How Art College Students Can Prepare Their Portfolio and Resumes for Job Hunting

Career Advice
Written By Kasandra Murray

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Author: Kasandra Murray

As the owner of Unlucky Umbrella Studio, Kasandra focuses on the importance of growing marketing and operations together. She has over a decade of experience in management, operations, and marketing. She aims to help businesses resolve critical issues and increase revenue, which leads to happier clients and a better work culture.

 

Photo Credit: Don Sniegowski

I spent my morning meeting with Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD) students to discuss their portfolios and resumes. Based on my experience finding work, I wanted to provide as much practical advice as possible that could quickly get their professional work up to speed. In case anyone from the event missed talking to me, here is the advice I kept giving:

Your resume should be ugly.

I know it's counter-intuitive for a creative to have a basic resume, but it's true. Often, your resume goes through automated tools that can't understand complex layouts. Then, it'll typically go to someone within HR who isn't as concerned about your design skills at that moment. Keeping your resume simple lets them find the needed information and quickly identify if you are a good candidate for the position. List your portfolio website on your resume - creative managers will evaluate you based on your portfolio, not your resume.

Here are some additional recommendations:

  • Keep all your content to one column

  • Keep all your content to one page

  • Avoid any fancy fonts - use system fonts like Arial / Helvetica

  • List all your relevant skills, even programs you may only have some experience with

Here is an image of my resume to show you what I mean:

Organize your portfolio by project and tell a story.

Each project in your portfolio should have an overview/problem, concept phase, and final execution. Employers want to see how you think. Show them that you can take a problem and develop a solution that has practical application. If you have many projects, whittle it down to your top projects. At most, sort your projects into two buckets: Commercial and Non-commercial. Employers don't have time to click through many links, so keeping it simple reduces their friction.

Here are some additional recommendations:

  • Always treat projects as if a client was involved, even if they weren't. Your teachers assigning projects is the same dynamic as a client asking you to work on a project.

  • Create mockups where you can! Showing how your work would look on physical products shows the practicality of your creativity.

  • Keep your writing simple. Don't write more than 2-4 sentences for each step of the process (problem, conception, execution)

You can check out how I organize my work at my portfolio: kasandramurray.com

Diversify your skills and become "sticky".

I'll be honest: companies often lay off creative and marketing employees first in times of trouble. We are usually considered non-essential to the core business. Diversifying your skills tips the scale in your favor and often makes you harder to let go, or what I like to call "sticky."

I was hired as a graphic designer for my first job, but as the business grew, I took every opportunity to learn new skills. I learned business management, operations, marketing, web design, and management skills. I eventually became the Operations Manager of a million-dollar business. All the skills I learned over the years led me to start my own business, which is growing solely because of my acquired skills.

My favorite quote comes from the author Chris Voss: "Never be so sure of what you want that you wouldn't take something better."

I wasn't so committed to being an illustrator or graphic designer that I refused to try anything else. Though I love the creative side of my day-to-day work, nothing fills my cup more than fixing operational issues in a business. The additional bonus is that it pays better as well.

If you are an illustrator, take design classes. If you are a designer, take photography classes. Regardless of your major, take advantage of any learning opportunity you can. Expand your knowledge beyond creative fields and take business, accounting, or even developer courses.

Continue to Network

Meet as many people as possible and take full advantage of the networking events close to you. As you enter your career, your network will be your most powerful tool. It comes down to a numbers game - the more people you know, the more likely you'll find new opportunities. As your network grows and you become established, don't forget to help others who were previously in your position. Don't just ask your network for help; find ways to help people within your network.

Conclusion

Getting started on your career path is a big step. You will experience many ups and downs as you navigate the business world, but don't let that hold you back! Even if you've graduated, these tips are constructive when on the job hunt.

Good luck with your creative career; I hope we cross paths!

Kasandra Murray https://www.unluckyumbrella.com
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