Creative resume template

Creative, but still readable

A creative layout fails when the reader has to search for your job title or your dates. This one keeps the essentials exactly where people expect them:

• Your name large at the top of the main column, with your target role under it.
• Contact details first in the side column, one per line.
• Each job with its title in bold and its dates on the right.
• Skills as tags that can be scanned in two seconds.

Writing for a creative role

Show your work rather than describe your personality. A link to a portfolio, a showreel or a live campaign is worth more than any adjective, so add it to the Contact section where it sits at the top of the side column. In your experience, name the projects: the launch, the event, the campaign, the redesign, and what happened because of it.

• Planned and ran a three day product launch for 400 guests, delivered on budget.
• Grew the brand's short video channel from 2,000 to 48,000 followers in a year.
• Wrote and designed a monthly newsletter that kept a 41% open rate.

Choosing your colour

Creative comes in rust, a warm colour that prints well and feels friendly. Plum, emerald, teal and royal blue also work beautifully with the tinted column; pick one in the Design panel or choose your own. If you are applying to a brand you admire, a colour close to theirs is a small, thoughtful touch, but keep it dark enough that the headings stay easy to read.

Photo or no photo

The template has room for a round photo at the top of the side column, and it looks just as good without one. Photos are common in parts of Europe, Asia and the Middle East and in client facing roles. In the US, UK, Canada and Ireland most employers prefer resumes without photos, so keep a version without one for those applications. You can save a job specific copy of your CV for each.

When to use a plainer template

If an advert asks for a simple file or you are pasting into a web form, switch to Plain or Essential for that application. Your words come with you. For senior corporate roles, Sidebar gives a similar two column structure in a more reserved navy.

Writing a profile with personality

In a creative role, the profile can be a little warmer than usual, but it still needs facts. Say what you make or do, who for, and one thing that shows you are good at it: Content producer who makes short videos and newsletters for food and travel brands, with a channel that grew to 48,000 followers in a year. Then say what you want next. Avoid describing yourself as creative; let the examples show it.

If your work is visual, the most useful thing on this page is the link to it. Check the link works on a phone, make sure the first thing it shows is your best piece, and keep the portfolio as up to date as the resume.

Projects as well as jobs

Freelance work, side projects and volunteering count, especially early in a creative career. Add them under Projects in Extra sections with a title, the client or organisation, dates and one or two lines on what you made and what happened. A well run community event or a self published zine can say as much about you as a paid job.

A last check before you send it

Open the downloaded PDF on a phone as well as a laptop, because creative roles are often screened on a phone first. Check that the side column is readable, that your portfolio address is correct and that the skill tags still make sense out of context. Then print one page in black and white to be sure the headings and tags still stand out without colour.

Questions about this template