How to Write a Creative CV
If you’re applying for a job in a creative industry, a traditional CV may not cut it. Read on to find out more about crafting an eye-catching and memorable creative CV.
For creative professionals, your CV is the first introduction to your personal style and the qualities you bring to the job. A CV that's bland and poorly formatted can send the wrong impression before the hiring manager reads a word on the page. So how do you create a convincing and attractive creative CV?
In this article, you will learn:
- What is a creative CV and when to use it
- How to craft a creative CV step-by-step
- How to ensure your creative CV remains accessible and ATS compatible
What is a creative CV?
When you're applying for jobs with a creative requirement, you might wish to showcase your creativity in your CV layout, structure and content. A creative CV layout gives you the freedom to present your skills, experience and achievements in a more visually engaging way than a standard CV.
Crafting a creative CV gives you the licence to adjust the formatting, layout and typography and introduce graphics, imagery and other design elements to prove your creative capabilities. When you're applying for a creative role, it makes sense to produce a CV that utilises your creative mindset and showcases your technical skills to employers.
The difference between traditional and creative CVs
There are several distinctions between a traditional CV and a creative CV. Here are a few of the ways they differ:
Traditional CV
- Has a text-heavy focus
- Usually limited to 1-2 sides
- Utilises clean, simple design
- Contains traditional CV sections
- Preferred in traditional, professional industries (for example, law, medicine, engineering, education and finance)
Creative CV
- Incorporates graphics and other visuals
- Could be longer than 1-2 sides
- Uses design-heavy CV templates
- Can contain non-traditional CV sections
- Preferred in innovative, creative industry sectors (for example, advertising, web design, media, architecture)
When and where to use a creative CV
It’s important to understand when and where is the most suitable situation to submit a creative CV, and to know when a more conventional approach might be more effective. Here's a summary of when a creative CV might be more effective, and less effective:
More effective
- Entry-level positions where you want to stand out from the crowd
- Mid-level roles where design or presentation skills are particularly valued
- Positions with forward-thinking, innovative and creative companies
Less effective
- Senior, strategic roles where you’re unlikely to need to showcase design skills
- Administrative positions where the work is less creative
- Formal, traditional professions that value a more conventional approach
There are also various industry sectors where creative CVs are likely to be more appreciated. However, bear in mind that these aren't hard rules, and it's always best to get a feel for the company and its culture before committing to a creative CV. As a general guide, though, some sectors where creative CVs are most appreciated include:
- Advertising
- Digital marketing
- Content creation
- Web design
- Fine art & theatre
- TV, film, and radio roles
- Architecture
- Fashion
- Interior design
- Graphic design
Creative CV templates
It's possible for a creative, visually engaging CV to also be compatible with ATS software. Jobseeker's creative CV templates include subtle design elements and visual enhancements to make your CV more appealing and engaging for the reader, while retaining a strong focus on written content.
Using a CV builder like Jobseeker gives you ready-made CV templates, but also control over the customisation of your CV. This includes options to personalise the colour palette, fonts, layouts and other visual elements of your CV, to make it truly unique. Take a look at the different creative CV templates offered by Jobseeker below:
While written CVs are usually hiring managers' preferred format, they are not the only way to share your experience. If appropriate for the role or requested by the employer, you might choose to submit another type of creative CV to accompany and bolster your application.
Some of the most popular types of creative CVs include:
- Infographics: these are visual representations of your skills and experience.
- Video CVs: these give you the opportunity to show recruiters the person behind the CV, through a video where you can introduce yourself and your work.
- CV website: this is a digital version of your paper-based CV, which displays your portfolio and/or the projects you’ve worked on.
Crafting a creative CV: a step-by-step guide
If you want to produce a creative CV that really enhances your job prospects, follow this step-by-step guide:
- Draft your CV: The first step to making a creative CV is typically to write a traditional, more formal CV that you can use as a foundation for your creative CV design. Write a traditional CV, tailored for the role you’re applying for, then adapt the content, introducing visual elements to replace or supplement the text according to your requirements.
- Settle on a colour palette, fonts and other key design elements: When making a creative CV, it’s essential to decide some of the basics of your document’s visual design language before you go ahead and start creating. This means picking a structure and some key design features, such as fonts, colours, icon sets and other visual elements.
- Create graphics and visualisations: Once you have the basics of your CV design sorted, you can move onto any bespoke designs and graphics. These might include graphs, tables, data visualisations, examples of your design work, photographs or other visual elements that tell a story about your career, achievements and skills.
- Balance creativity with professionalism: Consider the sector you're applying in, and research the company you're applying to, so you can understand the corporate culture and evaluate how much creative content to include. You'll want to balance creativity with professionalism, and if you're not sure, it's best to err on the side of caution.
- Optimise your CV for ATS: One of the risks of a creative CV is that it may fail to pass ATS screening stages. Ensure your creative CV has well-defined headings and plenty of text reflective of job description keywords.
- Proofread your creative CV: While the visual elements of a creative CV are critical to your chances of success, it’s also essential not to neglect your written content. Basic errors in spelling and grammar can still negatively effect your chances, even in a creative CV, so proofread it carefully before sending.
If you're looking for more job-specific advice, make sure to check out our collection of CV examples crafted for various industries and job titles. There, you'll find sample sentences and formatting ideas that can help you be sure your CV matches the norms for your industry. Here are just a few examples:
Photography CV example
Web designer CV example
Architecture CV example
Advantages and disadvantages of a creative CV
Before deciding whether to use a creative CV format, it's worth considering some of the pros and cons of this type of application:
Creative CV advantages
- Can help your application stand out from the crowd
- Showcases your creative and technical skills
- Shows you've gone the extra mile with your application
- Can be more engaging for the reader
Creative CV disadvantages
- Can appear unprofessional if used inappropriately
- Is time-consuming to produce
- Is difficult to tailor to match different job descriptions
- Can be incompatible with ATS screening, reducing your chances of progressing to the next stage
It's especially important to take into account the limits of ATS, which is used by virtually all large and medium-sized companies. This software helps recruiters and employers to manage the hiring process, including an initial automated screening of CVs. ATS apps tend can have difficulty scanning and parsing images and graphics, and generally fare better with text-heavy documents. As such, it's worth ensuring any creative, visual elements of your CV are supported by text that conveys the same information, to give you a better chance of passing this stage of the recruitment process.
Ensuring accessibility and readability in a creative CV
While a creative approach does typically create a more engaging and eye-catching CV, it’s important to remember that your CV, above all, needs to be readable, understandable and accessible. Follow these accessibility tips to ensure your CV is as accessible as possible, both in printed and digital formats, and for both human readers and ATS software:
Use standard headings and CV sections | Follow standard CV sections and label each section clearly, using traditional CV conventions. This will make it easier for the reader to follow, while making it more scannable for ATS applications. |
Don’t neglect written copy | Written copy still forms a valuable part of a creative CV, so make sure you retain enough written content to give the reader a strong impression of your skills, achievements and impact in your career to date. Your cover letter also provides a valuable opportunity to support your creative CV with written content. |
Ask someone to check your graphics and visualisations | Designing clever graphics and visualisations to illustrate your career achievements may make sense to you, but to other readers, they can be confusing. Always ask someone to check your CV before you send it, to ensure the graphics add to the quality of your CV, rather than detract from it. |
Don’t crowd the page | While it may be tempting to throw every design trick at your creative CV, white space can be one of the most effective ways of letting your skills shine. It also helps to make your CV more readable. Strategic use of white space can enhance your content and make your CV more of a pleasure to read. |
Other ways to show your creativity beyond your CV
For creative roles, there are other valuable and effective approaches to showing off your work to prospective employers. Here are a few to consider:
- Digital portfolios: While a creative CV can highlight your creative instincts and technical skills, a digital portfolio can provide the reader with a far greater insight into the nature and quality of your work. Include any examples of successful projects that are published online.
- Social media profiles: Recruiters and hiring managers tend to check social accounts as part of their screening, so adding a link to any you use professionally (particularly LinkedIn) can be valuable. Make sure your profiles are up-to-date and don’t contradict your CV.
- Personal websites: Like a creative CV, a personal website can be both an account of your best work, and a showcase of your technical and creative skills. If you work in a visual medium, choose a template or design that reflects both your style and the conventions of your industry sector.
Key takeaways for a winning creative CV
Knowing when and how to use a creative CV can be transformative for your job prospects. Make sure to first consider whether a creative CV is appropriate for the role and industry sector, or whether a more traditional CV will fare better. Then, tailor your approach to the creative elements of your CV depending on the role and industry you’re applying for.
Give careful consideration to the design language and layout of your CV to make it as eye-catching as possible, while remaining accessible. Online CV makers like Jobseeker offer resources to help you add creative, visually engaging elements to your applications, without needing specialist design skills. And don't forget to complete your application with our collection of cover letter examples and cover letter templates for dozens of job titles.
Creative CV FAQs
Is a creative CV appropriate for every industry?
A creative CV definitely isn't appropriate for every industry or role. Creative CVs tend to be more suitable for sectors like media, marketing, design, architecture and fashion. However, for traditional sectors like law, education, healthcare and finance, a standard, text-based CV is usually better.
What format should I send a creative CV in (PDF, link, etc.)?
Check the job listing and the application portal for any indication of what format to send your creative CV in. PDF or Word is the most accessible format for a CV, as ATS software tends to be able to read these most accurately. However, if you're sending your CV direct to an employer, and they're not using ATS to screen CVs, a link could be an effective way to send a video CV or other creative CV format.
Can I use AI tools to design a creative CV?
Like any CV, a creative CV should be your own work, so you'll want to create the CV yourself and limit any AI use to enhance and polish the final document. Features like Jobseeker's AI suggestions can help improve the content of your creative CV, but it's always important to start with a draft that's your own work before introducing any AI improvements.
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