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This section of the website is devoted to live Q&A sessions with our own advisers or external employers. We will promote the Live Q&A’s in advance and you can also access session archives below.

Creative CVs

All types of CVs are a marketing tool used to present skills, knowledge, experience, achievements and goals to employers. A creative CV presents all this information in a creative format. It gives you the opportunity to catch the attention of an employer with your creative personality and abilities through usage of colour, images, alternative layout and font styles, infographics and logos. It can be presented in various formats including 3D, 2D, video and interactive elements such as games.

There are different types of creative CVs and within each varying levels of creativity that can be applied. This webpage provides key information and resources to help you produce your own creative CV. It also looks at other elements of a creative application including letters, portfolios and showreels.

Click on each drop down for more information.

When to use a creative CV

Creative CVs are used when applying for roles that heavily rely on creative abilities. Industry sectors that welcome, or even expect a creative CV include:

  • Media
  • Film/Video
  • Photography
  • Graphics, illustration and animation
  • Industrial and product design
  • Fashion and textile design
  • VFX
  • IT: creative computing, web design, gaming
  • Digital marketing and advertising

Creative CVs can also be used in other areas such as marketing, media and publishing where the role is not heavily focused on creative abilities but requires certain elements of it.

When applying for an advertised role, searching for freelancing work or sending out a speculative application you will have to decide whether to use a creative or traditional CV.  The following questions may help you make your decision:

  1. Is the role I’m applying for a creative one?
  2. Is the role with a creative employer, or a more traditional one?
  3. Will my creative CV give a strong impression of the skills required in the role?
  4. Has the employer specifically requested a creative CV?
  5. Am I including links to a portfolio, showreels, website etc where my creative work can be seen? If so, is a creative CV necessary?

If you are still unsure which type of CV to use do some research into the type and size of employer you are applying to. This following may help you make your final decision.

Type of organisation:

Is this employer a creative or a more traditional one? How does the employer present themselves on their website and social media platforms? Who are their clients? What projects do they work on? Based on what you now know do they have a creative or more traditional culture, and therefore would a creative or traditional style CV be more appropriate?

You may be applying for a creative role but with a traditional employer, for example a digital marketing role with the Government Department for Business and Trade. In this case a more traditional CV would be the better option.

Are you applying for a graduate scheme? If so, creative CVs are usually not the best CVs to use for graduate schemes with a defined recruitment process. These organisations generally prefer a more traditional approach.

Size of organisation:

The size of organisation can determine who gets to read your CV and make shortlisting decisions. That person may or may not have a creative background. In a large creative agency your CV may go directly to the HR staff not a Creative Director, in which case a traditional CV may be best.

Large organisations are more likely to use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to scan CVs. Some systems have difficulty reading creative content which could prevent your application from being short-listed. It’s difficult to find out if an ATS is used by individual employers, but it’s worthwhile trying to find out.

Still unsure whether a creative or traditional CV is best? Try using LinkedIn to contact employees of your chosen organisation and ask which type they advise using.

Finally, it’s a good idea to create a traditional and creative version of your CV, both providing similar content but in a different style. Then, choose the version you want to send and tweak it to suit the employer and the role requirements.

Pros and Cons of using a creative CV

Pros of a Creative CV:

  • Visually evidences your creative skills and personality, rather than explaining them in words which can be difficult
  • A great option to showcase your abilities if you don’t have much work experience
  • Makes you stand out from the crowd and get noticed in a competitive job market
  • Can be impactful for speculative approaches and generating freelancing work by grabbing the attention of an employer who may not actively be looking for new talent
  • Acts as a gateway guiding employers to more evidence of your work, such as portfolios, personal website, blogs, showreels, social media etc.

Cons of a Creative CV:

  •  Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) used to scan CVs may have issues reading your creative CV
  • Creative design can make key CV information difficult for the employer to find or read
  • Creative CVs can be time consuming to create. It could be a better option to write a traditional one with links to your creative work
  • The CV may be received by an employer who prefers a traditional CV
  • If your design doesn’t fit the brand and culture of the organisation, it might go against you

What to include in a creative CV

The CV should include the same key content as a traditional CV and be tailored to the individual employer’s requirements.

Employers don’t have time to search for information in your CV, so make sure your creative additions allow key content to be easily found and read. Present your information with the most important and relevant content placed higher up in the CV.

Below are examples of sections to include. Your choice of sections and order you present them depends on your target employer. For example a relevant volunteer role may appear near the top  in a ‘Relevant Experience’ section instead of in a volunteering section closer to the bottom of the CV.

  • Name and contact details
  • Links to creative work such as portfolios, showreels, personal webpages, blogs, LinkedIn profile etc.
  • Personal Profile
  • Education- include details of relevant modules, projects etc.
  • Project work including university and industry projects and briefs
  • Certifications, additional courses and training
  • Relevant work experience
  • Other work experience
  • Volunteering and other extra-curricular activities
  • Skills (group into sections such as specialist and technical)
  • Performances/Exhibitions
  • Competitions/Awards/Achievements
  • Professional memberships
  • Interests
  • References (stating ‘References available on request’ is sufficient)
  • Consider your format choice. PDFs are good  for electronic versions as images and formatting won’t be changed or distorted when the CV is opened.

For more detail on what employers want in a creative CV read pages 4-9 of the Creative CV Guide.

To find out more generally what to include in a CV join our CV and Cover Letter Workshop.

Different types of creative CVs

The following are examples of different types of creative CVs with different purposes. They can be used to apply for advertised roles and for speculative applications. These types of CVs are also a good way to present your creative skills if you lack creative work experience.

Portfolio Taster CV

The Portfolio Taster CV follows the same format as a traditional CV with the addition of embedding visual elements in it. It provides a taster of your creative talents with the intent of guiding the employer to look at your online portfolio, showreels, etc. for more examples of your work.  Carefully consider the creative content you add in terms of relevance, interest to the employer, positioning, size and definition. Remember you still need to clearly include relevant written content! Don’t confuse this CV with an online portfolio which is a more extensive representation of your work.

Skills Taster CV

A Skills Taster CV is like a portfolio taster CV in format. The difference is it focuses on presenting a particular skill in the CV. An example might be an illustrator who includes hand drawings as a background on the CV, or a product designer who creates a CV using an example of product packaging.

Video CVs

A Video CV is a great way to promote your personal brand, especially for roles heavily focused on customer interaction such as media, marketing and sales. It may be used as an addition to a traditional CV, or as a replacement depending on the video content. Ensure the employer has full access to your video and that your content can not be altered by others.

Here are resources providing detailed information on video CVs including when and how to use them, what to include, pros and cons etc:

Interactive CVs

This CV allows the employer to engage and participate within the CV content through links, videos and sounds. It is a great way to show both creative and technology skills and particularly effective for roles in technology, marketing and design. Your choice of CV interaction needs to align to the role you are applying for and showcase your personal brand.  For example for a gaming role you might create an interactive game where the gaming activity uncovers parts of your CV.

Artist CVs

An artist’s CV uses more extensive language than a standard CV to explain your art. It is written in the first person to personalise your approach. You aim is to entice the employer to look at your work by providing links to your online portfolio, website etc. There is no prescriptive approach to this type of CV as each artist will have their own insights into their work. It is typically used when an artist is applying for funding, awards, commissions, and to galleries, exhibitions, competitions, agents etc.

For guidance on how to approach an Artist CV, including questions to ask yourself to create CV content go to pages 10 and 11 of the Creative CV Guide.

Creative CV Checklist

Before sending your creative CV use this checklist which applies to both CVs for advertised roles and speculative applications.

Content:

  • Is your profile and experience tailored to the role requirements?
  • Have you kept language concise avoiding long paragraphs of text?
  • Is your content arranged in order of importance to the employer and the role?
  • Have you used reverse chronological order for sections that include dates?
  • Have you included relevant modules and project work in your education section?
  • Is content of work you have linked to up to date?
  • Have you checked for spelling or grammar errors?

Formatting and Presentation:

  • Have you used clear headings and sub-headings to make the CV an easy read?
  • Have you been consistent in usage of font style, size and spacing?
  • Is there a good balance of text, images and white space?
  • Do the colours, images and logos complement written text and not distract from it?
  • For a video CV is it an appropriate length (no longer than 2 minutes)?
  • If adding links and using technology such as video and sound, is everything accessible and functioning correctly? Be sure to test it and maintain functionality

Examples of creative CVs

Here are links to resources that provide examples of creative CVs. Look for examples that relate to your industry sector or discipline:

Cover Letters and Speculative Letters

Your creative CV is one part of your application.

It is strongly recommended to include a cover letter with your CV for an advertised role and a speculative letter for a non-advertised role. A letter gives you the chance to show the employer your understanding of them, the role, the value you can bring and very importantly your interest and motivation, all of which evidence what a good fit you are.

Each letter needs to be individually written and tailored to the role requirements, or in the case of a speculative letter the value you can bring. Write in the first person and use a more personalised style of writing than in the CV. Remember, just as the creative CV evidences your creative abilities the letter evidences your writing skills, so give it plenty of attention!

For support writing your cover letter for an advertised role go to our CV and Cover Letter Support page. The Events calendar includes our CV and Cover Letter workshops where you can learn key CV and letter writing tips all within an hour! See our CV and Cover Letter Guide for an example letter.

For support writing a speculative (enquiring) letter for a job or work experience see our Speculative Applications Booklet. This guides you through the speculative approach and provides letter examples.

Portfolios and Showreels

Creative portfolios and showreels showcase examples of your work, skills, process and influences to an employer. An employer may ask you to provide them at the interview stage. However, it’s strongly advised to share a link to your online portfolio or showreel on your creative CV.

Portfolios come in various formats including website, video, hard copy or a hybrid form. Like a creative CV the portfolio needs to be easy to navigate, not overly complicated and showcase your best quality work. Always keep it up-to-date and make sure links remain active.

A showreel is a short audio-visual video commonly used by actors, filmmakers, musicians, animators and editors. It generally includes several pieces of work to show a breadth of skills and is 2-3 minutes in length. A voice reel is audio only and used for voice over parts.

Portfolios are used across multiple creative sectors such as architecture, graphic design, photography, fashion, web design, advertising, writing and editing.

Find out more about portfolios and showreels using the following resources:

Additional Support and Resources

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