5

I am a computer scientist currently working on his master thesis. For this purpose i developed an application which is able to produce infographic resumes. But currently im struggling to find proper scientific papers to back some of my statements up. I know there are a lot of books out there praising the advantages of infographics and infographics in resumes. But in my opinion those references aren't strong enough. So my question is the following:

  • Does anybody know of any scientific evidence in the form of papers/articles or other sources that verifies the advantages of infographics in resumes or data visualisations in general?

This is probably not one of those questions usually asked here, but since most of you guys have a lot of experience in the field of graphic design i wanted to give it a shot anyway.

Improve this question
8
  • In my experience resumes are a special case. Bigger shops have a tendency to strip the uniqueness of your submissions of your resume and mainly work on your text alone. (by reading it into a db as pure text) Smaller shops are more impressed by bling though. Hiring is one of hose things where the science tells them, but the people doing the hires do whatever feels right.
    – joojaa
    Commented Mar 5, 2016 at 12:37
  • That's a tough category. In my company, if we scan the document and put the words in a database via OCR. If you have lots of graphics instead of text, you won't match our terms and won't be considered.
    – Baronz
    Commented Mar 5, 2016 at 17:37
  • 2
    My guess is 'no' or even just the opposite finding (that they are worse)
    – DA01
    Commented Mar 5, 2016 at 20:58
  • 1
    Thank you all for your comments and opinions so far. But I just have to emphasise that I was looking for a more scientific driven discussion. It's not helpful to just point out your opinion without any scientific proof.
    – luQ
    Commented Mar 5, 2016 at 21:14
  • 1
    It's not that I don't care for your folks opinion. Actually I do a lot. But none of that is helpful in the context of writing a scientific paper :D
    – luQ
    Commented Mar 5, 2016 at 21:37

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1

"Scientific," does not always transfer to "real life" Having worked in the Personnel dept. of a large, international laser manufacturing company, I can tell you that when we were filling positions, and when we were sorting through unsolicited resumes from individuals applying for jobs with our company, ANY resume that had graphics was "round filed," with no time given to them.

Although humans are visually oriented creatures, a job resume is not a full page spread in Vanity Fair. It is something to qualify someone to be interviewed for a job. Not a guarantee of a job, just an interview. In our Personnel Dept., we wanted to know the applicants had the knowledge and technical skills/experience to contribute to our company, not "pretty pictures," as my manager used to say.

I couldn't care less about "scientific" research. "Feet on the ground" practicality should be your benchmark, as others in the working world have also presented you with anecdotal evidence that would refute almost ANY "scientific" conclusion that graphics are effective in a resume...In other words, "grab a clue..."

You are trying to FORCE your supposition for a scientific research paper into contradicting the position as it exists. Why can't your paper ACCURATELY reflect the truth, instead of trying to force "scientific" validation for your standpoint, where none probably exists?

Attempt to contact the personnel department managers for half a dozen technical companies, and simply ASK them. That should be as applicable as a team of "scientific researchers" doing the same thing...

Improve this answer
2
  • 2
    I dont think anecdotal evidence has to be in contradiction to scientific. Scientific just means published peer revieved reputable source.
    – joojaa
    Commented Mar 9, 2016 at 9:43
  • Thanks for the contribution and welcome to GraphicDesign! Let us know if you have any questions about how the site works
    – Zach Saucier
    Commented Mar 19, 2016 at 14:42

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.