Land Your Dream Design Job: Insider Tips from a Design Agency CEO Who Reviewed 400 CVs Written by: Ben Lyon

I recently poured over 400 applicants for our senior creative designer role. It’s amazing to have so much interest in our growing design agency, but the whole process got me thinking about how designers can use their skills to better stand out, and ultimately make the recruiters job a little easier.

1. Design your CV

Seems like a no brainer, right? But it’s surprising to see how many bog standard CV templates we get, despite the creative nature of the job being applied for.  Invest significant time in creating yourself a well-designed CV that stands out and has a strong impact. Poorly designed CVs often lead to being overlooked for roles.

Don’t be afraid to bring some of your skills to life, but don’t make it all design and no substance of course – make sure you get all the juicy bits in there.

 2. Let us see your face!

So there’s debate on either side of this whether a photo (or even better – a video) should be included in a CV, due to the risk of potential biases. But for us, it helps us to provide a sense of who you are. Most companies won’t be able to sit down face to face with everyone who applies for a job, especially if there are over 400+ applicants,  but if you send a short video explaining who you are and your passion for the role, it really can be the difference between securing an interview or ending up in the digital bin.

3. A portfolio is a must

If you’re applying for a design job, then showcasing some of your work really is essential to give us a flavour of your skills. Don’t worry if your portfolio contains some work you’ve done in collaboration with a team, just add some bulleted points about what you contributed. But remember not to hide behind other creatives’ work, in this type of role,  it’s rare for references not to be followed up with.

4. Don’t make your cover letter an essay

The term less is more really applies here. You should think of your cover letter as a teaser to the full show that is your CV. Something brief and punchy, with impactful, memorable language is going to stand out more than something with lengthy explanations and 500+ words. Avoid the waffle, go for inspiring.

5. Go for quality over big brands

Use your CV to focus on showcasing beautiful work you’ve created, rather than just listing big brands you’ve worked for.

You could be an amazing designer, but have been trapped under a poor creative director or stuck working with uninspiring clients. For us, it’s all about the work you do and the style you output. Even if a junior applied for a senior role but showcased all the right attributes, or the work they showcased wasn’t live briefs, that would still work for us.

6. Make your own style known

If you’ve been doing work that doesn’t align with your preferred style due to agency or brand constraints, create and showcase your own briefs. Display the type of work you want to be known for, even if it means self-initiated projects.