A graphic designer curriculum vitae (CV) should include both a résumé and a portfolio, and you’ll need to make a few key decisions to make each of these shine. Job seekers for graphic design jobs are usually up against a lot of other people who are also very talented. When writing a graphic designer CV, one goal to keep in mind is to demonstrate to potential employers that you have something unique to offer.
Using a clean résumé layout, succinctly listing your strengths, and arranging your portfolio to showcase your best work are all CV tips for graphic designers. The best graphic designer curriculum vitae is one that catches the attention of a potential employer and makes him or her want to look through the rest of the portfolio. Many graphic designers make the mistake of overloading their résumés with stylistic elements, resulting in a cluttered page. A more appealing résumé layout keeps things simple while still demonstrating your versatility in text selection and arrangement.
You should include all graphic design skills that are relevant to the job in your CV. Software skills in popular image-editing and page-layout software are among them. Use a text grid for your résumé even if you’re used to arranging page layouts without one. A grid will ensure that all of your page elements are aligned properly. Proper text alignment in your CV is often the first thing a potential employer looks for during the initial applicant screening process.
Unless the potential employer specifies otherwise, a Web graphic designer curriculum vitae is almost always submitted in electronic format. Your résumé should include links to examples of your best work that are already available online in this case. As a job seeker, this gives you the opportunity to demonstrate how well your color, graphics, and text choices render on the web. Publish your portfolio samples as Portable Document Format (PDF) files and send them along with your résumé for the employer to review if you haven’t already done so.
Your graphic designer curriculum vitae should logically consist of your printed résumé followed by your portfolio pages when applying for print-based work. All pages should be spotless, and they should be printed on the highest-quality paper you can afford. When it comes to print graphic design job applications, printer lines or streaks on pages will not do. The use of a bound book with protective sheet inserts demonstrates a high level of professionalism. Your potential employer looks for signs that you know how to make design decisions that look good in print before even reading the content of your graphic designer curriculum vitae.