Landing a job in graphic design requires more than just skills in Adobe Creative Suite. To win over the recruiting team, you will need an excellent graphic designer cover letter and resume. If well-curated, these documents can cast a wide net of opportunities to help you become a graphic designer and land the best graphic designer jobs.
A cover letter or resume is the first point of contact between you and the recruiting team. Therefore, you will need proficient writing skills to help you create the best documents for your job application. Read below for expert tips, templates, and samples to guide you in writing your graphic design cover letter and resume.
Graphic Design Cover Letter Guide
Learning how to write a proper graphic design cover letter is key for landing your ideal job. Recruiting teams are keen to find the best candidate for their company. Moreover, a cover letter and resume will also help you in your technical interview, which is also important.
Whether you want to write an entry-level graphic design cover letter, design internship cover letters, or a late-career cover letter and portfolio, this guide can help you. You can use your design knowledge and previous positions to put your best foot forward. Read this graphic design cover letter guide to help you jumpstart your career.
Why Does Your Graphic Design Cover Letter Matter?
Your graphic design cover letter matters because it gives you the opportunity to impress the recruiting team. Recruiters tend to prioritize job applications that feature a cover letter because it shows that you’ve put in the effort and care about the job. Therefore, attaching a professional cover letter to your resume might be the thing you need to get your foot in the door.
Use your cover letter to showcase additional technical skills and experiences. Through your cover letter, you will be able to stand out among other strong candidates if it’s well-curated. Highlight relevant skills and expertise that will grab the recruiting team’s attention. Listing a good combination of skills, experience, and abilities can help you get shortlisted.
A well-organized resume can give insight into your expertise, but you will provide a more personal touch through a cover letter. You can rely on your cover letter to showcase your enthusiasm and passion for joining the company you are applying for. For graphic design positions, your cover letter formatting can showcase your design skills.
Essential Components of Your Graphic Design Cover Letter
A perfect cover letter has specific features that hiring managers check during recruitment. Without including these features in your cover letter, you may fail to land your dream job. Below we have listed some of the essential components of your graphic design cover letter.
- Greetings. It is crucial to include a greeting in a formal letter. You should use professional terms to address the person you’re writing to. You should also do your research and figure out who the hiring manager at that company is so you can address them appropriately. This helps highlight your interpersonal skills.
- Opening, middle, and closing paragraphs. Start your first paragraph by mentioning how you found out about the job vacancy. The following paragraph should feature the skills you will bring to the table, including soft skills. Close the cover letter by expressing gratitude for the opportunity and indicating your availability for an appointment.
- Date. Include a date in your cover letter. As much as it may seem like a factor that is not essential, when you are writing the graphic design cover letter, it will play a key role in showcasing your attention to detail.
- Recipient’s name. As mentioned above, adding the hiring manager’s name will add a personal touch to your cover letter. You should also feature a title and an address. If you do not know the hiring manager’s name, you can substitute it with the name of the head of the department.
- Personal information. You cannot write a cover letter without including your contact details. You should place your contact info on the top left corner of your graphic design cover letter. You should include your name, email, and phone number in block format. You don’t need to include your home address if you don’t want to.
5 Tips for Writing a Strong Graphic Design Cover Letter
Many job applicants do not make it through the first cut because of poorly curated documents. It is crucial for you to design your cover letter with the features listed above to ensure you make it to the first screening. As much as including the components listed might help increase your chances of getting shortlisted, you still need to polish your cover letter.
- Include the hiring manager’s name. This may not seem important, but indicating your hiring manager’s name can influence your chances of landing a job. Avoid writing generalized statements. If you are unable to get access to the name, you can substitute it with the title.
- Write a catchy opening line. How you start your graphic design cover letter determines if the recruiting team will read it. Make sure your cover letter starts with a strong opening line and that the entire document reflects your passion and commitment. Your opening line should express what you can do for the company.
- Highlight achievements. Before you start writing your cover letter, you should go through the job description. The job description will provide you with information regarding the skills the hiring company is seeking. Through it, you can outline any achievements that align with the company’s needs.
- Demonstrate your skills. Often, recruiters indicate the level of experience job applicants need. However, this does not mean that you will only get the job if you have a certain number of years of experience. To submit a competitive graphic design cover letter, you can include a wide range of relevant skills instead.
- Write a job-specific cover letter. Most job applicants tend to reuse old cover letters for different job applications. This is the easiest way to miss out on a job opportunity, and instead, you should write a cover letter that aligns with the job you are seeking. Use keywords from the job description to show that you’re the right person for the job.
Graphic Design Cover Letter Example
Graphic design cover letter examples will help you create a winning cover letter. Use the example below as a guideline for your own cover letter. Often, professionals rely on a graphic design cover letter template to curate their document. However, it is still important to write an effective cover letter from scratch.
We featured a sample cover letter to help you jumpstart your writing process for your job application. Take notice of the cover letter writing tips when creating your own application, and tailor the template to your needs. You can omit things that don’t apply to you and add any other relevant achievements.
Graphic Design Cover Letter Sample
[Full name]
[Phone number]
[Email address]
[Digital portfolio link]
[LinkedIn profile]
Dear [Hiring manager’s name],
I am excited to apply for the graphic designer position at [company]. With your current trajectory in the market, I believe my prowess in design tools, processes, and techniques would provide significant value to your company. I have a keen interest in your company’s line of products, and I would like to bring on a fresh perspective to your already existing top-tier products and services.
In my previous roles at [company] and [company], I was in charge of designing new technological products from scratch. I handled the entire product development process and also was in charge of marketing. Through my responsibilities, I developed a global perspective in managing different products and their marketability. This exposed me to a well-rounded approach to delivering top-notch products that fit client needs. Through my work, I was able to achieve high sales projections of [specific statistic]. My design for this project also won [award] for the company.
Moreover, I explored my graphic design skills by working on a number of successful projects. This also helped me enhance my skills in digital marketing. To name a few, I created a [project name] that teaches beginners and experts the ins and outs of graphic design and some best practices. In order to provide value to my audience, I pursued [certification], and I am now proficient in multiple tools, such as Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Photoshop.
Thank you for taking the time to read my cover letter and for considering me for the position. I am eager to join your impressive graphic design creative team and work on [company]’s innovative projects. I hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
[Full name]
Graphic Design Resume Guide
Just like other skills, the more you practice writing an award-winning resume, the better you become. However, before you begin working on your graphic design resume, you must familiarize yourself with what recruiters are looking for from candidates. This is why we developed a graphic design resume guide to help you increase your chances of landing a job.
Why Does Your Graphic Design Resume Matter?
A graphic design resume matters because it offers recruiters more information regarding your best qualities and skills. Recruiters and hiring managers can then gauge if you will be a good fit for the company. Therefore, you should use your resume to showcase your relevant skills and education to grab the attention of recruiters.
If you want to prove that you are capable of adding value to the hiring company, a graphic design resume is the best document to have. You can showcase how the company will benefit once they hire you for the graphic design position. Always include statistics in the resume to validate your skill level.
The graphic design resume also matters because it can address different needs of the companies. One of the most important sections is the cover letter header, which can include your logo or headshot to grab the attention of the recruiter. You can also check out the New York Department of Labor‘s guide to different types of resumes to see which one applies to you.
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Last but not least, a resume acts as the first point of contact between you and your potential employer. You should use it to create the best first impression. Your level of education, accomplishments, and experience will help you gain traction toward your dream job. The hiring team will determine your eligibility through your resume.
Essential Components of Your Graphic Design Resume
Writing a winning resume may come easily to some job applicants. However, many professionals still find it challenging to develop the perfect resume. A well-written resume has multiple features, and they play a key role during shortlisting. If you want to get through the first screening round, ensure you include these essential components.
- Introduction. A well-curated graphic design resume features an introduction. The introduction can have a resume summary, profile, or objective. If you have relevant experience in graphic design, you can use the resume summary to indicate this. If you are a beginner in the field, go for a resume objective.
- Contact information. You should list your name, phone number, email address, and location if it’s relevant. You can also take it a step further and include your professional social media account, such as LinkedIn. Since it’s a graphic design resume, consider adding links to your portfolio or previous graphic design projects.
- Job experience. As you list your work experience, ensure it follows a reverse chronological order, which goes from most recent to least recent. This section includes the employer’s name, responsibilities or achievements, and dates that you were employed. A great way to showcase your job experience is by using statistics.
- Skills. Use this section to convince the recruiting team that you have the artistic capabilities to take on the digital design projects of a graphic designer. Before you start this section, revisit the graphic design job description and find out the hiring company’s expectations. You can also include any award-winning campaigns that you worked on.
- Education. Often, recruiting managers require a four-year degree, but there are some companies that look into hiring visual design bootcamp graduates. You should list the name of the institution, dates you attended, and degree you acquired. You can also include your GPA score if it’s above 3.5.
5 Tips for Writing a Strong Graphic Design Resume
Writing a convincing graphic design resume might seem easy, but there are many applicants who struggle with writing one. You should take a look at these tips for writing a strong resume. These actionable resume tips will help you avoid mistakes and land you the graphic design position you are chasing.
- Research prior resumes. Going through resume examples online will give you a sense of what you should include in yours. Research the best graphic design resume templates and try to find well-written samples to avoid submitting a monotonous letter. This will give you the inspiration to curate a winning document for your upcoming job opportunity.
- Keep it relevant. The best way to ensure your resume aligns with the advertised job position is by reading through the job description. The job description will give you an inside view of the company’s expectations. Use it to guide you in adding relevant design skills that will increase your chances of employment.
- Include experiences. All professional graphic design resumes feature a section on job experience. Use this section to address the needs of the position. You can add any voluntary work, training program, or workshop that contributed to your skill level. Real-world experience can significantly improve your chances of landing a job interview.
- Polish the layout. It’s important that your resume has a consistent layout throughout. One of the factors recruiters check is the general layout of the document and whether it features a similar font type or size. Always use a consistent layout for uniformity and general aesthetics.
- Proofread. Before you submit your graphic design resume, ensure you go through the entire document. This will help pinpoint any grammatical or spelling errors. It’s also an excellent opportunity to add missing details and fine-tune the general document. As a friend to help because a fresh pair of eyes will go a long way in polishing your document.
Graphic Design Resume Examples
It can be difficult to write your graphic design resume template from scratch. This is why we’ve included a complete guide to writing a resume for a creative agency or advertising agency. Along with the right resume content, you can include a bit of color and other small elements to showcase your graphic designer skills.
Below, you will find a sample of a strong professional experience resume section as well as a template that includes all the sections you should put in your resume. You can change the template according to the job and your needs, but it should be a good way to make sure you include relevant details.
Graphic Design Resume Sample: The Professional Experience Section
Work Experience
Graphic Designer | Digital Nomads Co. | July 2019 – Present
- Designed websites for desktop and mobile platforms for different companies
- Revamped the user experience for Daring Limited Company
- Redesigned Digital Nomads website according to client needs
- Used Adobe Photoshop to create marketing materials for clients
Graphic Design Assistant | Color Scheme, Inc. | November 2017 – June 2019
- Organized client schedules and helped delegate tasks
- Contributed to design brainstorm sessions
- Designed marketing materials for clients in collaboration with the graphic design manager
- Communicated with clients and partners in a clear and timely manner
Sample Graphic Design Resume Template
[Full name]
[Phone number]
[Email address]
[Portfolio link]
[LinkedIn profile]
Summary/Objective
[One or two sentences about your career goals and what you’re seeking from the job you’re applying for]
Work Experience
[Position] | [Company] | [Dates]
- [Responsibility]
- [Responsibility]
- [Responsibility]
- [Responsibility]
[Position] | [Company] | [Dates]
- [Responsibility]
- [Responsibility]
- [Responsibility]
- [Responsibility]
[Position] | [Company] | [Dates]
- [Responsibility]
- [Responsibility]
- [Responsibility]
- [Responsibility]
Skills
- [Skill]
- [Skill]
- [Skill]
- [Skill]
Education, Certifications, and Certificates
[Degree and major] | [School] | [Dates]
[Certification name] | [Organization] | [Date conferred]
[Certificate] | [Bootcamp or online course provider] | [Dates]
Graphic Design Resume Template Resources
- Canva. Canva provides a resume template to help showcase your design skills so you can land your dream job. There are multiple design templates that give a diverse outlook of your skills. You can also add your own design elements on the platform.
- Big Interview. Given that graphic design has become an integral part of every company, there is a need to curate resumes that are competitive and professional. Big Interview is one of the best resources to find polished resume templates.
- LiveCareer. This is another graphic design template provider that offers professionals an easier time curating winning graphic design templates.
Importance of a Graphic Design Cover Letter and Resume
The importance of a graphic designer’s cover letter and resume cannot be underestimated. These documents hold the key to whether you will achieve your career goals or not. Through them, hiring managers determine if you have the right combination of skills and education to take on the advertised position.
Graphic Design Cover Letter and Resume FAQ
Does a Graphic Design Cover Letter and Resume Need to Match?
Yes, your graphic design cover letter must match your resume. It is important to maintain a similar font size and type across your application documents. This adds to the general aesthetics of the documents and shows uniformity. It’s also a great way to showcase your attention to detail.
Can I Add Attachments to My Graphic Design Resume?
Yes, you can add attachments to your graphic design resume. As a graphic designer, you will have multiple visual documents to prove your abilities and skills. It is essential to add these attachments as you submit your application as it will be a great way to validate your capabilities. You can also add links to any previous work.
Can a Graphic Design Cover Letter Replace a Resume?
Yes, there are some companies that allow applicants to submit a cover letter instead of a resume. This is usually the case for entry-level positions. However, it’s not a common practice during recruitment.
Does a Graphic Design Cover Letter Come Before a Resume?
No, graphic design resumes are given precedence to cover letters. Recruiters go through resumes to determine the qualifications prior to reading the cover letters.
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