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Resume Advice?

P

Philalbe

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 11, 2010
255
0
Greater Boston Area
Hi,

I'm a freelance designer. I have a couple of repeat clients, but I'm still not making enough to quit the "day job"; which is currently the family construction business.

I'm thinking of bringing a resume to some local design places, to see if I can find a steady full or part time position. I've already made up some resumes. Some are simple word docs (all text) and others are more colorful and contain some images of my work. I was wondering what is more appropriate for a designer? You would think potential employers would appreciate a resume that shows off your artistic ability, but on the other hand perhaps a simpler more traditional resume is more professional?

Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance,

Sincerely,

Phil
 
I think a resume with a simple but thoughtful design is best here; pleasant to look at and easy to read.

I don't know about putting images of you work on your resume. Your portfolio should be a separate thing.
 
ppc_michael said:
I think a resume with a simple but thoughtful design is best here; pleasant to look at and easy to read.

I don't know about putting images of you work on your resume. Your portfolio should be a separate thing.
Click to expand...


Hi,

Thank you for the quick response. I think you're probably right...maybe I should keep it simple and just go with a tasteful well formatted text layout :)
 
I use resumes to evaluate the typographic skill and sensitivity of a potential employee... it also shows how they evaluate and structure content and place that content in a clear hierarchy.

So, keep it simple, but have it reflect your design and communication sensibilities.

I would keep images of your work off the resume. You can create an addendum set of portfolio pages that can be handed to someone with the resume (or downloaded as a PDF) but keep them separate.

Also, if you haven't already, get your work up online. If you don't do web development use a site like behance, coroflot or cargo collective. In my studio we only look at resumes after we have seen samples of work online.

Also (noticing you are in Boston) a note about timing. In about two weeks the city will be flooded with about 150 (probably more) recent design school graduates looking for entry-level positions, so be aware that the studios will be swamped with resumes, if they are not already!
 
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I agree with what others have said. Keep it simple, and well designed.

Pay great attention to typography, and look at every single word and make sure it is grammatically correct and spelled correctly. Include your logo as well.

Oh, and one more thing. When you go in for an interview know the names of the fonts that you used on your resume, and be ready to explain why you chose them.

Bring your portfolio to show off your design skills, and think about creating a leave behind piece.
 
Design it nicely with great typography.

I have a link on Behance of mine...it is a little older though, I need to update some lines.
 
How about creating a book of your work with a resume in the end?

At my current job, during my interview, I had to meet with 6 directors of the museum. What I did was create a six 10-page 8"x8" book with samples of my work, and at the end, a resume page with a pocket for my business card. I gave each one of them a book during my interview, which complimented well when I did my interview.

Should I ever decide to look for other opportunities, I would like to expand that book and shuffle them around design agencies all over the country to see what I can find.

Another thing I would do, if you're in the route of just acquiring freelance projects, is create a postcard to mail to businesses to see if that would generate business for you. I know, it's soliciting, and some frown upon them, but it's how people get started and sometimes, they work.

Hope that helps :)



Philalbe said:
Hi,

I'm a freelance designer. I have a couple of repeat clients, but I'm still not making enough to quit the "day job"; which is currently the family construction business.

I'm thinking of bringing a resume to some local design places, to see if I can find a steady full or part time position. I've already made up some resumes. Some are simple word docs (all text) and others are more colorful and contain some images of my work. I was wondering what is more appropriate for a designer? You would think potential employers would appreciate a resume that shows off your artistic ability, but on the other hand perhaps a simpler more traditional resume is more professional?

Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance,

Sincerely,

Phil
Click to expand...
 
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