The Visual CV

The evolutionary journey of the visual CV - from my many attempts at what works, what doesn’t and what

Bring the digital to the physical

Digital mastery is best demonstrated not described. A lot of what I envisaged a good resume/CV should be would be to invite the reader towards

The evolution of resumes mirrors the progression of currency security features in fascinating ways. Both started as simple, functional documents—resumes listing basic information, and currency being straightforward tokens of value. Over time, as forgery, misrepresentation, and the need for credibility increased, both introduced layers of complexity to stay relevant and secure.

Modern resumes, much like contemporary banknotes, now come equipped with “security features” such as QR codes that allow instant digital verification or download, akin to a note’s holographic strip confirming authenticity. The inclusion of PGP keys on a resume parallels serial numbers on currency, offering a means to verify and securely interact with the original issuer. Even the use of company logos is akin to watermarking; they act as visual markers of trustworthiness and prestige, signaling the value of the document at a glance.

Both arenas reflect an arms race driven by the need for authenticity, innovation, and adaptability to technological advancements. The future might see further parallels, like dynamic, interactive elements in resumes—mirroring cryptocurrency or digital currencies’ shift toward fully virtual, verifiable mediums.

My first Visual CV - the “map”

Besides aesthetics, i had certain design goals for my first hard attempt at a visual CV - it had to mirror the aesthetics of the mind-maps i had been using to manage my notes and ideas. It had to emphasize my coverage of all the platforms I had mastery in developing for (phone, tablet, TV etc) and lastly it had to somehow communicate the open paths i can take my journey / career from here - go more into tech ? design? As the visualisation would take up a vast section of the page i need to be more optimal in text / descriptiveness and so this was my first ‘high density’ resume.

The consulting / adult years

2016 - 2018 reflected the subdued, ‘adult’ years as a senior level consultant so it made sense to go back to the standard (2-col layout portrait, sometimes landscape). Culminating in a barrage of certification. Although i did briefly looked into a horizontally scrolling (timeline visualisation) based document - i never got around to executing it as the demands of being hot-dropped project after project as a consultant took its toll on both my time to refine the concept.

vertical timeline

The hybrid 2 col PLUS

As I thought about ways to brute force advanced visualisations in D3.js (chord, sankey and strea) as a resume, something kept me back to the streamgraph. The aesthetics of the streamgraph (MKBHD even had an RGB histogram as a merch t-shirt).

Another hybridization I found is the extraction of pure metadata (either as markdown or snippets) especially when needing to draft tailored cover letters.

Futility Funnel

As a data scientist, you shouldn’t simply revert to seeing everything as a numbers game because the high attrition, volumne game and networking shortcut of the “futility funnel” is the reality of the diminishing return in obsessively optimizing for a broken system.

Instead, one might find better success focusing on building relationships, seeking referrals, and leveraging personal networks. In the numbers game, sometimes it’s who you know that beats the algorithm.

Git, Markdown, & Future visualisations

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