Notes of a Résumé Writer – Critique Three - Graphic Design
Client Background
In my critique of Simone’s résumé, I noted several areas requiring immediate attention. Simone’s objective was to secure a permanent interior or graphic design position, leveraging her freelance engagements and educational pursuits to get her foot in the door. Her current résumé was not doing an effective job of showcasing her skills nor her vast design talents. Not only was the format lacking in appeal, but the content was sparse, inconsistently formatted, and unnecessarily aged her candidacy by going back to 1973.
Résumé Strategy
Through our consultation, I focused on gathering as much information as possible related to Simone’s previous engagements in the design field. We also discussed and refined the types of opportunities she wanted to pursue, so I could better identify the appropriate keywords and marketing messages that would attract the attention of the desired audience. It was also key to determine achievements for each role in order to showcase the value she could bring to an organization. In addition to incorporating a significant amount of content, the design was changed dramatically to present a more aesthetically pleasing image. However, perhaps the most exciting change was the incorporation of a detailed and eye-catching qualifications summary. This summary serves as the main piece of information we wanted a hiring manager to read during the screening process and included: a professional title to brand her candidacy, taglines which market her core competencies, a paragraph summary detailing highlights of her related experience, a core skills list which provided for additional keyword opportunities and further expansion of related competencies, and a snapshot portfolio presenting a preview of her artistic talents. The portfolio was created based on some of her most unique work that helped position her as a talented artist whether working on interiors or graphics. Simone had also presented salary requirements at the end of her original résumé, so I explained the impact this would have had on her search thus far and removed the reference from her new résumé. Lastly, experience was only presented back to 1993 so to avoid aging her candidacy, and focus was given to supporting information such as education, training, certifications, technical skills, and affiliations on page two of her résumé.
Client Comments
“Samantha captured every aspect of my career experiences to form the resume of my dreams. Excellent, impressive work and I would recommend her to anyone looking to change careers or just updating a current resume.”
Success Factors
Simone knew that she wanted to transition into an interior or graphic design role and was able to articulate her experiences in a way that allowed me to expand on her professional experience, achievements, and core skills. She was open to a creative format and knew that her résumé needed a dramatic transformation to get the attention of a hiring manager in a very competitive industry. She had also laid the foundation for a solid career transition by pursuing related education and maintaining current technical skills.
View Original Resume / View New Resume
- - - - - - - - - -
To send your question to Dear Sam for possible publication, please write to dearsam@dispatch.com.
If you would like Dear Sam’s résumé writing firm to write your résumé, please visit www.ladybug-design.com or call 614-570-3442 for more information.
Samantha is a Certified Professional Résumé Writer with a graduate degree in Marketing and Communication, and owner of Ladybug Design, a full-service résumé writing and interview coaching firm.
In my critique of Simone’s résumé, I noted several areas requiring immediate attention. Simone’s objective was to secure a permanent interior or graphic design position, leveraging her freelance engagements and educational pursuits to get her foot in the door. Her current résumé was not doing an effective job of showcasing her skills nor her vast design talents. Not only was the format lacking in appeal, but the content was sparse, inconsistently formatted, and unnecessarily aged her candidacy by going back to 1973.
Résumé Strategy
Through our consultation, I focused on gathering as much information as possible related to Simone’s previous engagements in the design field. We also discussed and refined the types of opportunities she wanted to pursue, so I could better identify the appropriate keywords and marketing messages that would attract the attention of the desired audience. It was also key to determine achievements for each role in order to showcase the value she could bring to an organization. In addition to incorporating a significant amount of content, the design was changed dramatically to present a more aesthetically pleasing image. However, perhaps the most exciting change was the incorporation of a detailed and eye-catching qualifications summary. This summary serves as the main piece of information we wanted a hiring manager to read during the screening process and included: a professional title to brand her candidacy, taglines which market her core competencies, a paragraph summary detailing highlights of her related experience, a core skills list which provided for additional keyword opportunities and further expansion of related competencies, and a snapshot portfolio presenting a preview of her artistic talents. The portfolio was created based on some of her most unique work that helped position her as a talented artist whether working on interiors or graphics. Simone had also presented salary requirements at the end of her original résumé, so I explained the impact this would have had on her search thus far and removed the reference from her new résumé. Lastly, experience was only presented back to 1993 so to avoid aging her candidacy, and focus was given to supporting information such as education, training, certifications, technical skills, and affiliations on page two of her résumé.
Client Comments
“Samantha captured every aspect of my career experiences to form the resume of my dreams. Excellent, impressive work and I would recommend her to anyone looking to change careers or just updating a current resume.”
Success Factors
Simone knew that she wanted to transition into an interior or graphic design role and was able to articulate her experiences in a way that allowed me to expand on her professional experience, achievements, and core skills. She was open to a creative format and knew that her résumé needed a dramatic transformation to get the attention of a hiring manager in a very competitive industry. She had also laid the foundation for a solid career transition by pursuing related education and maintaining current technical skills.
View Original Resume / View New Resume
- - - - - - - - - -
To send your question to Dear Sam for possible publication, please write to dearsam@dispatch.com.
If you would like Dear Sam’s résumé writing firm to write your résumé, please visit www.ladybug-design.com or call 614-570-3442 for more information.
Samantha is a Certified Professional Résumé Writer with a graduate degree in Marketing and Communication, and owner of Ladybug Design, a full-service résumé writing and interview coaching firm.
posted by Dear Sam at Monday, November 20, 2006
<< Home