Spice up Your Resume with Google Drawings

Earlier this year I applied to be a Google Education Trainer and one of the requirements is to submit a resume highlighting training sessions. Instead of the using the same old basic resume layout, I decided to take a different approach and create one in Google Drawings.

Here are some ways to spice up your resume or curriculum vitae. I've linked a copy of my training resume and a sample to show some different aspects.

       

Build Your Layout

Start by sketching a few mock ups on paper or in Google Drawings. The more planning, the easier it is to get the desired results.

Need some inspiration? Search keywords like ‘Creative Resumes’ on Google. Also, you may want to create an outline of all the information you want to include in your resume.

Page Settings

The first thing you'll need to do is set up your page size. I used the standard 8.5" x 11" page size.

Background

Decide whether you’re using a solid color, a gradient, an image or pattern. Solid colors are easy to do in Google Drawings otherwise you may need to enlist the help of other programs like Adobe Photoshop or Pixlr to help create some cool patterns or images.

Don't be afraid to play with shapes. You can overlap them to get some nice effects.

Drop Shadows

Add subtle effects to text using drop shadows. Simply copy and paste your text, change the color and move it into position. Tip: color the original with the shadow color first, then copy and paste. That will make it much easier to work with when trying to select the shadow text.

Headings

Instead of using simple text, try using shapes. I like to use rectangles with text. To do so, create the shape and double-click to add text.

Infographics

Use some infographics to show your mastery of different subjects. An easy way is to create a shape and add text like the heading above but change the transparency of the layer below to show the level of knowledge. 

For more info on creating infographics with Google Drawings, here's a great post by Alice Keeler.

Have Students Create Infographics Using Google Draw

Images

Spruce up your layout with a picture of you or for a background image. Consider using a transparency to create a more subtle effect. Just don't overdo it otherwise it'll look like a students first experience with word processing. And as always, don't forget about usage rights with images from the internet.

Here's a video for cropping images using custom shapes.

Tips & Tricks

Group, Group, Group

By grouping objects together, you’ll be able to move and rearrange your layout more easily. Select the shapes to group by selecting Arrange and Group or Ctrl+G.

Use Constraints

Holding down the Shift button while moving or rotating objects will allow you keep things lined up or move at predefined angles.

Copy

By holding down the Ctrl button while dragging, you can create copies of the object. In addition, if you hold Shift + Ctrl, you’ll be able to copy an object and constrain it at the same time. Very useful for repeating objects.

Custom Colors

Google Drawings includes the option for creating custom colors including transparencies. You can create some cool effects by overlapping colors.

Arrange

Some of the best layout features are located in the Arrange menu. Use Order to adjust what objects appear in front of others. Use the Align feature to adjust the vertical and horizontal placement of objects to one another. Finally, you can use the Distribute to create even spaces between objects.

Good luck and share your examples.