Resume Designing

[sirenwater]

Hi,

I have been struggling with this issue for sometime. Having read books and artlcies about resume writing. The issue of designing a resume with graphics has been labeled a don't. I was always told by my professor that you should design it to catch the eye of the reader, but it should be readable. Looking at some examples of desgined resumes has made me scared to do the same. Do you feel that one should do this to set their resume apart form others? Or, go with the tradtional reseume, its safer that way?

Bye.  

[Chisa]

I think that for most other occupations, the plain resume is the safest route. But for designy type jobs... I'm sure they'd like to see a little personality and design skill in a resume?

When I was looking and asking around when I had to write my resume a few months ago, the general idea that I got was:

Don't:
- use hard to read or exotic fonts... for main text, designers seem to like to cling to Arial, Helvetica, and Verdana (or really similar fonts)
- use colours other than black for the main text, only for headings
- print on coloured paper
- overdo it with graphics (since thats what your portfolio is for in the end)
- write in every award you've won in your life - just stick to relevant details

Do:
- add some subtle graphic effects
- make sure that it doesn't look completely boring in the end, since you are a designer after all blaugh

I can't say that all these things are completely correct, but thats the general idea that I got. I've also found that the most important things that employers look at are your experience and work history, and your portfolio, even over your actual qualifications.

Hope that helps!  

[Raine Dragon]

some tips:

use subtle graphics, never anything too fat or too black because then it looks busy. .. don't ad too many little things either.

Don't use "cute" or "fun" things... imagine that some sour old guy is going to look at it..

Stick to gray scale. if you have to use color of any sort in your ink stick to deep crimson or navy blue.

use nice paper, but not pink... just nice quality white paper or maybe something with a VERY faint pattern to it, like marble or parchment, something you would see in an office building.

also, stick with one professional looking font, not a script one.

put things in order by date, and sub group stuff together so that it is simple for the reader to follow.

Always spell check! Have some one read it over too...

keep in mind that tried and true is offten a good way to go..

Lastly, think about what you know. Who is going to read this, is it the head artist or the vice president of a large company? one is going to look at how you designed it, the other is going to assume that you used a template in microsoft word like every other person who has ever sent him one. in the second case where little attention is paid to the work, then you should push the graphic side out of the way and focus on the info. make it nice looking in the end, but don't make that at all the main focuss..  

[Chisa]

Raine Dragon

Stick to gray scale. if you have to use color of any sort in your ink stick to deep crimson or navy blue.

Yeah, thats a good one - it might end up getting faxed to someone, or copied for filing, and some colours just don't go well into grayscale.

Fonts to avoid, if you're going for a design job and don't want the person reading it to cringe: scripty fonts, Times New Roman, and Comic Sans  

[jam-wired]

Colors are always okay as long as they aren't overdone. For example, my resume is black with neon green lines (but they're extremely fine lines and are only used to offset the text). The neon green wouldn't work if it was used in huge blocks of color. Don't limit yourself or you'll look like everyone else.

Colored paper is also okay as long as it works with the design. I agree that pink might not be the best color choice for paper, but if it works with your design, hey, use it. But there should be a reason you're using it.

Never, never, never use any of the standard type faces you see on the computer constantly (i.e. helvetic, times, arial, etc.). Designers see these type faces all the time, and if you use them it shows you are just using what everyone is used to seeing rather than thinking about why you are using it -- but also never, never, never use wakky type faces that Joe-Shmoe made. (I'm probably contradicting myself here because if you can explain graphically why you're using it, then use it.) A sans serif is usually best because it looks more modern (but again, if serif works, use it). Univers, Verdana, Optima are all nice type faces. Some designers use Gil Sans, but some tend to think it's over-used (it's often referred to jokingly). I would really suggest referring to The Elements of Typographic Style. Any of the sans serifs listed at the end of the book would look professional.

Mostly you want your resume to stand out (in a good way). Think about all elements you are adding. If you're sticking a logo you've made for yourself on your resume, realize that design firms may be looking critically not only at the design of your resume, but also the logo itself. Having a logo might not help.

Ask yourself the purpose of every element on the page. If you can't explain it, it probably shouldn't be there. To the question "why is this element on the page?" you should be able to answer with things like "because it offsets the type," "because it balances the elements on the bottom of the page," "because the two colors are complimentary and work well in relation to my portfolio." The answer should rarely be "because I like it."

This is what my teachers taught me when we designed our resume/business system last year. smile  

[jam-wired]

Chisa

Raine Dragon

Stick to gray scale. if you have to use color of any sort in your ink stick to deep crimson or navy blue.

Yeah, thats a good one - it might end up getting faxed to someone, or copied for filing, and some colours just don't go well into grayscale.

Fonts to avoid, if you're going for a design job and don't want the person reading it to cringe: scripty fonts, Times New Roman, and Comic Sans

I agree that thinking about what will happen to your resume once it's in the hands of a potential employer is a great idea, but I don't think designers should only design in grayscale because of it. Designers also need to think about how it will fold, how it will be opened, if it will be paper-clipped, stapled, if it will be put into a file cabinet, etc. Limiting ourselves because of what might happen may not make the best first impression.

I think what designers need to do is be aware of all the potentials. Design around them, not strictly for them. A designer may realize their resume will be photo copied even though they're using a bright color that will reproduce on a copier poorly, but they may be willing to sacrifice that for the original design and a good first impression. smile  

[Chisa]

Hrmmm definitely good points to think about, jam-wired ... *runs off to improve resume*  

[K. Ueno]

I took an entire class on the subject (required...) and when it comes to resumes they're straight-forward and simple. The concept behind them is that when going through a ton of these the person looking at them, statistically, only glances at them for 10-30 seconds max. In some cases machines actually scan the resume instead of a person-that's why you have to be simple and accurate. This list is what I learned, but from anything I've ever heard, it doesn't matter if the resume is for a design job or not- you keep it basic and only use info that pertains to the job you're applying for.

No graphics/images! - that's what your portfolio is for.

Grammar/punctuation/spelling - it has to be PERFECT (but, I'm sure you knew that ^.~)

Paper - white, cream (preferably) possibly a pastel color

Fonts - basic, your resume is not about showing off how well you can do page layout

Organization - there's about 3 ways to organize your info efficiently. whomever (or whatever) is reading your resume should be able to read it quickly

Color - you really shouldn't have a reason to use color on your resume. with faxing and whatnot, black ink on white paper is the way to go.

Pages - i've heard that if you can at all avoid it, don't use more than one page unless you absolutely can't.

In the end, what they should be basing it on is what programs you know, your other qualifications, and if you're lucky-your portfolio.  

[jam-wired]

Nyxx

This list is what I learned, but from anything I've ever heard, it doesn't matter if the resume is for a design job or not- you keep it basic and only use info that pertains to the job you're applying for.

...

In the end, what they should be basing it on is what programs you know, your other qualifications, and if you're lucky-your portfolio.

I agree that you don't want to take away the value of your portfolio. The one thing to keep in mind with creating a resume that blends in with other resumes is if you are mailing out resumes and don't yet have an interview set. If you send a resume that doesn't make an impact on an employer visually, when you call to set up an interview, they may not even remember you. Like Nyxx says, employers may only look at a resume for a few seconds, so give them something for them to remember. Yes, experience, education, etc. (content of the resume) is important, but -- at the same time -- graphic designers are designers because they can visually communicate. If your resume is not visually communicative, you may as well be applying for a job in engineering, or anthropology, or education, etc. Despite what is taught, there is a big difference between making a resume for a typical job and making a resume for a design job.

Years ago I actually got a funny look from a potential employer at a design firm once because I handed her a "basic-looking" resume (white paper, arial type face, etc). She made a funny face when she looked at it -- this all before she'd read it or fully knew my background. Potential employers should also look at your portfolio; if they aren't, you're not getting a design job, you're getting a production job (so, not a matter of luck, a matter of what type of company they are).

So, again, IMO, while knowledge and experience is key, first impressions can make a big difference. smile