Graphic design is a very dynamic and creative profession. Therefore, to land a good job it is essential that you stand out in the crowd to grab the attention of the recruiter. However, although you do need to show off your creativity and innovation, you also need to ensure that your CV is professional. In order to help you achieve the right balance, we have provided you with our best tips to help give your graphic design CV a much-needed boost.
In this modern time, there are free WordPress themes available for Creatives ‘ CVs and portfolios. You can easily edit the theme and upload your portfolio to make it more appealing to get yourself more professional.
Link to your online portfolio and/or attach examples
Showing off your skills visually is the best thing you can do to highlight them. That way, you are not just claiming you are proficient at using Photoshop, you are actually showing that you are. When you link to your online portfolio, that will make you more memorable and provide you with an edge over the other job candidates. After all, as a designer, it is critical to show you are able to think outside of the box and that you are creative.
Also, if the recruiter really loves your work, it is more likely they will call you in to do an interview. However, when you do this, you need to ensure that your portfolio contains high-quality work and shows off the current skills that you have. If it isn’t well put together or is outdated, it could end up having a negative effect. That also applies to whether or not the work you show is relevant for the job position, so make sure you have examples of the kind of work that the employer is looking for.
These days, another popular option that designers use is to add some pages of work examples after their CV. If you do this, make sure your resume is perfect and remember to only include your most relevant and best work.
Showcase your current design skills
Your entire CV can be viewed as a design project. However, not necessarily from the standpoint of it being really creative. Always remember that if it is going to be sitting on a recruitment agency’s database, its software must be able to search it. You need to ensure that it is clean, that all of the fonts that you use are the same, and that your lines all match, and doesn’t have parts that are out of sync since a Head of Creative won’t think that looks too great. You need to show your design work in proper showcase or perspective format. If you don’t have already you can use free mockups to create one.
If you don’t use Microsoft Word or another similar type of word processor to write your CV and would prefer using something like Photoshop for designing your CV, then make sure you save it in the form of a searchable PDF rather than as a flattened image.
If you tend to err on the creative side, then try following a structure that is similar to a CV. You still need to explain your employment history, qualifications, experience, skills, and make sure you use the right keywords and buzzwords around your software capabilities and experience. However, also keep everything creative, smart, and neat.
The usual advice for a CV is to save it as a word document. However, a graphic designer CV may be saved as a PDF since it is important for the formatting to not be messed with too much. You just need to be prepared that a recruiter might need a copy, without any of your contact details and their logo, so maybe sort that out for them when you have a chance, instead of them adding it on.
Don’t go too overboard
Although it is important for you to demonstrate that you are skilled and inventive, you don’t want to go too overboard with the presentation or style of your CV. If it is too out there it could be risky and ruin your chance at landing the job, so be careful will how you approach things.
Although it might sound cool to structure your CV in the form of a 3D object, it is very impractical for a recruiter to read it. So make sure you are sensible and keep in mind that it has to look professional and also contain all of the critical information.
If your CV is going to include color, avoid over the top and really bright designs. And be sure to avoid common mistakes like including a photo of you or using fonts that are hard to read since employers are usually turned off by such things. Also, if you are sending your CV electronically, the recruiter might print it, so consider how it will look as you are designing your CV.
Omit any information that is unnecessary
It is natural to want to include as much information as you possibly can in hopes of impressing the recruiter. However, certain hobbies and fact don’t belong on CVs and can distract from the important information that you want to highlight.
Hiring Managers are very busy and want to be able to quickly find out whether or not your experience and skills match with their requirements, so make things easy for them to make sure that your CV makes the shortlist by clearly highlighting all of your key skills.
Summary
To ensure that your CV stands out, show off your creativity, and keep in mind that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to go overboard with crazy designs and bright colors. A professional, tidy, clean, and well-thought-out layout will really go a long way toward your CV getting on the shortlist.