• Keep your resume to one page, with no typos. When emailing your resume to a specific person, send it as a text-based PDF or .doc file — not a raster format like PNG or JPEG. If you are uploading your resume to a large employer, the system may be using an ATS system (Applicant Tracking System) that scans your resume for keywords and may reject your resume before a human being ever sees it.For ATS purposes, avoid complex graphics, multiple text boxes, and paragraph-style job descriptions; use standard headings and legible fonts. Two-column formats can also cause problems for ATS software, even though many designers use them to showcase typographic skill. Consider creating two versions: a more visually compelling two-column resume to email directly to a recruiter, and a simpler, ATS-friendly version for online applications. Either way, work keywords from the job or internship description into your experience section, since that’s what the ATS is scanning for. For more detail, read ” 5 ATS- Friendly Resume Tips to Outsmart the Screening System from Robert Half, a recruiting agency that works with many employers in the design field. On having multiple resume versions, the article notes: “You can — and should — have other versions of your resume ready to hand directly to a hiring manager which showcase your qualities more imaginatively.”
  • Be sure you have your portfolio link and email contact info at the top of the page below your name. There is no need to list your full street address–you can just write Brooklyn, NY. You can list your phone number and you should also have your LinkedIn page too or another social media site with professional work showcased on it. Don’t use your Facebook page. Your portfolio link and LinkedIn page should be hyperlinked in the PDF of your resume.
  • You are still a college student so put your Education first–unless you have a significant amount of Related Work Experience. Your Degree is a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Communication Design and you should be sure to identify New York City College of Technology as part of CUNY. If you have a strong GPA of 3.3 or higher, it should definitely be listed on your resume. If you have been on the Dean’s list, list that. If you are in the Honors program, this should be on your resume.
  • Your resume should showcase your typography and design skills–it should be legible and attractive. Use your design skills to organize the page so the viewer can quickly absorb the information. Most hiring managers look at a resume for less than a minute.
  • It’s not standard practice to include a photo on your resume in this field — both LinkedIn News and Indeed discuss this and recommend against it.
  • Organize your work experience clearly, typically in reverse chronological order (most recent job first).
  • If you lack design experience, list jobs outside the field — working at a restaurant, for instance, still demonstrates customer service and communication skills. If you do have design experience, highlight it under a “Related Experience” heading or list it first. You can also add a “Relevant Coursework” section — for example, describing your Design Team class, the projects or clients you worked with, and your role on the team.
  • List any awards or exhibits that showcased your work.
  • Employers like to see campus involvement, so consider joining a COMD club or student government and listing it on your resume.
  • Start networking now — joining a professional organization that fits your career goals, such as the Society of Illustrators or AIGA, is a good way to do this. Most offer student memberships.
  • Highlight your language skills, ideally in a separate category from your software skills.
  • Every student has different skills and interests — use your resume to catch someone’s eye and stand out from other applicants. Include unique hobbies, interests, or volunteer work; you never know when a hiring manager shares your interest in Ultimate Frisbee, birdwatching, or NYPIRG. If you have illustration skills, find a way to showcase them directly on the resume.
  • If you attended a large New York City high school, list it — there may be many alumni from that school at employers in the Tri-State area.

Our COMD 4900 Internship Information session slideshow contains sample resumes on it on slide 13 and 14 for you to review. It has a resume also on Slide 15 that is well designed and with excellent content that uses a Script Typeface. This is a great resume for emailing to a contact directly but not for uploading to an ATS system because Script typefaces to do not scan as well. View slide show at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1imurzzfbETOnn35vEfYU3EYiVfLbuKBh/view?usp=sharing

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