5 Resume Design Tips for Creative Professionals	1.0/5.0 (1 votes total) Rate: Select 1 - Terrible 2 - Poor 3 - Average 4 - Good 5 - Outstanding
April 20, 2018

Almost every job post gets bombarded with many resumes for just one position. If you are going to stand out from the crowd, your resume should be up to the task. For any creative, including developers and designers, use the resume as an opportunity to show off your professional skills rather than just tell someone about them. While you don’t want to stray too far away from normalcy, there are many ways to ensure that your resume communicates your creative side. In this post, we will cover effective resume design tips for creatives just like you.

Think of Yourself Like A Brand

Develop your resume as you would create a brand identity. You can use a common color scheme, image or font to create an overall look that will help you stand out. This “feeling” that your resume gives off should resonate with your personal brand identity. The key is to communicate that feeling through the digital media on the page, using colors and backgrounds. If you take the time to design your resume as if it were your own personal brand, then someone who sees it will most likely remember the feeling they associated with your resume more than the words on the page.

Format Your Resume Design Cleanly

Secondly, a pro resume design includes a clean and modern format. Sometimes, creatives have so many projects and experiences they want to include. In an effort to showcase their entire career of work on one page, the resume formatting looks cluttered and unwelcoming. Rather, you can try using a resume builder to create the perfect design. Moreover, it will showcase all the UX or formatting skills you have honed over the years at all of those jobs. Introduce a decent amount of white space to your resume. It will make your information easier to read and more engaging too.

Introduce Resume Graphics

Especially for designers, creatives can include graphics directly on their resume. You can introduce subtle graphics like a keyword map or statistic bar graph. Or, you can simply add in some quality icons to add some pop to your resume. As you know, images will cause the reader to spend more time on your resume and increase your chances of getting an interview. Depending on the type of position you are applying for, resume graphics should be used accordingly. While some companies may welcome the creativity, you don’t want to assume too much about what the company wants.  

Make Your Bullet Points Sell

The bullet points on your resume could make all the difference between getting a callback and not hearing anything. The overall UX design of the bullet points should be clear and easy to read, adding emphasis to your experience. In web design, bullet points matter to sell products, sign-ups or ideas. In your resume design, the bullets serve the same purpose to sell who you are as a professional. While someone scans your resume, make sure the bullet points stick out and really sell the most important aspects of your experience. If they are relevant to the position, the bullet point design will help your resume get noticed.

Create A Prominent Contact Section

Your resume design should include easy to find contact information. Your email, phone number and social profiles need to jump out to the reader. This way, if they are inclined to get in touch with you, all the required information is right there. If possible, use hyperlinks in PDF format resumes which could make contacting you even more streamlined. For example, you can link directly to your email address, phone number or LinkedIn profile. Whether the person reviewing your resume is on their phone, tablet or desktop, they will have no problem getting in touch with you. Certainly, this is a key design tip for creatives hoping to get more interviews. 

As a creative, your resume is an opportunity to utilize your skill set. You can start simply by treating yourself as the brand. Then, you should format the resume so that it looks clean and modern. Consider adding some graphics to make your resume really stand out. Finally, make sure that your bullet points and contact information are designed so that they stand out as well. If you can follow these steps, your resume should be unique to your personal brand. Remember to implement these resume design tips to help get more interviews and find the best job for you.