Graphic Designer Resume Examples And Tips
The average resume reviewer spends between 5 to 7 seconds looking at a single resume, which leaves the average job applicant with roughly six seconds to make a killer first impression. Thanks to this, a single typo or error on your resume can disqualify you right out of the gate.
At Zippia, we went through over 120,919 Graphic Designer resumes and compiled some information about how best to optimize them. Here are some suggestions based on what we found, divided by the individual sections of the resume itself.
See More Example Resumes
Five Key Resume Tips For Landing a Graphic Designer Job:
1.
Relevant Experience
Make sure that the jobs, experience, and accolades that you do include are relevant to the position you’re applying for.
2.
The Right Skills
This is a great time to run wild with those keywords found in the job description. If they’re looking for someone with Adobe Photoshop, be sure to list it as a skill.
3.
Quantifiable Achievements
Achievements and awards relevant to the position speak louder than a high GPA, especially if you can quantify your achievement with a number.
4.
Your Unique Qualities
Recruiters and hiring managers are looking at hundreds of resumes. Let yours stand out, and try not to sound too boring.
5.
Strong Content
If you’ve had a lot of jobs, this shouldn’t necessarily be a list of all of them. This is a document designed to market you to a potential employer, so choose the strongest content.
How To Write a Graphic Designer Resume
1
Contact Information
Do you wont to know more?
How To Write The Perfect Resume HeaderName
First things first — employers only spend about six seconds looking at resumes before they decide to keep them or throw them away, so you should definitely let them know whose it is.
Address
Commute and relocation are things that employers take into consideration when sifting through candidates, so provide your current address in your resume header so that employers have an idea of where you are in relation to their office.
LinkedIn Profile
If you feel that a link to your social media profile could further your standing as a candidate, go ahead and include it. This doesn’t mean you should throw in a link to your hilarious Twitter profile, but instead provide your LinkedIn profile.
2
Professional Summary (Objective)
Are you a recent grad?
Read our guide on how to write a resume summary statementCareer objective statements are one of the most overlooked pieces of otherwise stellar resumes. It’s not that every Graphic Designer CV out there needs one — it’s just that the ones that really do need them typically never think to include them.
The goal of this section is simple: to summarize the resume in a few short sentences. Through your resume summary you enable employers to quickly learn whether you are a good match for the job. Here are a few things to keep in mind when writing a professional summary:
Keep it short: it should be 4 sentences max
Highlight your most impressive skills or achievements
3
Skills
Not sure which skills are really important?
3 Big Tips For Listing Skills On Your ResumeMake sure to only include your hard skills on your resume. In addition,
include the most in-demand graphic designer skills. Below we have listed the top skills for a graphic designer :
The more keywords your resume can “match,” the more likely it is that your resume will be selected for review by human eyes.
Top Skills for a Graphic Designer
Source: Zippia.com
Adobe Photoshop, 16%
Company Website, 13%
Company Logos, 11%
Brochures, 6%
Graphic Design, 5%
Sample Layouts, 5%
Other Skills, 43%
See All Graphic Designer Skills
Here are a few key points of to keep in mind while writing your skills section:
Include between 6 to 12 skills
Make sure to only include hard skills
Highlight your most impressive skills or achievements
4
Experience
Don't have any experience?
How To Show Your Experience On a Resume... Even When You Don't Have AnyWe compared 120,919 resume examples and job offers and found that the average
experience required for a graphic designer job required by employers is 2.0 years.
How much work experience do employers want to see?
The average graphic designer job listing asks for 2.0 years of work experience.
How much work experience does the average graphic designer candidate have?
The average graphic designer resume contains 2.0 years of work experience.
Write your work experience section in a way that embraces your graphic designer skills.
Sounds easier said than done? Take a look at how other people have done it. Below are real
examples from graphic designer resumes that people have included in their work experience
section to demonstrate their knowledge of key skills:
Candidate Info
6
Years In Workforce2
Years As a Graphic Designer
- Designed and created illustrations, briefings, brochures, and displays for the command section of the Joint National Test Facility.
- Compiled results of feedback sessions in response to new online resource website design.
- Created and invented new packaging ideas and samples using various computer software programs including Auto-CAD, Score and Adobe Illustrator.
- Team size: 8 Environment: Ab-Initio GDE -1.15 Co-op 2.15, UNIX, Windows, Oracle 9i
- Created numerous posters and propaganda flyers to help warn Iraq citizens about terrorist activity with the help of Adobe CS3.
Candidate Info
4
Years In Workforce2
Years As a Graphic Designer- Create IAs, wireframes, Photoshop mockups and actively hand-code XHTML, CSS and JavaScript to produce functional UI content models.
- Design and maintenance of the HTML version of www.stayorgodoyouknow.com.
- Create graphics for t-shirts, skateboard wheels and inline wheels.
- Created email and print newsletters.
- Implemented various Validation Controls for form validation and implemented custom validation controls withJavaScript and jQuery.
Candidate Info
8
Years In Workforce5
Years As a Graphic Designer- Coordinate monthly promotions for salon with Outlook mail merges and Facebook.
- Created HTML, CSS, Java Script and PHP based websites.
- character development, conceptual art for Marvel Entertainment, DC Comics, Malibu Entertainment and the NYC Police Dept.
- Budgeted and implemented cost-saving multimedia localization projects for clients including Microsoft, GE, Bose and Disney.
- Use computer software to stream a live broadcast to internet audience of 10,000+ viewers.
Candidate Info
5
Years In Workforce2
Years As a Graphic Designer- Used Adobe In-Design/Photoshop to create brochures for products to be used at farm shows.
- Designed and developed commercial websites on a contract basis using XHTML, PHP, MySQL, CSS, JavaScript and Photoshop.
- Determined Web and SQL server requirements, procured hardware and software.
- Involved in extensive HTML5 coding.
- Design Layout for In-House Database HTML, CSS (update site) Code and Design Email Blast
5
Education
As a graphic designer, you may be curious how your education stacks up against other applicants.
As long as you have a bachelor's degree, you're in the majority.
Our research showed that most Graphic Designers have a 4-year degree as the highest education level.
Overwhelmingly, those applying to graphic designer positions majored in Graphic Design. Some of the other common majors that
appear on graphic designer resumes include Fine Arts, Design And Visual Communication, and Computer Applications.
Majors
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As shown above, the Education section can be very brief. However make sure to include the following:
The name of the school you attended
The year you attended
Your major
Your GPA
The level of education you attained
Graphic Designer Salary
Did your resume land you an interview? Be prepared to talk salary.
How To Answer "What Are Your Salary Requirements"When you are ready to send your resume to employers, it's important to be aware of the current market conditions for Graphic Designers. Salary can vary based on factors such as location, company, and industry. Check out our detailed salary information for Graphic Designers to learn more.
Average Employee Salary
$48,000
$31,000
Min 10%
$48,000
Median 50%
$72,000
Max 90%