suggest :)

------
yaj
It is the same concept posted in Deviantart. The image was posted in 2007

[http://dizzia.deviantart.com/art/Curriculum-Vitae-
PDF-690509...](http://dizzia.deviantart.com/art/Curriculum-Vitae-PDF-69050981)

The idea of a "visual resume" is really good especially if you are targeting a
data visualization job

------
amelim
While this isn't exactly related to your Visual Resume, it seems the majority
of your interests lay within the business/entrepreneurial realm, however you
are a Computer Science major. Having coding as the lowest of your desired
careers, yet majoring in CS is a bit confounding to say the least...

------
ajaimk
Thanks to everyone for the critique. It sure helps me in the direction I want
to go towards improving this. As for some of the comments, I do plan to have
this with a traditional resume so that those who are not interested can go to
what they are comfortable.

------
LargeWu
If Edward Tufte were dead, he'd be rolling in his grave. The only thing I
learned about the author here is his lack of taste.

~~~
edw519
1\. Why would Edward Tufte be rolling in his grave? Back up your hypotheses
with a little data please.

2\. Stepwise refinement is an acceptable development process, even here on hn.
What you perceive as "lack of taste", I see as one of the steps.

3\. OP is obviously experimenting, seeking feedback, and deploying it. Your
feedback adds little. After spending so much time with boring corporate
drones, I _love_ posts like this where someone actually has the balls to push
the envelope. Cut him a break.

4\. If you only learn one thing about _anything_ , I suggest you go back a try
to learn something else. Enquiring hackers want to know.

~~~
philwelch
On the Tufte note: for example, the pie charts are askew in some 3D angle,
distorting the proportions of the slices. This looks cool but is
uninformative.

------
there
this reminded me of nicholas felton's annual reports:

<http://feltron.com/index.php>

