For some industries and job roles, a creative CV can be a great way to stand out from the crowd. Creative CVs follow a lot of the same principles as traditional CVs, but also allow you to showcase your creativity and design skills to potential employers.
This article will cover:
- Common industries for creative CVs
- Ways to make your CV more creative
- Top tips and advice for making a creative CV
For advice on writing a traditional CV, please see our article ‘How to write a CV’.
1. Common industries for creative CVs
Creative CVs are commonly used for job roles in fields related to art, design and the media, such as:
- Animation
- Architecture and interior design
- Fashion design
- Film and visual effects (VFX)
- Games design
- Graphic design
- Illustration
- Marketing
- Photography
- User experience (UX) design
- Web design
Although creative CVs are most likely to be used in the job fields mentioned above, there may be some job roles or sectors where certain creative elements could be acceptable on your CV. This could be use of different fonts, or subtle use of colour or a design. You will need to gauge when use of such elements is appropriate, but try to make sure these are used sparingly for a CV that is not for a role in a creative industry.
2. Ways to make your CV more creative
There are several approaches that you could take to make your CV more creative. Depending on the job role and the sector, you might choose one or two elements from the below, or a combination of a few!
Use of different fonts and colours
Using different fonts or typefaces throughout your CV is a fairly simple way to insert some creativity; for example, an interesting font choice used for headings will make the sections on your CV stand out. Any font you use for the main content of your CV should be easy and clear to read. You could also experiment with various colours for headings, borders or backgrounds – try to use complementary colours and make sure the text is still easy to decipher.
Design and layouts
Creative CVs give you freedom to experiment with various designs and layouts to present your information in an aesthetically pleasing way. Instead of the ‘one column’ format that is found on traditional CVs, you could test out different layouts such as ‘multi columns’ or charts. You can find many online resources to help you design your creative CV, such as:
To use the resources above, you will need to create an account, and be aware that there might be a slight cost in order to access some of the features of these tools.
Infographics
Infographics are graphic representations of information or data, such as icons, charts or graphs. They can work well in creative CVs as they are visually impactful and will grab the attention of the reader. For example, you could consider using icons to visually represent your skills (e.g. an icon of a computer to highlight IT skills), or perhaps a chart or flow diagram to represent the process of a project you did at university. Try to avoid infographics that give ‘ratings’ of your skills, as these ratings do not mean anything to employers, and you could undermine yourself and your skillset in the process.
Examples of your work
A creative CV is a great opportunity to show employers examples of your work. A few curated and carefully placed images will allow you to highlight your creativity and design skills, and show the employer what you are capable of!
Different formats
You could consider alternative formats such as a brochure, video or website to really make your creative CV attract attention. Before committing to an alternative format, consider if you are confident in your CV writing skills to be able to showcase yourself in a less traditional way. If you do decide to try a different format, undertake some research into different hosting platforms to find out what works for you best, and be aware that some may have a cost involved. When you have made your alternative format CV, make sure any weblinks you give to employers work otherwise they will not be able to view it.
3. Top tips and advice
Content is key
It is really important to remember that the content of your creative CV is crucial, as employers still want to see evidence of the skills, knowledge and experience that you could bring to the role. Before incorporating any design elements, ensure your CV has all the information that is needed to highlight your skills and experience effectively.
Ensure it is clear and easy to read
The design of your creative CV should enhance and complement your CV’s content, and still make it easy for employers to get all the information they need about you. Try not to overdo any aesthetic elements so that it becomes difficult for someone to read the content.
Tailor and target your CV
As with every CV, it is vital that you tailor your creative CV to the job vacancy and employer, by focusing on your most relevant skills and experience. With creative CVs, as well as targeting the content, you can also tailor the design elements to a certain company. For example, you could align your CV’s colour scheme to the colours of a specific brand, or highlight your work that is most like the artistic style of the company.
Link to portfolio/website
If you have one, it’s a good idea to provide a weblink or QR code to your online design portfolio or website on your creative CV. This means that employers can easily see further examples of your projects and find out more about you and your creative process.
Check, check and check again!
Proof read your CV before you send it out to employers to make sure there are no spelling or grammatical errors, and that all your information is correct. You could ask someone else to check your CV for you to make sure the creative elements look good to a reader too.
Now you have found out all you need to know about making a creative CV, the next step will be writing a cover letter to explain in further detail why you are the best person for the job! Read our advice on how to write a cover letter.
This article was written by Amy Evan-Cook.
Last updated on 28 May 2024
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