One of the most delicate balances job seekers must perform when writing their resume is to come up with a creative document that stands out from the rest of the stack, while still conveying the necessary information and not alarming hiring professionals with too-far-outside-the-box methods.

The best way to do this is to focus on establishing your own personal brand, and letting this shine through on your resume.

It is important of showing – not telling – when it comes to demonstrating confidence, creativity, independent thinking and other traits companies are looking for. Job search strategist Jocelyn Wallace has developed a novel approach to resume writing, which entails creating what she describes as a visual resume, and appears to be turning heads in the recruiting environment. Rather than listing relevant experience through text alone in chronological order, her version of a resume has a narrative filled with pictures and descriptions that ultimately tell her entire story.

The goal of the resume is to help recruiters know exactly what kind of candidate they are dealing with in one quick overlook. In one document, her resume shows that she is an independent thinker, has a mind for strategy, is confident in her abilities and has a broad vision of where she wants to go – all without saying it explicitly.

Proceed with caution

However, the news source conceded that a brand-focused resume may not be for everyone. When deciding if it would be appropriate, it’s important to ask yourself what kind of image you want others to see. Be sure the skills and traits you hope to convey are acceptable for the career you see yourself in.

Your visual-based resume should also be an accurate portrayal of you and your accomplishments. It may be easy to get carried away with the resume style, breaking free from the mold of traditional resume formats, but if you can’t live up to this strategy on a day-to-day basis, it may not be the best idea.

The individual company should also be a factor, considering some traditional companies will not accept any innovative resumes under any circumstances. However, if you do your research, this shouldn’t be an issue.

According to salary-data gathering website Salary.com, management expert Tom Peters likens building a personal brand to selling a product.

“We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc.,” he said. “To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer of a brand called You.”