Graphic Designer Resume Examples, Template, and Tips

Graphic Designer Resume Examples, Template, and Tips Have you found a perfect formula to write your graphic designer resume? Have no worries, as we have got one for you?Our excellent and super-useful resume builder will help you get the most of your CV. Learn how to position your skills, experience and all the other components and become the chosen one. Our hottest tips and tricks are tailored to make you look like the best candidate in the world.Okay, first of all, as a graphic designer, what would you name as your biggest virtue?CREATIVITY!Come to think of it, this unique skill makes you special, is that so? As a matter of fact, it makes you so special that hiring managers will use all it takes to get to you and give you the job. Now, how wonderful does that sound?Sorry to burst your bubbles, but YOU are just one of many creative graphic designers trying to grab some great position.Though creativity IS your most powerful secret weapon, you need to learn how to use it wisely and adequately and become the most appealing candidate.Let†™s get things started, shall we?Graphic Deisgner Resume Example for Holycode Right Graphic Designer Resume Sample for Co-Designer Right Create your own resumeGUIDE ON WRITING THE PERSONAL INFO SECTION FOR YOUR DESIGNER RESUMEThis section is a sort of introduction of yourself to the recruiters. Here you can fill only the information that you want to be shown on your CV, and leave the other fields empty.Find some logical balance. What we are trying to tell you here is that you don’t need to reveal certain information if you don’t want to, but still, you need to make sure that potential job-givers will be able to get in touch with you smoothly.Our amazing resume builder will make sure they are displayed the best way possible, for the highest level of visibility!We shall explain detail by detail which information are “must-have” in your resume and which are okay to leave out.ProfessionFirst of all, it is very important to name the POSITION you are applying for precisely. Why so? Because as soon as the system generates your CV in our resume builder, this data will appear right underneath your name.Adding this to your CV, will personalize it, which, in the eyes of hiring managers give you several positive points extra. This also shows that you created the resume for THAT particular occasion, that it’s not the one to be sent on all the job ads where the graphic designer is needed.So, if the company is looking for a junior creative designer, here’s how to and how not to write:Mary Smith, Junior Creative Designer RightMary Smith, Graphic Designer WrongWhile the other example shows something that is already obvious and familiar form your resume, the first one hints that the CV is made for THAT specific position in THAT specific company you are sending resume to.The simple, but effective trick, of many you, are yet to learn!PhotoHere’s the first optional part of your CV. Some companies have this as a mandatory rule (due to specific job requirements), while the others do not oblige candidates to include a photo in their resume.If you plan to add a photo, there are some guidelines to have i n mind. First of all, take it against the light background so that your face is clear and visible, not in shadows. Make sure you are dressed politely and professionally so that the person looking at your resume has the impression that you are a pleasant person.Informal photos are a great bog NO-NO for resumes, as they are simply unsuitable for the occasion. You are trying to get yourself that FANCY JOB, aren’t you?The least you can do is upload a picture that makes you look polite and presentable.So, avoid photos from the beach, parties, those with children or pets, those where you are smiling too much or the ones where you look grumpy.Simply, just look natural, be yourself.Try to put yourself in recruiters’ place- would you hire someone with a glass of whiskey in their resume?Contact infoThis part features several ways managers can get in touch with you.The parts you SHOULD include are phone number and e-mail address. As for the address where you actually live, this part is not necessary, and you can freely leave this info out.However, if the job ad requires you to list this, then do so, as even the tiniest detail can be an eliminatory one.If you omit it and the ad stated that this data is necessary, this can actually reveal managers a lot about you.HOW SO?Well, if you fail to fulfill the tiniest requirement such as listing this in your resume, it shows that you didn’t read the ad well (which implicates you could treat the future assignments in the same way, perhaps?)As for your e-mail address, add the one that sounds professional, not the entertaining one. If you haven’t got one, make it. It takes only a minute and makes a huge difference in your resume. Here are the examples:mary.smith@gmail.com Rightbloodymary666@gmail.com WrongIn addition to this, make it SOUND simple. Things are not so difficult when one reads it, but when one needs to PRONOUNCE or spell it, that’s where problems may appear.Don’t let such details make you look unprofessiona l, the least you can do is follow the requirements and make sure everything’s done as written. A small note regarding date of birth here- unless a specific job requires a candidate of a specific age, you are not obliged to include this information.Social mediaThis section allows you to include all the important social media profiles. If you have a Behance profile or your personal website, those are huge pluses.Linkedin profile is the most desirable one. If you opt to list this one, personalize the URL before attaching it to your resume. Here’s what we mean:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-smith/ Righthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-smith/3x97253/ WrongAvoid adding Facebook or Instagram profile if the content is not adequate. By this, we mean some private photos or some statuses, activities that may give the wrong impression to the managers. Of course, we all go out and have fun, but no-one wants it to be the first thing to exhibit to your future employers, isn’t that so?Whi chever profile you decide to add, make sure the information is UP-TO-DATE.Check if all your skills, experiences and other qualifications are listed there.Like the trick with adding position, this also shows whether you checked if everything’s well right before applying to that specific job. Small details make a huge difference, once again!EXPERIENCE SECTIONAfter finishing the “less creative” part of your resume, here comes the interesting one!Though you have seen that there are several key points that can make slight but enormous differences in the introductory as well, this part allows you to use your secret weapon the right way and make HR manages to select YOU!The most common rule regarding this is making it as eye-catching as possible and highlight the most valuable data about yourself.Sometimes you have a candidate with an excellent education but no experience, while on the other hand, you have a candidate with some average level of education but several years of experien ce. Which one gets to be the CHOSEN one?That’s where you and our perfect resume builder actually make the difference.Do you know how they say that everything is a matter of perspective?Well, it’s YOU who defines the perspective and determine how recruiters will evaluate you.Your creativity plus our resume builder equal you as a perfect candidate! Now that you know this simple formula to success wait no more-USE IT! Start with your professional titleSimilar to what we stressed out, naming your profession exactly shows that you are a relevant candidate and reveals some of the important qualities you have for the position.Here you can highlight something that gives the best value to your resume. For example, if you want to point out experience as your wild card:Professional titleJunior Graphic Designer with 6+ years of experience RightProfessional titleExperienced Graphic Designer Wrong Add two or three achievementsNumbers do the magic, did you know that? That’s the detail whic h inevitably catches lots of attention.The trick is that giving a numeric value to something makes it easier to create a precise picture of someone’s achievements, experience, and progress.Of course, don’t push things if they are simply undefinable in terms of numbers, but try to find the way, whenever possible, to express things in figures. Here are several practical examples to show what we aim at:AchievementsManaged a team of 50 peopleCompleted 100+ project over the past 12 monthsIncreased company’s overall productivity by 25% over the past two years RightAchievementsManaged a huge teamCompleted numerous projectsIncreased company’s productivity a lot WrongTo make all your achievements sound even better, you can wrap them up in a convenient formula:“I did X by using Y, which resulted in Z.”This way, you practically encompass all the necessary components and give all the important information in as simplest way as possible. You highlight all the three vital elements- yourself, the action and the achievement. Tailor it to the job offerAs you have probably concluded, it’s all about tailoring and adjusting things here! So, what one has to do prior to uploading resume is reading the job ad carefully (well, duh!).However, what may boost your chances additionally is visiting the company’s website or Linkedin profile, if available.WHY we point this out right here?This investigation, so to say, can give you more than valuable insight into what type of candidate is the company looking for. It’s not about your professional title only, but some other qualities that also play an important role.For example, if you are applying for the position in the company that has plenty of employees, you should point out things such as good communicational skills and the ability to work in a team and cooperate.Use some strong adjectives that will give a particular note to your personality and highlight the qualities you have.It may sound silly, but you need to make your resume sound actionable.So, the adjectives such as well-organized, highly-trained, hard-working, detail-oriented and similar can give a special note to your resume.Those in combination with our extremely useful resume builder can make your dreams come true.GUIDE ON WRITING THE SUMMARY SECTIONHere is the deal- you need to be the shortest possible and sum all the important things in the summary section.Start with “I’m a professional graphic designer with more than (several years of experience)”… This is the part where you need to point out your “up to the challenge” expertize.Call yourself a professional, even though you might not think you are one. Put on that “paper” how long have you been in the game! And not only that but put down the whole education process, as well.Every employer wants to see 3 simple things: expertize, your goal, and confidence. So, give them that.“I have over 6 years of experience in fulfilling various graphic design challenges with ill ustrator, InDesign, or Photoshop. I believe that I will meet your standards, and if in some case I don’t, I will learn super-fast in order to meet those. I’m hungry for knowledge, and looking forward to learning new things and improve my knowledge in the field.”As you can see, this summary sounds pretty confident and professional. That’s all they want to hear.Here are some tips for you:Use the exact number of years in the field.Let them know that you know that you will meet their standards, and if not, that you are a fast learner who’ll catch up easily.Set your goal- to learn more, which often equals to “earn more”.SummaryGraphic designer with 6 years of experience. RightSummarySeveral years of experience. WrongGUIDE ON WRITING THE EXPERIENCE SECTIONThis is where you should list all the segments regarding the relevant experience for the position you are applying for.However, in case you are a candidate who is freshly-graduated seeking for the very first job ever, her e you can list some of the activities where you volunteered or participated and which may be of importance for that job.In case you are a candidate with some experience, use this section to highlight the most important achievements that may help you leave the best impression on a manager looking at your resume.Besides, achievements, you can list the precise positions and responsibilities you had and which contributed to that previous job.Of course, try not to overcrowd your CV by listing unnecessary and obvious information that is already clear. This is the opportunity to focus on your OWN contribution regarding a specific project or team and what was your role in that.Besides this, we have some other useful tricks that may make all those listed information shine even brighter. Here they are: Use the reverse-chronological orderIf you have more than two or three positions, you held in the past, start with the current or most recent one.If you changed your job frequently in the past, and you have numerous positions, then list the most significant ones where your duties and abilities were maximally visible and valuable. Use bullet pointsBig blocks of text are simply boring! NO one likes them and people easily lose attention when reading such stuff.The attention span has drastically decreased (and is going down even more), so using the precious seconds is of vital importance.Bullet points are more than perfect means to organize all the data so that they look transparent and reader-friendly. (As you can see, we are using them as well!)However, don’t go all crazy about them, 5 to 6 is more than enough.Add achievementsHere’s another chance to make your resume shine even brighter. Like we already explained, all the projects, assignments and similar where your contribution was of vital importance are worth including in your resume.This way, you stress out your skills and abilities and how they can be utilized in your future job.Add numbersAgain, the powerful trick with numbers saves the day and helps you organize all the data the best way possible.Like we said, this small yet important detail DOES make a huge difference and help you represent the important facts neatly and easy to read.Add number in Experience sectionCreated 4+ presentations for the team in 2013 RightExperience descriptionCreated several presentations WrongGUIDE ON WRITING THE EDUCATION SECTIONIn this section, you list all the schools, colleges and universities you attended. To give even more precise info about your major, activities, and achievements, including the additional information that will describe these even better.The main details to include here are a field of study, major, name of the university and the highest degree you obtained.If there are some specific achievements of high importance such as extra activities, volunteering, scholarships, records above average and similar- don’t hesitate to add them as well!Of course, it is absolutely not necessary to list information about secondary education, such as high school.The only exception is when this detail is of vital importance for the exact position you are applying for or in case it was something unusual and uncommon that may give some additional value to you as a candidate.When listing the names of colleges or universities, opt for a complete version.Education sectionSchool of the Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois RightEducation sectionSchool of the Art in Illinois WrongHOW TO PRESENT YOUR DESIGN SKILLS ON YOUR RESUMEThings are getting rather hot here, as you are leveling-up your value as a potential candidate to steal the hearts of recruiters.Skills are where you exhibit your uniqueness the best way possible, as they tell the managers in which fields will your performance be the most visible and of the highest quality.The first ones to list here are naturally the most relevant ones for the job.Since you are a graphic designer, your future employer will want to see which programs are you knowledgeable about.So, Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator and similar are the ones to list here.However, it’s not just listing those for the sake of listing. If you want recruiters to have a clear insight into your qualities, give them the precise level of your skillfulness:SkillsAdvanced knowledge of Photoshop (advanced tools and options) RightSkillsKnowledge of Photoshop WrongSo, even by simply adding a level (advanced, basic, proficient, intermediate), you will make an enormous difference than when not adding that at all.Here’s the list of all the important (hard) skills for graphic designers that can be included in this section:Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, HTML/CSS, Acrobat, Corel Draw, FreeHand, Sketching, Layout, Typography, Print Design.The other important (soft) skills to be added in the resume:Time management, technology, color theory, creativity, communication, collaboration, leadership, problem-solving, planning and organization, research, taking critici sm and similar.NEXT: LAND THE DESIGN JOB INTERVIEWAs you can see, creating a perfect graphic designer resume is a piece of cake, particularly with the help of our resume builder!So, no need to express your creativity in some unconventional forms such as printing your resume on a T-shirt and sending it to the managers, but use your secret weapon to make wonders in the most common forms of expression-CV!This may come as a shock the managers spend only SIX SECONDS reading your CV, you need to make the layout as recruiter-friendly as possible, and that’s where our resume builder does a perfect job!Moreover, companies also use Applicant tracking systems, which means the system will simply leave out the non-correspondent documents, no matter how creative their layout is.So, the whole point here is using the EXACT words that the system can recognize and accept your resume.Excellent communicator. Frequently worked on large teams.Award-winning signage and branding skills. RightExcellent r esearch skills. Frequently handled big research jobs.Award-winning layout skills. WrongSo, the whole point of writing good (not just good- THE BEST!) CV is attracting the manager’s attention to what YOU can do for the company.By pointing that out in a subtle way, you will conquer the recruiter’s heart without him/her knowing that actually happened. So- give them what THEY want to hear!Make sure all the sections look outperforming but still don’t brag about yourself, even if you PERSONALLY believe that you are the best candidate that has EVER walked the Earth!This brief checklist can help you make sure you did everything as expected:Read the job description carefully and write down all of the skills mentionedWrite down all of your own skills, both hard skills (those related to graphic designer position) and soft skills.See which skills match up (they don’t necessarily have to be exact matches, but you SHOULD use the matching words as we described, so not to be eliminated by the Tracker)Think about how you can SHOW that you have these skills by giving examples instead of simply saying that you have them.So, again you have creativity as your very own secret weapon, we gave you the best platform to express it (our mighty resume builder!) so get down to business.We wish you the best of luck in becoming the selected one! 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