College alumnus brings verve to humdrum resumes

College graduate Allison Tatios has created an alternative form of a resume. Her business Elevated Resumes helps clients make ones that are both effective and innovative.

Tatios’s found inspiration for her business following her graduation from Penn in 2012, when she needed to compose an attractive resume for a number of jobs, including a position for subscription-based makeup company Birchbox in New York City. Because Birchbox encouraged originality, Tatios decided to construct her own resume using the program Adobe Sweep alongside resume-building skills she had picked up while at Penn. She later decided to send her new creative application to another job opening at QVC.

“I didn’t think I had a chance of getting it,” Tatios said. “But I’d just updated my resume so I thought I would apply.”

Impressed with her resume, QVC gave Tatios the job offer.

“I had an interview with one of the directors — it was a male director, and my resume was pink,” she said. “He told me that it made me unforgettable.”

Soon after, Tatios began to show her unique resume to friends and family. She then posted the resume to Instagram and Facebook, where it gained popularity.

“I thought, ‘this could really work for other people,’” she said.

To manage the increased attention she received, Tatios established her website, ElevatedResumes.com. On the site, she featured past examples, testimonials and descriptions of the resume-making process.

“We not only reformat, but we can add some color, some different fonts,” she said. “We are past the day and age where resumes need to be in Times New Roman.”

Currently, Tatios’s business deals primarily with design and formatting but also assists clients with content at times. She deals with a variety of customers, from biologists to businessmen, who look to add some variety to their resumes.

“Since September I’ve done over 100 resumes. I’ve truly never gotten negative feedback from any of my clients, which is pretty amazing,” she said.

Tatios attributes her success in part to the skills she picked up while studying at Penn. As an undergraduate, Tatios majored in visual studies with a minor in marketing from Wharton.

“My thesis was all about brand identity and how can you brand yourself. Really, that’s what Elevated Resumes is,” she said. “You need to create a brand across all the digital platforms. Not only should your resume be put together, but also your Facebook, your Linkedin — your everything.”

Tatios also highly appreciates the value of the Penn network. The connections she made while at Penn, such as with Wharton Professor Adam Grant, helped her establish her business and client base. She advises current Penn students to do the same.

“Don’t hesitate to ask for help. Use your network to your advantage because it’s your strongest asset,” she said.

In addition to using the relationships made at Penn, Tatios also advises other Penn students to follow their passions. As she looks into expanding her business into new platforms such as web portfolios, Tatios is grateful for the reward she feels in working with Elevated Resumes.

“I’ve never been a person that has given back as much as I had wanted to. With this job, people write to me and tell me I’ve changed their lives. It gives me goose bumps,” she said. “As cliché as it sounds, you really want to be happy with what you’re doing.”

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