The first deliverable of the year is to create a CV & Coverletter, this should be straightforward! Although I already have a CV it is extremely outdated and is one of those Microsoft Word CVs. To gain a better understanding of what a UX/UI cv looks like I have to do a little research…
The content
The content is straightforward. Work backward. Small relevant build-up. No babble.
Although CV’s throughout any industry usually have similar layouts I needed to ensure I was doing everything right so I decided to have a look online to see how other UX/UI designers structure their work and came to this conclusion:
Biography – Usually the first thing the employer is met with – talk about my interests, personality and don’t babble
Education – Work backward, obviously!
Skills – Must be relevant to the employer and job role.
Work Experience – As a placement student this can be useful, however when advancing this holds major importance. (Work backward!)
References – Short overviews of what previous employers, etc. have to say about me.
Contacts – This can include website, phone number, email, socials. Additionally, this can be found at the top or at the bottom of the page.
Inspiration
I decided to use my old reliable buddy; Pinterest. It contains a wide and diverse selection of CVs. Although, there were a lot of whacky CVs e.g. measuring the skill levels, however, they weren’t practical. As seen below I really love the simple structured CVs that get straight to the point. I also really loved the black and white colour scheme as it is the most practical and looks really professional. However, I wanted to use my brand colours on my CV – although perhaps just the heading.
One CV I was deeply inspired by is this template, it’s simple and forgiving with its structure and colour scheme. The designer has used primary blue on his headings. Additionally, he changed the surname to the same blue. I feel like this fills a voice at the top of the CV by simply adding a tiny bit of colour. Although, I do feel like the ‘inland’ headings could be bold and have a little more negative space just to proportionate everything.
Wireframes
Once I had my content done and knew what a UX/UI cv looks like from my inspirations I decided to create wireframes to sketch out the layout of my CV and cover letter. I decided to structure it similarly to the ‘John Doe’ template shown above with similar characteristics in mind. I made sure everything is evenly spaced and proportioned.
For my cover letter, I want to maintain similar values, e.g. similar structure and brand identity (colours, typography, wordmark).
CV & Cover letter – Designing + Challenges
I’m pleased with how the CV & Coverletter came out as I feel like I have made it similar to my original vision.
After having a critique with Daniel, he has pointed out a number of flaws of my CV & Coverletter which can be viewed in another article shown below.
Changes
Spending up to date with things, I decided illustrator is not a very appropriate and practical tool to design my CV and cover letter on so I will change to Adobe InDesign for a better and more refined design.
While designing in Illustrator I have fix many of the problems that were wrong with my original design such as:
- Spacing
- Bulky content & structure
- Education section (condensed)
- Content structuring (working backward)
Similarly, I have done the same with my cover letter:
- Consistent margin
- Consistent typography size
- A4 Page
- Fewer obstacles on screen
- Consistent with CV
Final Design
ConclusionÂ
Overall, I am extremely happy with the outcome of my CV and cover letter. I feel like I have a better-refined product than my original material. I am also pleased with how I incorporated my brand identity and consistency through my CV and cover letter.