Can an infographic-style resume get through an applicant tracking system?

Often not well. Infographic resumes rely on icons, charts, timelines, coloured blocks and text placed inside shapes. Software reading the file may miss text inside graphics, read blocks in the wrong order or lose the link between a heading and its content.

What can go wrong:

• Your job titles and dates sit inside graphic shapes and are skipped.
• Skill names appear but their levels are lost.
• Text in several columns or boxes comes out jumbled.

When an infographic can work:

• You hand it to someone in person or at a portfolio review.
• You are sending it to a design-led employer who asked for creative applications.

Even then, keep a plain, text-based version ready for online applications and portals. It is the version software can read and the one recruiters can forward easily. The infographic can live on your portfolio website, linked from the plain resume.