Crafting a CV that stands out amidst fierce competition can be a daunting challenge for you as a junior graphic designer. Our guide offers tailored tips and industry insights to elevate your presentation, ensuring your skills capture the attention they deserve.
- Applying the simplest CV design, so that recruiters can easily understand your expertise, skills, and professional background;
- Ensuring you stand out with your header, summary or objective statement, and a designated skills section;
- Creating your CV experience section - no matter how much expertise you have;
- Using real life professional CV examples to enhance the structure and outline of your profile.
If you still have no muse to write your professional CV, find some more industry-leading examples.
Structuring and formatting your junior graphic designer CV for an excellent first impression
The experts' best advice regarding your CV format is to keep it simple and concise. Recruiters assessing your CV are foremost looking out for candidates who match their ideal job profile. Your white space, borders, and margins. You may still be wondering which format you need to export your CV in. We recommend using the PDF one, as, upon being uploaded, it never alters your information or CV design. Before we move on to the actual content of your junior graphic designer CV, we'd like to remind you about the Applicant Tracker System (or the ATS). The ATS is a software that is sometimes used to initially assess your profile. Here's what you need to keep in mind about the ATS:- All serif and sans-serif fonts (e.g. Rubik, Volkhov, Exo 2 etc.) are ATS-friendly;
- Many candidates invest in Arial and Times New Roman, so avoid these fonts if you want your application to stand out;
- Both single and double column CVs can be read by the ATS, so it's entirely up to you to select your CV design.
PRO TIP
Use bold or italics sparingly to draw attention to key points, such as job titles, company names, or significant achievements. Overusing these formatting options can dilute their impact.
The top sections on a junior graphic designer CV
- Personal Profile summarises your unique design ethos and career goals, catching the recruiter's eye.
- Work Experience details your relevant design roles, showcasing your growth and industry insight.
- Design Portfolio link is critical, enabling recruiters to assess your creativity and technique firsthand.
- Education & Training highlights your formal design qualifications and any specialised industry knowledge.
- Technical Skills section lists proficient design software and tools, demonstrating your practical design capabilities.
What recruiters value on your CV:
- Highlight your proficiency in design software, such as Adobe Creative Suite, by providing examples of projects where you've utilised these tools to create stunning visuals or layouts.
- Include a personal design statement that showcases your creative philosophy and approach to graphic design, making it relatable to the junior level position you're aiming for.
- Showcase a diverse portfolio within your CV or through an attached link, emphasising your adaptability and ability to work on various types of graphic design projects.
- Detail any collaborative projects or internships that exemplify your ability to work in a team and contribute effectively to group tasks, as teamwork is often crucial in design roles.
- Emphasise any educational assignments or personal projects that demonstrate your ability to think conceptually and solve design problems, as creative problem-solving is key for a junior graphic designer.
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Tips and tricks on writing a job-winning junior graphic designer CV header
The CV header is the space which most recruiters would be referring most often to, in the beginning and end of your application. That is as the CV header includes your contact details, but also a headline and a professional photo. When writing your CV header:
- Double-check your contact details for spelling errors or if you've missed any digits. Also, ensure you've provided your personal details, and not your current work email or telephone number;
- Include your location in the form of the city and country you live in. If you want to be more detailed, you can list your full address to show proximity to your potential work place;
- Don't include your CV photo, if you're applying for roles in the UK or US, as this may bias initial recruiters' assessments;
- Write a professional headline that either integrates the job title, some relevant industry keywords, or your most noteworthy achievement.
In the next part of our guide, we'll provide you with professional CVs that showcase some of the best practices when it comes to writing your headline.
Examples of good CV headlines for junior graphic designer:
- Junior Graphic Designer | Specialising in Branding & Digital Media | Adobe Certified | 2+ Years Experience
- Creative Junior Graphic Designer | Expert in Illustration & Print Design | BA Hons | 1 Year Professional
- Aspiring Junior Designer | UI/UX Focus | Advanced Photoshop Skills | Recent Graduate
- Innovative Junior Graphic Artist | Motion Graphics Enthusiast | 3+ Years Agency Experience
- Fresh Junior Visual Designer | Typography & Layout Expertise | MA Visual Communication | 2 Years Freelance
- Junior Graphic Designer | Passion for Eco-Friendly Design | Proficient in InDesign | 18 Months Industry Experience
Choosing your opening statement: a junior graphic designer CV summary or objective
At the top one third of your CV, you have the chance to make a more personable impression on recruiters by selecting between:
- Summary - or those three to five sentences that you use to show your greatest achievements. Use the CV summary if you happen to have plenty of relevant experience and wish to highlight your greatest successes;
- Objective - provides you with up to five sentences to state your career goals and aspirations
CV summaries for a junior graphic designer job:
CV objectives for a junior graphic designer job:
How to ensure your junior graphic designer CV stands out when you have no experience
This part of our step-by-step guide will help you substitute your experience section by helping you spotlight your skill set. First off, your ability to land your first job will depend on the time you take to assess precisely how you match the job requirements. Whether that's via your relevant education and courses, skill set, or any potential extracurricular activities. Next:
- Systematise your CV so that it spotlights your most relevant experience (whether that's your education or volunteer work) towards the top;
- Focus recruiters' attention to your transferrable skill set and in particular how your personality would be the perfect fit for the role;
- Consider how your current background has helped you build your technological understanding - whether you've created projects in your free time or as part of your uni degree;
- Ensure you've expanded on your teamwork capabilities with any relevant internships, part-time roles, or projects you've participated in the past.
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PRO TIP
Order your skills based on the relevance to the role you're applying for, ensuring the most pertinent skills catch the employer's attention first.
The CV skills' divide: between hard and soft skills
Of course, you may have read the job requirements plenty of times now, but it's key to note that there is a difference between technical and personal skills. Both are equally relevant to your job application. When writing about your skill set, ensure you've copy-pasted the precise skill from the job requirement. This would not only help you ensure you have the correct spelling, but also pass any Applicant Tracker System (ATS) assessments.
- Hard skills show your technological capabilities. Or whether you'll be a good technical fit to the organisation. Ensure you've spotlighted your hard skills in various sections of your CV (e.g. skills section, projects, experience) by including the technology and what you've attained;
- Soft skills pinpoint your personality and people or communication skills, hinting at if you'll easily accomodate into the team or organisation. Quantify your soft skills in your CV achievements, strengths, summary/objective, and experience sections. Always support your soft skills with how they've helped you grow as a professional.
Top skills for your junior graphic designer CV:
Adobe Creative Suite proficiency
Understanding of typography
Knowledge of colour theory
Layout design ability
Basic HTML and CSS knowledge
Brand identity design
UX/UI principles awareness
Vector graphics creation
Digital illustration
Photo editing and retouching
Creativity
Attention to detail
Time management
Communication skills
Problem-solving ability
Adaptability
Teamwork
Openness to feedback
Continuous learning
Project management
PRO TIP
If you have received professional endorsements or recommendations for certain skills, especially on platforms like LinkedIn, mention these to add credibility.
Your university degree and certificates: an integral part of your junior graphic designer CV
Let's take you back to your uni days and decide what information will be relevant for your junior graphic designer CV. Once more, when discussing your higher education, select only information that is pertinent to the job (e.g. degrees and projects in the same industry, etc.). Ultimately, you should:
- List only your higher education degrees, alongside start and graduation dates, and the university name;
- Include that you obtained a first degree for diplomas that are relevant to the role, and you believe will impress recruiters;
- Showcase relevant coursework, projects, or publications, if you happen to have less experience or will need to fill in gaps in your professional history.
PRO TIP
If you have received professional endorsements or recommendations for certain skills, especially on platforms like LinkedIn, mention these to add credibility.
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Key takeaways
What matters most in your junior graphic designer CV-writing process is for you to create a personalised application. One that matches the role and also showcases your unique qualities and talents.
- Use the format to supplement the actual content, to stand out, and to ensure your CV experience is easy to comprehend and follows a logic;
- Invest time in building a succinct CV top one third. One that includes a header (with your contact details and headline), a summary or an objective statement (select the one that best fits your experience), and - potentially - a dedicated skills section or achievements (to fit both hard skills and soft skills requirements);
- Prioritise your most relevant (and senior) experience closer to the top of your CV. Always ensure you're following the "power verb, skill, and achievement" format for your bullets;
- Integrate both your technical and communication background across different sections of your CV to meet the job requirements;
- List your relevant education and certificates to fill in gaps in your CV history and prove to recrutiers you have relevant technical know-how.
