Visual Resume vs Plain Text resume: Which is better for you? [Complete Guide]
What is a Plain Text Resume?
A resume formed in a plain text format is also called an ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange). It usually does not involve much formatting, and the response to emails is often rendered by plain text resumes.
With many softwares that do not interpret your formatting, such as bolds, underlines, margins, columns, etc., one might prefer a plain text resume so that they do not end up in a mess.Â
 You can easily make a simple text resume on a standard text application. All you need to do is pen down all your necessary information under proper headings. What is important is the resume header and the resume summary. A resume summary may also be called the resume objective.
A plain text resume is always submitted in a text file format. It is not supposed to have any fancy formatting, such as colors, columns, lines, italics, etc. It has only one text in only one font. If a recruiter is manually going to read through your resume, it won’t be very easy for them.Â
Hence, it is essential to format a plain text resume appropriately before sending it ahead. You must ensure a good flow, which leaves no gaps for question marks. If you have any difficulty drafting a plain text resume, we have a perfect solution for you. Please read the article till the end to find out all about it.
If you are in touch directly with your recruiter, a plain text resume might not be a good option for you. Recruiters tend to get bored while going through a plain text resume. Your skills and qualities also cannot be highlighted efficiently. To catch your employer’s eye in such a case, we would advise you to go for a visual resume.
What is a visual Resume?
A visual resume is designed to impress the recruiter. It reduces the employer’s work by up to fifty percent, as it is well-formatted, and all the necessary information is readily available.
Ideally, a visual resume is more commonly used by people belonging from a creative field, such as the digital field, web design, and graphics. At the same time, it can also be used by professionals applying for a job at a higher position who are in direct communication with the recruiter.Â
The research & the data suggest that visuals proceed 60,000 times faster than the text. The most important aspect of a visual resume is its appearance. It is not only meant to reduce the workload of your recruiter but is also used to shine amongst the other applicants. It needs to be creative and visually appealing.Â
Choosing the perfect resume colors and formatting makes a significant impact on a visual resume. It says a lot about your presentation and marketing skills to your recruiter. Recruiters tend to like only ten percent of the visual resumes sent to them. You can even add a presentation, audio, and videos to your visual resume. If you are an outspoken person or a person who holds excellent public speaking skills, you can mold this to your benefit.
If you wish to create a remarkable visual resume and don’t know how you make one, you can also hire professional resume creation & writing services that will get your work done in a much easier way.Â
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Visual resume | Plain text resume |
You can add pictures of all the field activities or tasks you have done previously in a Visual resume. | In a Plain text resume, you cannot add any pictures. You can only use text in a single font style. |
A visual resume is a modern form of sending a CV. | A plain text resume is like a traditional CV. |
In a Visual resume, you can choose a template to apply in your CV based on the company or the industry you are looking for the job. | In a Plain text resume, no such template can be used by you. Hence, it might become challenging for you to format your resume and catch your employer’s eyes. |
As you can add pictures and videos to a visual resume, it increases your resume’s authenticity, as your recruiters can easily see the work you have done in the past. | In a plain text resume, you can only jot down your previous works. |
Each resume is unique in a visual resume, as it has a unique design. | In a plain text resume, there is no such provision of adding designs and graphics. |
A visual resume is very eye-catching. | A plain text resume can be very monotonous. |
In a visual resume, you can easily highlight the aspect you want the recruiter to pay attention too. | In a plain text resume, it is challenging to catch the eye of your recruiter. |
A visual resume is mostly used for applicants belonging from the designing fields or applying to higher posts, directly being in touch with the recruiter. | A plain text resume is used when it is mostly asked for it or when applying for a job, as it is software friendly. |
Conclusion
A plain text resume is a more old school. A visual resume is a more modern approach to appeal and catches the eyes of your recruiter. You can use unique audios, videos, images, and presentations in your visual resume to highlight your strong points. Simultaneously, the plain text comes in handy when the recruiter has specially asked you for it.
For the roles like Media,creative and arts visual resume will be better and for other roles normal text resume is better. Both have pros and cons.
Are you still confused about which resume will be the best choice for you? Don’t worry, as it’s common among candidates; we have got this covered for you. Writrox, the leading company for CV and Resume writing services, has resume writing professionals of various domains having more than seven years of experience.
