To land a graphic designer job, you need to have a resume that highlights your skills, experiences, and competencies. The key responsibility of a graphic designer is to create artwork for magazines, signage, advertisements, and labels to name a few.
Time management, creativity, and accuracy are some of the most important skills that a graphic designer should have. In this post, we are going to share with you a few simple tips that you can use to write a great resume and land your dream job.
Definition of a graphic designer resume
Table of Contents
When applying for a job, you’ll be required to submit your resume. A resume is an important document because it provides a summary of an individual’s work history, education, skills, credentials, and career accomplishments. While the design and layout of your resume matter, you need to spend a lot of time and energy on content.
The general outlook of a graphic designer resume
Your resume should contain accurate and relevant information to help you get noticed quickly and easily by potential employers. You can seek help from resume services to write a document that will win the hearts and minds of potential employers. Some of the key sections that you should include in your resume are:
- Contacts: You should always put down the right contact details when writing a resume. Write your name on top of your resume boldly followed by your phone number, home address, and email address.
- Career objective: You need to share your goals with potential employers for them to decide whether you are a good fit.
- Qualifications: While having a college degree will give you an upper hand during the selection process, having other certificates and education qualifications will help you stand out from the crowd. Include the name of your learning institution, the course that you studied, and the date of graduation.
- Skills: Some of the skills that potential employers look for in graphic designers include time management, creativity, communication, color theory, and topography. Having experience in design software such as Adobe, and Corel draw will increase your chances of getting hired.
Graphic Designer Resume Writing Tips
Here are a few important tips that will help you write a perfect resume and land your dream job:
1. Don’t get too creative
While creativity is one of the most important skills that graphic designers should have, you should avoid the temptation to show off. If you’ll be applying for online jobs, your resume will be analyzed by an applicant tracking system. These systems usually have a hard time reading files with unusual images, fonts, and text boxes. Your resume needs to make it through the applicant tracking systems for you to have a chance of getting hired. These systems strip most design elements on your resume and deliver a plain version to the hiring manager. Therefore, using a simple template will save you a lot of time and energy in the long run. If your resume is design-heavy, you should consider sending it directly to the recruiter. However, you should ensure that your design choices aren’t distracting.
You need to focus on simplicity when writing your resume. However, there are a few simple ways to showcase your creativity. One of them is including a link to your portfolio. Ensure that all external links are easy to spot. You can consider creating a section on your document where you’ll include links to your work examples. Since most applicant tracking systems read the URL only, you should avoid using anchor text when writing your resume.
3. Ensure that your resume matches many opportunities
Since the content of your resume won’t dramatically change from one application to another, you should always set some time aside to match your resume to most of the jobs that you apply for. While this process sounds complex, it’s easier than you think. Always keep in mind that your resume should include the skills, technology, and proficiency listed in the job description. You need to be thoughtful about the design work that you choose to feature through the external links since aesthetics and design goals vary from one industry or organization to the next.
Always choose samples that prove that you are capable of doing the work in the job that you are applying for. Taking the time to understand the vision and mission of the company that you want to work with will give you an upper hand during the interview and selection process. This is your chance to show your employer that you are a skilled designer with abilities that match their needs.
Conclusion
There are a lot of examples that you can read online if you are having a hard time writing your resume. Reading these examples and seeking help from experts will pay off in spades in the long run. Don’t hesitate to seek help when you need it.