Everything you need to know about writing a creative CV

The creative industry spans a wide range of roles, from designing clothes to developing film special effects to creating brand logos and a thousand other jobs. When it comes to applying for a new role, you need a creative CV that reflects your talent and stands out from the crowd. But what’s the best way to do that?

Join CV Shed for a run-down of the best – and worst – ways to prepare a creative CV.

Add links to your creative CV

If you have an online portfolio of your work, don’t forget to include a link in your contact details. That could be a link to your own website, IMDB, your blog, LinkedIn or anywhere else that your creative work is visible online. It’s a great way to promote your skill to potential employers, as it barely takes up any space on your CV and provides real-life examples of your capabilities.  

Don’t use internet CV templates

It’s really tempting to log on to Canva or Word to grab one of their ready-made CV templates. The problems with this are twofold. Firstly, as a creative professional, your CV needs to showcase your design skills and your originality. Recruiters have seen these templates a thousand times and they’re unlikely to reflect you – or the style of your work – accurately. The second problem is that they are very rarely ATS-compatible. Designed with visuals in mind rather than content, they are likely to introduce all sorts of errors when they’re scanned. Not the first impression you want to be making!

Content is king

While it can be tempting to focus on the layout and visual appeal of the CV, the content should be your priority. This is what will convince a hiring manager to progress your application, as it will highlight your experience, skills, qualifications and successes. There’s no point presenting a stunningly creative CV that’s immediately binned as the reader can’t see how you meet their needs. Add a generous helping of keywords and align the language with that used in the job advert. At every point in the CV creation process, you should be looking at the document from the perspective of the recruiter and asking “how does this convince them to progress my application?”.

Inject some personality

When you’re confident that you’ve got the content right, you’re in a position to get creative. The two main rules to remember, to keep your CV ATS-friendly, are that colour is fine, but graphics and images aren’t. You can play with the fonts, the spacing and the headers as much as you like, but ensure that the CV stays professional and is an easy read. A conventional layout will make the recruiters’ job simpler. This is your chance to get creative and make your mark – within limits.

Prepare two versions of your CV

OK so having to prepare two versions of your CV probably doesn’t have you doing a little happy dance, but it serves a purpose. The first version is the one that you’ll upload online or email to the HR department. This CV needs to be ATS compatible, just in case it’s scanned and searched, so the options for creativity here are limited. The second version, however, you can go to town on. This version really shows off your imagination and originality. The creative CV can be used when stepping into an interview or networking – basically whenever you can put your CV directly into the hands of a human.

Save as a suitable file type

As a creative, you probably use all kinds of design software, whether that be Adobe Creative Cloud, a bespoke in-house system or something else. Recruiters and HR departments don’t generally use that software. Ideally, your CV should be saved as a Word document – or a PDF at a push. A CV created using InDesign or any other industry-specific software is unlikely to get a first glance, let alone a second.

Get help with your creative CV

Don’t despair if developing the content for your creative CV is about as appealing as feeding your right arm to a rabid dog. Help is at hand! Simply choose your service and contact CV Shed - you’ll soon be the proud owner of a best-practice, ATS-friendly CV. You’ll not only save time and stress, you’ll also gain confidence in your job search and land your new job faster.