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How to Format Your CV as a Graphic Designer (Tips From a Recruiter)

You’re a graphic designer, not a writer, right? So where do you start when it comes to preparing your CV? Get the inside scoop from new guest author—David Valks, Business Manager at become recruitment.

become is a global recruitment agency specialising in recruitment for the creative, digital, marketing and media industries. With expert teams in Sydney, Melbourne, London, Manchester and Hong Kong they pride ourselves on matching top talent with the leading creative, digital a media agencies around the world. In their latest podcast, they shared some helpful tips on writing a CV to get noticed and land your dream role.

Read on for a summary of the top tips, and be sure to listen to the full podcast episode!

What should you include on your design CV?

Make sure you detail important and relevant experience, don’t include that you were a waitress 10 years ago unless you can draw upon appropriate skills that you developed during this role. The same goes for hobbies and interests; the fact that you enjoy swimming says nothing about your skills or passion for graphic design.

Our advice is not to include a photo. Treading the line between expressing your personality and appearing professional means that it’s really hard to get this right, and with so much riding on your CV, it’s easier just to not include one. Plus, some people just don’t like it.

How long should should your design CV be?

Keep it to 1 or 2 pages, maximum. 3 pages is really pushing it and hiring managers will rarely read past 2 anyway.

Make every word count, don’t sacrifice space on your CV for your high school grades if you have something more important to say.

Should you include examples of your work?

Not demonstrating any design skills when applying for a graphic designer role is a sure-fire way to get your CV put in the bin. You should always include examples of creativity, whether this be in the form of images, stills or in the design of your CV itself.

If you are including past work, try to pick only a select few of your best pieces, remember this is your CV not your portfolio. If you prefer to show creativity in the design of your CV, we suggest not using a word processing program as their restrictions often stunt creativity.

Any finishing touches?

We can’t stress enough how important it is to proofread!

Not only should you be proofreading your CV yourself several times, but you should have other people read it too. It’s so easy to miss something that is glaringly obvious to a fresh set of eyes.

Click save as and select PDF.

Give this topic a good listening to…

Listen to our become podcast, guiding you from creating the perfect CV through the application process to interview preparation.

Browse all of become’s latest permanent and freelancer jobs, and if you can’t find what you are looking for, register and submit your CV with the team, so we can keep you updated with all our latest jobs.

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