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CV/resume help

design-is

design-is

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Oct 17, 2007
1,219
1
London / U.K.
Hi all

The time has come where I need to move on in my career, so I have updated my CV and would be very grateful if the friendly and knowledgeable members of MacRumors would pass comment and offer tips and/suggestions.



Thanks very much!

Doug
 
I can't say I'm a fan of the company logos sprinkled throughout. It makes it a bit too busy. No one is going to be particularly impressed by those logos unless you made them. Even then, they belong in a portfolio.

Secondly, and this may be because I'm a traditionalist - and it may also be different across the pond, but condense it to one page. Most hiring managers I know (myself included) will get sick of looking at it. If they can't get a good idea of your potential assets without having to turn the page or flip the paper over, then chances are you won't get the interview.
 
I agree with SwiftLives. Also, your layout is much too complicated. Most Microsoft Word résumé templates are too complicated, but yours is much more complicated. If you send your résumé to a large firm, then it will be scanned, OCRed, and archived with keywords. Complex layouts and multiple fonts play heck with the process.

Two columns and a sidebar? Reduce this to a single column with no side bar.

You have included a lot of useless information. "Exemplary customer service"? That's why you give references. The names of previous employer clients? Did you manage the account or did you fetch coffee. Just say what you did on the job. Ditch the names of the clients.

You share a birthday with Adolph Hitler--really. It is now recommended that you should not include your date of birth.

Ideally, your CV should be one page, but two pages are OK.
 
I agree with SwiftLives. There is a lot of stuff that you could eliminate to make this more concise. Specifically, I'd nix the Awards, Key Skills, and Additional Information sections. I would pare down the Education and Training section to just the bare minimum. No need to list the continuing education courses you took, in my opinion. Like he said, though, perhaps things are a bit different on that side of the Atlantic.
 
Huge gap at the top of page 2 needs closing

Interests include: Animals and Online Computer Games - would you want an employer to know that? Especially online computer games, you might just be whiling away the time at work playing WoW.
 
Ouch, harsh...

No, seriously, this is great. Some of these I knew I had to fix, other points I was oblivious to and are what makes me glad I posted!

All very helpful thank you :) - keep 'em coming :rolleyes:
 
Here's my advice. Keep a master resume that has all your experience, etc. in it. This can be pages long if necessary. Then when you apply for a specific job, create an edited version of your resume to submit with parts from the master that you think specifically address the needs of that job. Hope that helps.

P.S. When listing your responsibilities at each job, tweak it so that each line starts with a positive action word, like "succeeded", "streamlined", etc. That way these bullet points become accomplishments rather than responsibilities. Employers love to hear what you achieved rather than what you did.
 
Also - this might just be me, but do you really need to waste space putting "Curriculum Vitae"?? - people know it's a CV, it's hardly likely to be the a cafe menu is it?

You really could squash this into one page (maybe less :p;):eek::mad::p) but scrap the go faster stripes, use a smaller font, push the margins right out to the edges and think carefully about each word.
 
thejadedmonkey said:
I do like the black line running down the right hand side.
Click to expand...

I'm afraid you're incorrect.

CVs (even for designers) should be plain, simple, formal documents. A designer should be able to make a creative CV but still keep it formal and simple.
 
I'm in the UK. I've had my CV praised and recently successfully helped an Australian illustrator/designer write her first UK resumé.

For a start, in the UK the one page rule doesn't exist. Try to make it as concise as possible, but don't exclude things you think are important. What you choose to write is also a part of you.

I would get rid of the company logos. They're quite distracting and also confuse the eye as to what belongs were.

English grammar rule: only put full stops at the end of list items (bullet points) if they are full sentences (e.g. usually containing a verb!). I notice yours are generally lists of things. They don't require full stops. If you choose to keep them, make it consistent throughout.

Layout is up to you - you're a designer. Like someone else said, you should be able to keep it formal and show your flare at the same time.
 
Leave out software because it's an assumed thing, if you are a designer it stands to reason that you know Adobe products (and if not you shouldn't be a designer).

It looks very cramped, try spacing out to 3 pages, loose the sprinkles or logo (it doesn't look pro) and loose the 2 columns.

Look at Moon Group, they have one of the best company CVs I've seen in some time.
 
I'd ditch the serif font - it makes you look a little formal. As does including the middle initial in your name and your degree title afterwards.

Designers tend to pretty laid back and it's good to see a friendly CV.

Keep it to a single page and get some colour in there.

I like your initial paragraph, but maybe replace 'efficient' with creative (you're not a machine).

Phoenix Trading sounds like a factory. I'd replace it with 'Phoenix Design'. It doesn't matter that it's a fib.

I'd keep your software skills. They need to know the balance of your design / web skills.

Don't mention your recent briefs - your portfolio should do this job.

Rework Phoenix Trading. With respect, if you're going for creative jobs, a greetings card company sounds a little dull. Just call it Phoenix Creative as I've mentioned and don't give any details about what you did there.

To be honest, I'd also just keep your previous work history to a list. The CV is just a hook to get them to look at your website. It's through your work that they'll be judging you.

I notice your site isn't that functional yet. Your site needs to be very very simple with just your name, contact details and your portfolio. Don't differentiate between uni / work, just keep it as one.
People want to whiz through and make up their mind about you very quickly. Don't send out that CV until your website is sorted!

Design wise, do some research and gain some inspiration from other work out there.
 
AlexisV said:
Phoenix Trading sounds like a factory. I'd replace it with 'Phoenix Design'. It doesn't matter that it's a fib.

Rework Phoenix Trading. With respect, if you're going for creative jobs, a greetings card company sounds a little dull. Just call it Phoenix Creative as I've mentioned and don't give any details about what you did there.

To be honest...
Click to expand...

False information on a resume is never a good idea. If you get hired, it gives the employer grounds to fire you on the spot. A quick background check is easy to do and will point out the misinformation.
 
jerryrock said:
False information on a resume is never a good idea. If you get hired, it gives the employer grounds to fire you on the spot. A quick background check is easy to do and will point out the misinformation.
Click to expand...

Could not agree more. Telling a small fib, just so you look better on your resume is pretty much the most unprofessional thing you could do, aside from passing someone else's work off as your own.
 
design-is said:
Just out of interest, and not to dismiss the comments made already, but has anyone from the UK commented yet?
Click to expand...

UK based, former Production Manager here ... I've hired a lot of artworkers and designers, and seen a lot of CVs.

Two pages is fine, AFAIC, for length. More than two and you go straight in the bin.

I think enough people have already commented on the header/double column layout for your employment history/experience section, but just in case: too hard to read. Really, really, too hard to read.

Suggestions? Cut copy to make space. We're like moths to a flame for CVs with lots of white space. Pick a classic font, crank the leading right up, and your CV will ooze class.

If you're going for edgy or underground or -- God help me -- "street' then I have no useful advice since that was never in my brief for hiring ...

Cheers!

Jim
 
False information on a resume is never a good idea. If you get hired, it gives the employer grounds to fire you on the spot. A quick background check is easy to do and will point out the misinformation.
Click to expand...

Could not agree more. Telling a small fib, just so you look better on your resume is pretty much the most unprofessional thing you could do, aside from passing someone else's work off as your own.
Click to expand...

LOL. Listen to yourselves!

The winner of this year's The Apprentice was hired even though they found some very big fibs on his CV.

This industry is competitive. Changing 'Trading' to 'Creative' is the tiniest of tiny untruths!
 
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