NI Design chat (on slack) nidesignchat.com. This was used to ask experienced designers what they are looking for in placement students. This was a great help as it helped me better understand what information I needed to prioritize when creating my CV and portfolio.

Tips from experienced designers 

• Apply to as many companies as possible as it might pay off afterwards.
• Paudie Fearon – employer feedback – personalize your application. The ones that stand out are the ones that go through the company website/ blog and reference their work and what you like about it.
• Be passionate the employer knows that your portfolio isn’t up to industry standards yet
• Shylands – Make a bespoke cover letter, this will help you stand out. Students with side projects move to the top of the list
• Rachel Burke – sometimes it comes down to personality and showing that you are eager to learn.
• Paul – be proactive

How to make a good CV

• Do not put your picture in your CV
• You can design it but keep it classy doll.

Must include:

• Short bio
• Contact details
• Skills
• Work experience
• Education
• Awards and additional info
• References – Use Stephen as a reference here. Remember to call back and ask him to write one

Tips:

• Keep it short – it should be concise and use simple sentences; the aim is to convey information as quickly and effectively as possible. 1 page, no more than 2 sides.
• Add page references so nothing is missed.
• Spell check – the employer will discard it if it is riddled with spelling mistakes.
• Work backwards – most recent education/achievement/employment first then go back. GCSE just add the grades.
• Avoid obnoxious competency indicators – eg 80% proficient in Adobe – they do not work.
• Use a limited colour palette – either 2 colours at most or just black and white.
• White space – make sure it is easy to scan
• Typography – you could use one that helps you stand out – but be sensible.
• Keep it as its own document – 1 file in PDF format – don’t include it in your portfolio. A link to your portfolio should be in there, make it easy for them.
• Tail it to the job were possible – read the job description and match your bio to it.
• Be honest
• Use a client who speaks well of you as a reference.

Cover letter

• It’s an into to the person receiving your application, explaining what attracted you to their company, summary of what you are good at, your experience and your aspiration. Make them feel special.
• Match the style/design of your CV.
• Personalize it to the company and the role.
• Find out who you are addressing it to – it goes a long way. Make it look like you are specifically addressing them – if you cant find the name use their job title. If you must call the office and ask
• Tone of voice – Respectful and natural, not too formal. Have someone read it for a second opinion. Use active voice https://bit.ly/2ZNAalc Use the hemingway editor.
• Be enthusiastic – make sure you show your passion and excitement. That you are a good fit to the company and how you found them (Can exaggerate a bit here LOL).
• This is not just an application – Cover letter are great even when sending your CV to a company that has no available posts atm as they might send you to other companies or remember you. You never know what may come from doing this. You could email them and say that you are aware that there are no openings but that you admire their work and explain that and that you just wanted to put yourself out there, also offer to let them view your portfolio.
• Be consistent across all platforms.
• Make an impact – maybe consider sending the company a physical letter and a physical CV, even if you also send a digital one, why not also send them a letter? This could be a postal tube? This would be an interaction they would have to do to see your work. Use your wax seal for your letter.
• Even if it is an arranged interview send the CV in advance and a link to your portfolio as this will make an impact.
• How am I going to stand out, be noticed and remembered by an employer?

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After class I started considering how I would design a professional designer CV. Up until now I only had a word document CV; which  had served its purpose but now needed to evolve, so I started off by researching CVs of other designers and creatives, along with some info on how to create a good CV.

How to Craft a Powerful UX CV

I found this very helpful article by the Interaction Design Foundation which offered me the following tips:

After carefully reading the recruiter’s specifications, you should include everything they request in your resume. This typically includes:

• Personal details: Your name, job title (if appropriate) and contact information (e.g., email).
• Your photo: In a professional environment or a LinkedIn-style headshot picture.
• Work experience: Your current and previous jobs listed in reverse chronological order (latest first). Only include relevant roles (though some non-UX activities can show valuable personality traits – e.g., skydiving).
• Education: Only university/college/vocational-school-level achievements.
• A self-write-up: A brief professional summary of yourself. Highlight achievements in a few, objectively worded sentences that tell your story.
• Your skills and tools: If you have niche skills (e.g., in UX research) or are skilled in a broad range of UX tools, declare them but prioritize your skills.
• Relevant miscellany: Mention any experience you can leverage – e.g.,
  • Teaching experience;
  • Fluency in another language;
  • Authoring of UX articles on (e.g.) Medium;
  • Relevant achievements as a volunteer/hobbyist.
• A link to your LinkedIn profile: Recruiters consult LinkedIn to learn more about applicants. So, ensure your resume is consistent with your LinkedIn presence. You can create a viable (if generic-looking) resume using LinkedIn if you:
  1. Go to your profile;
  2. Click on the “More…” button; and
  3. Select “Save to PDF”.

Recruiters often use bots to scan resumes, so you should include valuable key words.

Overall, your resume is a story summarizing an impressive image of yourself like your achievements should speak for themselves. The words you choose portray your attitude. So, convince recruiters that you’re a powerhouse without openly declaring so, but show you know the value you can bring them. Credibility is all-important, and your resume should lead users (recruiters) to a call to action (to examine your portfolio) just like anything else you design would.

I then moved on to visual research to decide what I wanted my CV to look like. I knew I needed it to be consistent with my branding but at this stage there was wiggle room.

Here is a link to my visual research.

This was a great way of quickly finding visual inspiration to not only learn from but also to compare visual styles and what does and does not work.

This is a CV I found while researching impressive portfolio websites. I like how her CV is consistent with her website and branding. It is simple, clean and effective – everything I would like my CV to be.

I also found this graphic designer CV – this one was lovely and simple. I also thought it would be a nice idea for a physical CV.