Creative jobs call for creative resumes

A recruiter spends an average of six seconds reviewing a resume – this is only the length of a Vine video. Thus, it is important that NCC students find different ways to make their resumes stand out from the rest, particularly if they are going into a creative field.

“The portfolio is the most important aspect of the application. You should only put your best work, even if it is not much. Coming right out of school, it is good to show a variety of styles to show that you are adaptable,” says Professor Hale Ekinci, Assistant Professor of Art and Media Studies.

Not only do you have to ensure that what you put into your resume convinces a potential employer that you are the best candidate for the job, you also need to create a resume that showcases your skills, but demonstrates that you are not afraid to break boundaries, and try out new ideas.

“The key is to develop a resume that is representative of you, but yet utilizing a design that does not distract from your experience,” says Danielle Bank, Career Counselor.

Although design is a key factor, it is equally important to avoid falling into the “flash over substance” trap when writing your creative resume.

Bank says that she started out with a resume that was outside the box. She recalls, “I had a resume that was on light blue paper. And one of the tips I was given is that, you want your individuality to show through, but not at the expense of your content.”

She encourages students to use Elle Woods as an example from “Legally Blonde” and avoid using pink- scented paper to display their resumes.

In terms of the best platforms to utilize, Ekinci says, “Behance.net is the best platform to showcase your portfolio and resume.” While aiga.org, coroflot.com and creativehotlist.com are also great alternatives.

It is a competitive market we hunt jobs in and sorry to say, resumes created in Microsoft Word are just not as influential as they used to be. These days, particularly if you are creative, you need an outstanding resume to make an impression on potential employers.

Like mentioned, Ekinci recommends Behance.net, a network of sites and services, owned by Adobe, which specializes in self-promotion, including consulting and online portfolio sites.

While creating their resumes, students should keep in mind that “It should stand out visually from others and have a sense of design in terms of layout, visual hierarchy, typography and branding. It is a piece of design work itself, so in a way, it is your first work sample you send to the company,” says Ekinci.

However, Ekinci warns students not to go overboard in terms of visual elements and to “be safe and focus on good layout as well as readability. Avoid using visual symbols for skill levels. Don’t put personal information such as things you love to do, instead focus on experiences, skills, activities and honors.”

“Resumes should be customized to the position you are seeking. Make sure that you are targeting the position. Employers are looking for what they want to see in their ideal candidate. So you should lead with what would be most important to the employer and you should base that off of the job description,” says Bank.

Professor Ekinci agrees, saying, “know your audience. Research the company that you’re applying for, look at the kind of work they create to see if you’re a match and adapt your resume as well as portfolio to their needs.”

Both professionals agree that networking is extremely important and encourage students to create an LinkedIn profile.

“The more you network, the better off your going to be in terms of making those much needed connections. I would say if you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, make sure you get one off the ground. And I think that is another way to really highlight what sets you apart. We do offer LinkedIn photos here every Friday in our main office in Room 235 in the Stadium,” says Bank.

For more information, visit NCC’s Career Development Center located on the second floor of Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium, 455 S. Brainard St.