Career Advice: How to make your resume stand out

Your resume is just as important as your portfolio contents. It’s often your first communication with a potential employer, even as a designer—and you only get one chance for a great first impression.

I have reviewed the resumes of many amazing designers in my 25+ years in the industry. And unfortunately I haven’t been able to hire all of they (and in some cases not even interview them) but that doesn’t mean they weren’t great candidates. Sometimes they were just not right for the role. Sometimes they had too much or too little experience (HONESTLY though, that really isn’t a dealbreaker for me). But sometimes they just made me work too hard to find out about them. That may sound lazy, but, when you have 500+ applicants for a job, time is important. Based on my experiences, I wanted to share some tips that will help you break through the clutter and get the attention of the employers you're hoping will hire you.

Keep it simple. But make it relevant.

You don’t need to jam your resume with too much information to showcase your value. Don’t just fill the page for the sake of filling the page. Remember that this is a career, not a summer job. You don’t need to include working at a car wash for the summer when you were 16 or list every project you've done in your last 10 years as a designer. (I once received a 10-page resume of projects, that I frankly didn’t read.) Stay relevant for the position you are applying for. Tailor your resume to the job that you want. Definitely include skills and side projects and even your passions where the focus is on design. Just don’t over do it.

Include a portfolio link and make it clickable.

Make it very easy for hiring managers to see your work. If they have to copy/paste your URL or google search you to find your Behance page, there is a higher chance that they might “come back to you later”. It doesn’t have to be a flashy button; a hyperlink embedded in your resume will do. And while you’re at it, it’s a good idea to make any highlight links and resume links active as well (Instagram, Behance, LinkedIn, email, etc.). The easier and faster it is for hiring managers to understand who you are and see your talent, the higher chance you'll score an interview.

Your best work should be front and centre.

When it comes to your portfolio, if you have five solid pieces that speak to your range of talent, put those first. If you only have 3? Make them engaging and flush out your process. Don’t feel the need to include everything you've ever done. Your best pieces will lose their lustre if you include too many weaker projects. Curate yourself. If you have a ton of great work, focus on the projects that best align with each job you are applying for. Align the medium or industry sector to the employer to help you be a stand-out. 

You are the product. Make them want to buy you.

Ok, that sounds wrong, but you get the idea. Design is about communication. They want you to communicate clearly about who you are as a designer. Consider your tone in all of your messages. (Do you really talk like that?) Don’t be afraid to speak in your own voice. Don’t talk like a machine or how your mother talks. Be professional, but be yourself. Think in terms of branding yourself. Who are you as a brand? Are you a Coca-Cola or Apple? Are you techy, nerdy, fun, laid back, energetic, a leader? You can still be professional with some personalty. Think about how your favourite brand talks to its consumers and how it stands out to you. Make yourself stand out the same way.

Consider type choice.

Just like how any advertising can attract a viewer before we even know what the words say, so can your resume. I can sometimes almost select (or eliminate) a candidate just by the type and weight of font they chose for their resume. Also, please watch your formatting. Make the copy a piece of art, as it’s part of your skill set. Use clear hierarchy of information, lead the viewer about how you want them to read the information. Watch line lengths. If a line is too long, the eye gets tired. Watch for widows and orphans. Study the white space on the page. Is there a place for the eye to rest? Remember to consider what your resume looks like, not just what it says.

Consider legibility and accessibility.

The RGD is an amazing resource for this, if you want to dive deeper onto the subject of accessible design, but it’s a really important objective. (And you would be surprised how many resumes don’t.) Font size, font colour, background colour. It’s all important. If it’s easy to read, the higher the chance it will be read. If you have white text on a yellow background, you are headed in the wrong direction. Create a visual hierarchy. Separate sections of importance to lead the viewer through a story about you.

Consider colour.

You should definitely make your resume personal but also remember to think about your target audience. You might love pink and fancy script fonts, but is this going to land you that job in an agency that specializes in technology or automotive clients? Will dark black and red with bold angular fonts get you an interview with the company that sells  cosmetics? Colour is psychological, so chose wisely.Stay as neutral as possible but add  dramatic colour and font design choices for smaller elements to show your personality. 

Never supply anything in an editable format.

I cringe when I receive a design resume as a Word doc and it happens more often than I’d like to admit. A PDF format is the standard, but really anything where you can control your fonts, style, layout and overall look is fine. Treat your resume like you would your designs. Would you design a solution for a client in Word? If not, then why would you use it for the most important tool in your job-hunting toolkit? If, for some reason, you are compelled to make your resume as a Word doc, save it as a PDF before you send it. Otherwise, your open-rate will decline significantly.

Jack of all trades or master of one.

Most designers have multiple talents, and a great designer will have a diverse range of skills. Before deciding which of your skills to include, focus first on what you WANT to do. So many designers, especially at the start of their careers, just want to land any job so badly that they forget to focus on what they actually want to do in their career. It is possible to get stuck in a rut because you end up doing the thing you have experience doing. If this has happens to you, freelance and side projects can offer a lifeline to focus on those jobs you want to get. Otherwise, focus on what you are BEST at. This goes for everyone, but more specifically for those with a few years experience. Either way, be mindful of what the job is asking for. If you are great at a few things, and the job is asking for one of those, list it first. You need to show the hiring manager you’re ticking their boxes.

Make it all match.

Just like all brands. Consider consistency throughout all touch points of your job searching toolkit from your website, to your resume and even your email signature. Small touches, with consistency in font choice, leading colours, etc., will give employers the feeling that you are a designer worth investing in.

Review it from the employers' perspective.

Don’t send anything out in a rush. When you are complete, and happy with how you are presenting yourself to a new employer, sit on it for at least 24 hours. Then look at it fresh from their perspective. Show it to others, get opinions. Art direct it as if another designer created it. And for the love of all design, please proofread.

It is not the end of the world if you don't get the job.

I think it’s important to remind everyone, that even if you are a multi-talented designer, senior or junior, not every job is meant for you. Design is such a diverse industry. Some jobs just won't be the one. There will be other jobs, even other perfect jobs. 

And, if you’re not RGD-Certified yet, now would be my strong endorsement for going through the Certification Process. It's a great excuse to create three detailed case studies of your work (required as part of the application), practice articulating your process as part of your presentation and get feedback as part of the results. Then, once you are a Certified RGD, the RGD can help you build your network, raise your profile, increase your credibility and provide access to a range of other benefits!