5 Reasons to Market Yourself with an Infographic

That's not a valid work email account. Please enter your work email (e.g. you@yourcompany.com)
Please enter your work email
(e.g. you@yourcompany.com)

Modern Business Concept Infographics: graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge intended to present complex information quickly and clearly. And to ‘de-Wikipedia’ the definition, infographics are basically a bunch of data/information compiled into a visual(s).

Before working at Recruiter.com, I had never heard of an infographic. Yet, I quickly learned that they’re everywhere—and for good reason.

Take this infographic by internet entrepreneur Neil Patel, for example. The infographic, “So You Want me to Speak at Your Event?” is about Patel, his background and credentials. Instead of simply saying, “Contact for speaking requests,” Patel gives visitors a visual “down low” on just who he is and why he’d be suitable for a speaking engagement.

He starts off with his background, explaining where he currently lives and some of his work experiences. Offering location information up front is very helpful for visitors because it immediately lets them know where he would have to travel from if requested to speak. The work experiences also offer a little background information on his skills.

Patel then moves on to why he decided to enter his current profession of an entrepreneur. He doesn’t just list his achievements, like most of us do on resumes. Patel also lists some failures, like trying to copy Monster.com in 2002 and losing millions of dollars in a bad investment deal in 2006. What does that tell someone thinking of using him as a speaker? He is honest, transparent and has learned life lessons applicable to his current role.

The remainder of the infographic explains Patel’s current role, the companies he’s worked with, how he speaks at more than 25 conferences a year, and lists some of his reviews. At the end, he includes an interactive contact form.

What an interesting and innovative way to market yourself and build your personal brand. And the use of infographics doesn’t just stop there. Because they can be so dynamic, you can create an infographic to market yourself in almost any arena, especially while on the job hunt.

Below are just five of the many reasons you may want to try creating an infographic in your job search endeavors:

1. Quick

In our “microwave society” we’ve fallen under a cloud of instant gratification. Most people want information fast and they want it now. Recruiters and hiring managers can be the same when it comes to parsing resumes.

Creating an infographic to give employers offers condensed information that’s quick and to the point. Like an elevator speech, an infographic detailing you as a candidate is a quick and easy way to display your work experience and skills alongside the longer and more detailed resume and cover letter.

2. Attention Grabber

Infographics are visually appealing. Like video, people are more compelled to look at something when visuals are attached. Infographics are colorful and have images and “cool” font styles. Let’s face it: they’re more attractive than the black-and-white resume.

3. Creative

Using an infographic helps show off your creativity and ability to think outside the box. This is especially true if you designed the infographic. Yet, even if you didn’t, having the idea to add an infographic to your application shows potential employers you know how to stand out from the crowd. This way of promoting your brand could most certainly help you land a job as employers recognize valuable traits within you.

4. Enhancer

These visuals help enhance and support your resume and/or application. Similar to how a cover letter supports a resume, infographics can supplement your entire application package.

5. Revealing

Infographics can also help to display your personality better than a traditional resume. Employers will see that you’re creative, innovative and that you’re determined by going the extra mile. Sometimes it’s hard to adequately assess an individual solely based off of his/her resume. By using an infographic, you can include things about your personality not listed on your resume. This can really help give employers an image of who you are.

By Shala Marks