Are curriculum vitae a thing of the past? Guest blogger Greg Coley, Creative Director of the integrated agency VGroup, gives an insider’s view on what freelance designers can do to get noticed.
Marketing yourself as a freelance designer
So you’re a budding young designer straight out of university, a middleweight, an established creative or a freelancer looking for work in an agency… what’s the first thing you need to do? Your CV, right?
Well, it seems these technologically advanced times we live in are having an impact on the humble CV and not a good one in my opinion. Being a well established agency we receive many CV’s and I’ve noticed that the general quality of them seems to be getting worse over the last couple of years. Since when has it been acceptable to apply for a design position with a CV thrown together in Times New Roman in Microsoft Word? Never to my mind!
Read on for six simple tips for your CV and portfolio…
CV’s and work samples are such a massive opportunity to impress potential employers, as the saying goes ‘you only get one opportunity to make a first impression’ and this is even more critical in the design industry. It’s a potential foot in the door, a step up the creative ladder, your CV is an extension of you and your portfolio, a way of showing your typographic and layout skills before a work sample has even been glanced at.
I can’t say technology is to blame for any of this as we do receive some fantastic CV’s from people but I think it has a part to play in maybe the ease at which a CV can be created and sent out without enough consideration.
I have nothing against digital CV’s at all. As we all know time is precious. But when our inboxes are inundated with hundreds of emails this method of delivery can sometimes go unnoticed or not attract the attention it deserves. These days if I receive an envelope or package it’s a given that I open it and it’s refreshing to receive something tactile and well thought through that creates an impact.
Six simple tips for your CV and portfolio:
Keep your introductory letter short and to the point.
Your CV should ideally be 1-2 pages and clearly laid out, keep the experimental fonts for the right projects.
Work samples in print format should be an extension of your portfolio, create an impact, show us what you’re made of.
Digital work samples ideally in PDF format, clearly laid out with brief descriptions of each project i.e.: who it was for and what the brief entailed.
Also it sounds simple but label your PDF with your name so it’s easy to find, ‘work_samples08? or ‘D:/documents/portfolio.pdf’ aren’t going to stand out when potential employers are sifting through their folders.
Online portfolios work well and are easily accessible, but again keep it simple and focus on your work.
At the end of the day if you are a good designer your skills will show through, but for what it’s worth I would advise anyone whether looking for your first job or your last to really take time to make sure your CV reflects the level of work you can produce, treat it like you would any other project and make it communicate on the right level, as you never know where it will take you.
Creating the right CV and portfolio is a tough task, and as you say, the fact that digital CVs can be sent out without much consideration does make it a lot harder for yours to be noticed. i may take advice and start sending out hard print copies to the agencies that are places that id really want to work for.
Malin Kilander Nov 6, 2008 at 5:12 pm
No matter what industry you’re in, a sloppy, not properly thought through CV reflects badly on yourself whether you have the professional skills or not. Typos, poor formatting, bad use of font etc are all issues that will most likely put an employer off without before even looking at what you can do!
I def think that sending a hard copy as well as an electronic copy owould improve your chances of your CV being reviewed.
Michael Rose Nov 7, 2008 at 7:15 am
I’d also suggest experimenting with different paper types. I used to send out on slightly thicker, textured paper – and I remember a very nice light blue paper that had a lovely watermark – I’d say use anything you can to stand out from the crowd.
I also heard of someone send tea-bags with their applications and a small note saying “Have a cup of tea and relax while you read my CV”.
If you can think of some creative way to get noticed, especially in the creative industries, then I’m sure you’ll find you’ll get a lot more interview offers.
Darren Fell Nov 8, 2008 at 5:24 pm
I’d be the first one to tell people to be creative, especially designers. You simply need to think about how everybody normally does something and try a very different approach.
Quite a few years ago I dj’ed at a large london hospital radio and one of the girls at another hospital radio station we knew achieved a real coup by getting a top radio jock position.
She recorded her demo tape and had it put in a big red heart balloon, with a middle clear section showing the tape. Clearly this was overkill but in the highly competitive world of radio DJ jobs in London, this landed her a job at capital radio!
By standing out her talent was noticed. Good luck!
Stuart Nov 11, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Designers should use their CV as an opportunity to showcase some beautiful typography layout skills.
Anyone who compiles their CV on MS Word will get put to the bottom of the pile and rightly so!
Bill Faust Nov 13, 2008 at 11:49 am
The Death of the CV?
My name is Bill Faust and like the guest blogger Greg Coley the Creative Director of VGroup I too have spent 20 years working marketing in the international advertising agencies like Bates and DMB&B etc being based in London, New York, Paris and Sydney.
In short is the CV dead?
The traditional reverse chronological CV I would suggest is being put to rest and that’s a good place for it.
Here’s why.
Lets just look at CV we all know and l— !
It is a snapshot of what you have done, some will think that is a good thing. No it is not, as all it does is show what you did and where you did it e.g. the past. A buyer like Greg needs to know how you will perform in the future.
It does not talk the language of the employer, as it is mistakenly written in nearly all cases from the candidate’s perspective not the buyer’s. A CV, well the whole recruitment process is a marketing strategy that needs careful, exacting planning and execution. It needs to be created from the buyer’s perspective or in this case Greg’s perspective.
It needs deciphering as it does not show how you think and it is your thinking that differentiates you from everyone else. For example every open ended interview question (which is 99% of them) is trying to find just that, how you tick. Therefore start to think about how to demonstrate this before you get to the interview if you don’t you may not make it to the interview.
Greg like many of us who recruit people have the problem of trying to work out why the work you have done previously will have any relevance to the work we / he and our companies / his agency are doing right now and in the future. So you need to understand the product you and understand the business of the company you are applying to.
A survey of 200 CVs to a search firm concluded:
1 in 3 were poor because of basic mistakes in grammar and spelling
4 out 10 had issues with structure and therefore understanding
25% were just too long at over 3 pages this puts undue pressure on a reader
34% of the CVs did not show what the person does or where they had done whatever it was they did! E.g. The CV failed to show what the candidate was offering
The right question to ask of yourself is how do I answer the employer’s crucial question. What do you offer us?
A few weeks ago I wrote a series of articles for Freelance Advisor based on ideas from my book “Pitch Yourself” that some of you may wish to refer to and find out how to do this. The article is called: Pitch Yourself into the Freelance Market
Name Oct 13, 2009 at 11:19 am
Sorry, but you should practice what you preach perhaps?
lunasman Nov 18, 2009 at 6:56 pm
If you want to know how I think, view my portfolio. The CV is not for letting people know how you think. It is the first part of what you've done. The CV and portfolio should work hand in hand but NEVER should they say the same thing. Let the employer know what you've done (CV) and then show/explain how you did it (portfolio).
A very interesting post, thank you, it's always helpful to know how we can increase our traffic via Twitter, and it's certainly a great application for candidates and recruiting employers alike to share their job information.
China wholesale May 21, 2010 at 2:40 am
Clearly this was overkill but in the highly competitive world of radio DJ jobs in London, this landed her a job at capital radio!
Making money with screencasting: Great guide for both screencast makers and owners. I’ve read your screencast handbook and really enjoy it Ian. Hope you can introduce... >>
Print This Post
Nov 6, 2008
at 11:32 am
Creating the right CV and portfolio is a tough task, and as you say, the fact that digital CVs can be sent out without much consideration does make it a lot harder for yours to be noticed. i may take advice and start sending out hard print copies to the agencies that are places that id really want to work for.
Nov 6, 2008
at 5:12 pm
No matter what industry you’re in, a sloppy, not properly thought through CV reflects badly on yourself whether you have the professional skills or not. Typos, poor formatting, bad use of font etc are all issues that will most likely put an employer off without before even looking at what you can do!
I def think that sending a hard copy as well as an electronic copy owould improve your chances of your CV being reviewed.
Nov 7, 2008
at 7:15 am
I’d also suggest experimenting with different paper types. I used to send out on slightly thicker, textured paper – and I remember a very nice light blue paper that had a lovely watermark – I’d say use anything you can to stand out from the crowd.
I also heard of someone send tea-bags with their applications and a small note saying “Have a cup of tea and relax while you read my CV”.
If you can think of some creative way to get noticed, especially in the creative industries, then I’m sure you’ll find you’ll get a lot more interview offers.
Nov 8, 2008
at 5:24 pm
I’d be the first one to tell people to be creative, especially designers. You simply need to think about how everybody normally does something and try a very different approach.
Quite a few years ago I dj’ed at a large london hospital radio and one of the girls at another hospital radio station we knew achieved a real coup by getting a top radio jock position.
She recorded her demo tape and had it put in a big red heart balloon, with a middle clear section showing the tape. Clearly this was overkill but in the highly competitive world of radio DJ jobs in London, this landed her a job at capital radio!
By standing out her talent was noticed. Good luck!
Nov 11, 2008
at 2:28 pm
Designers should use their CV as an opportunity to showcase some beautiful typography layout skills.
Anyone who compiles their CV on MS Word will get put to the bottom of the pile and rightly so!
Nov 13, 2008
at 11:49 am
The Death of the CV?
My name is Bill Faust and like the guest blogger Greg Coley the Creative Director of VGroup I too have spent 20 years working marketing in the international advertising agencies like Bates and DMB&B etc being based in London, New York, Paris and Sydney.
In short is the CV dead?
The traditional reverse chronological CV I would suggest is being put to rest and that’s a good place for it.
Here’s why.
Lets just look at CV we all know and l— !
It is a snapshot of what you have done, some will think that is a good thing. No it is not, as all it does is show what you did and where you did it e.g. the past. A buyer like Greg needs to know how you will perform in the future.
It does not talk the language of the employer, as it is mistakenly written in nearly all cases from the candidate’s perspective not the buyer’s. A CV, well the whole recruitment process is a marketing strategy that needs careful, exacting planning and execution. It needs to be created from the buyer’s perspective or in this case Greg’s perspective.
It needs deciphering as it does not show how you think and it is your thinking that differentiates you from everyone else. For example every open ended interview question (which is 99% of them) is trying to find just that, how you tick. Therefore start to think about how to demonstrate this before you get to the interview if you don’t you may not make it to the interview.
Greg like many of us who recruit people have the problem of trying to work out why the work you have done previously will have any relevance to the work we / he and our companies / his agency are doing right now and in the future. So you need to understand the product you and understand the business of the company you are applying to.
A survey of 200 CVs to a search firm concluded:
1 in 3 were poor because of basic mistakes in grammar and spelling
4 out 10 had issues with structure and therefore understanding
25% were just too long at over 3 pages this puts undue pressure on a reader
34% of the CVs did not show what the person does or where they had done whatever it was they did! E.g. The CV failed to show what the candidate was offering
The right question to ask of yourself is how do I answer the employer’s crucial question. What do you offer us?
A few weeks ago I wrote a series of articles for Freelance Advisor based on ideas from my book “Pitch Yourself” that some of you may wish to refer to and find out how to do this. The article is called: Pitch Yourself into the Freelance Market
Oct 13, 2009
at 11:19 am
Sorry, but you should practice what you preach perhaps?
Nov 18, 2009
at 6:56 pm
If you want to know how I think, view my portfolio. The CV is not for letting people know how you think. It is the first part of what you've done. The CV and portfolio should work hand in hand but NEVER should they say the same thing. Let the employer know what you've done (CV) and then show/explain how you did it (portfolio).
Apr 24, 2010
at 3:45 am
Replacement Dell Inspiron 6000 Laptop Battery UK , 11.1V,6 cell (4400mah), 9 cell (6600mah), 12 cell (7200mah),cheap Laptop Battery for sales
Apr 30, 2010
at 6:40 pm
A very interesting post, thank you, it's always helpful to know how we can increase our traffic via Twitter, and it's certainly a great application for candidates and recruiting employers alike to share their job information.
May 21, 2010
at 2:40 am
Clearly this was overkill but in the highly competitive world of radio DJ jobs in London, this landed her a job at capital radio!