Like all other great ideas in the world, I got this idea in the shower one fateful day. I was receiving a continuous streak of rejection emails from numerous companies. All my efforts to land a new job in a new country failed miserably. It wasn’t that I lacked skills or there was any shortage of openings in the market. What I lacked were a visa and a work permit.

Getting a job in my dream country as a third-country national was proving to be challenging, almost a fantasy. I was frantically applying to as many jobs as I could find. My resume was well made, up-to-date, and filled with the latest skills the market so desired. Experience, certifications, GitHub, personal projects, blog, I had it all, but something was missing.

Something that could influence an employer to look past all the additional hassle of obtaining a work permit and consider a third-country national over local talent. I had to stand out from the crowd and ascertain the potential employers of my skills without having them interview me at the same time.

The answer to my questions was a Power-Resumé, a resumé built as a Power BI report. It took me a couple of hours to develop the data model (in excel) and design a decent-looking resumé (as a report). Then, after a couple of iterations and reviews from friends, I was set to show off my skills.

Fast forward a month, and I had three job offers in hand, with all expenses paid for relocation support. Three months later, I was in the country I was so desperately trying to get into working as a Power BI subject matter expert to establish a Center of Excellence (CoE).

So, why should you build a Power-Resumé?

• Stand out of the crowd by showcasing your skills with what you do best.
• It’s an interactive and engaging upgrade over the traditional text-based resumé.
• Highlight your skills and achievements on a single page if you have a lengthy resumé.
• powerbi.tips rank a resume as a report (read Power-Resumé) as level 10 in visualization.

• Flexibility to design for the targeted device, i.e., mobile or screens
• Showcase your data modeling and design skills.
• Showcase your understanding of different Power BI components.
• Showcase your ability to create custom visuals.
• Interactivity keeps the recruiter/interviewer interested and active.

Before you dive in and build yourself a fantastic resumé, understand that it is not:

• A guarantee to land that dream Power BI job. However, it does increase your chances manifold.
• A replacement to the traditional resumé.

What do you need to build one?

• Solid command of data modeling to build flawless interactivity among visuals; most of the data in your model will be text.
• Firm grasp of various Power BI components like visualization, bookmarks, tooltips, actions, hyperlinks, etc.
• It works best if you have Power BI Service at your disposal. Publish to web is the best way to make your Power-Resumé available to the whole world (and the recruiters).
• You can take advantage of the Power BI Free if you happen to have a non-personal email id.

The optimal way is to add a link to your Power-Resumé in your resumé and specify the link in the cover letter or the website field if you’re filling out a form-based application. In the worst case, you can send the .pbix file as an attachment if you can’t arrange for the Internet link. In my opinion, this will not work in the majority of cases. If you’re at an online meeting, you can share your screen and show it to the technical interviewer or send the link and request the interviewer to go through it.

Make sure to keep your traditional resumé up to date and use your new Power-Resumé as a supplement, not a replacement. It’s not a replacement of your resumé for various reasons

• Most recruiters/organizations use keyword search software to refine candidates, and such software will not work on the Power-Resumé.
• Some organizations might not allow access to the public Internet. Thus, your Power-Resumé would be inaccessible to such recruiters and interviewers.
• The machine might be missing the Power BI Desktop, and your .pbix attachment would be useless.
• A recruiter or interviewer might not be motivated to open your attachment or link.
• It can not be printed conventionally, making a paper-pen comparison with other candidates difficult.

Understand that most recruiters might not even end up opening your Power-Resumé, and that’s okay. In the end, it’s the technical people who decide whether your skills are attractive enough for them to consider you. Thus, it’s best to showcase to the technical interviewers.

I wish you the best in your new Power BI role!!