10+ Art Resume Samples: Here’s How to Turn Your Creativity Into Job Opportunities

When pursuing a role in the creative industry, displaying your art resume might not be your first instinct. Indeed, in this field, talent and creativity take center stage. But is it possible to convey these qualities on paper, too?

Surprisingly, the answer is yes.

The secret? Slipping in stuff like your biggest awards, references from big names you've worked with, or jobs you've done that really made a difference.

Plus, a cleverly constructed art resume can point employers in the right direction — to your portfolio where your creativity unfolds. 

We will show you 12 art resume samples, including 5 sourced from real people who got a job thanks to their standout resumes, as well as 7 that have been expertly tailored to specific art-related roles by our resume specialists. 

Here are the 5 main tips we've uncovered from studying these resumes:

• Include your portfolio URL in the contact information section of your resume right at the top
• Try an original resume design & playing around with different color schemes or styles  
• Add (relevant) social media handles, such as Instagram, LinkedIn, or YouTube if you post your work regularly
• Don't forget to highlight relevant hard skills, such as Adobe Photoshop or Final Cut
• Include references on your resume to boost your credibility

1. Film Director Resume Sample

You can't do better than pitching yourself in the very first section of your resume.

Your profile summary is your digital handshake. Use it to briefly say who you are, what you do, and what makes you memorable (“knowledge of all stages of the filmmaking process,” “will put in extra hours of work when needed”). 

Outline your career trajectory and convince the recruiter you know where you're heading in a maximum of five sentences. 

Spicing it up with powerful adjectives like performance-driven, deep, excellent, unparalleled will make them want to read the rest of your resume and learn more about your accomplishments and the skills you can offer.

2. Actor Resume Sample

Talking about an artist's work experience without actually seeing it is absolutely pointless. That's why you should say goodbye to wordy descriptions and focus on including your portfolio.

And how to list your portfolio in a resume? 

The best way to do so is to include your portfolio URL in the contact information section of your resume right at the top. In the body of the resume, feel free to reference the portfolio to reiterate its importance. 

Moreover, notice how Julienne categorized her previous acting gigs into neat categories and described each role. 

3. Graphic Artist Resume Sample

Created, established, collaborated, won. Sounds a bit like veni, vidi, vici, right?

Well, kind of. These words are actually action verbs — verbs that add confidence to your resume. They work so well that 93% of resumes from our database include 1 or more action-oriented phrases.

Use these action verbs to make your bullet points in the Work Experience section hit the bullseye. Use them to list your job responsibilities and demonstrate your professional abilities. 

Before finishing your resume, feel free to play around with resume formatting. Ever thought about using bold type, all caps or underlining passages of text? 

Felix did:

• Winning a 2018 GRAPHIC DESIGNER OF THE YEAR AWARD.
• Top 5% of the Program

These tools can help you highlight the details that deserve recruiters' attention, such as special awards or notable accomplishments.

4. Video Production Assistant Resume Sample

Applicant Tracking Software has been screening our resumes and deciding our jobs for more than a decade. They can either decide whether to pass your resume on to the hiring manager or throw it away. 

To be able to make the cut, pack your resume with relevant keywords and industry lingo that these machines will recognize. 

The more you tailor your vocabulary with the job posting, the better your chances of getting noticed!

Here are a few examples of the best keywords for a video production role:

• Digital Video & Film Production
• Promo & Trailer Production
• Social & Digital Production
• Scheduling & Planning
• Talent Directing
• Script Writing
• Content Development
• MS Office
• Final Cut Pro
• AVID Media Composer
• After Effects
• Adobe Premiere
• Budgeting
• Motion Graphics
• Crew Management
• File-Maker Pro

5. Illustrator Resume Sample

Most resumes look quite boring. Too much text accompanied by a scarcity of visual elements to lighten up the page. No one's impressed, no one's surprised.

However, in the creative industry, you don't need to be afraid to show a more creative design.

For example, Anna chose to decorate her resume with doodles adorning its edges, turning her resume into a work of art, too.

You can play around with different color schemes, and styles, or icons. You don't even have to keep the traditional one-column layout. 

Experimenting and going beyond what's expected may give you that edge you need to stay ahead of your competition.

6. Video Editor Resume Sample

Some roles within the creative industry require people to have certain hard skills. These are technical abilities, such as knowing how to work with certain tools or software. 

For instance, a video editor like Eba needs to be proficient with tools such as Adobe Premier or After Effects. 

Moreover, while you might possess all the skills listed on your resume, you may want to express your proficiency level.

Similarly to languages, you may be proficient in some skills but advanced in others.

And here's where bar graphs and pie charts come in handy. While these visual elements aren't really bulletproof exact, they can help you assess your skills and indicate which ones you've already mastered and which ones you're still working on.

7. Makeup Artist Resume Sample

Recruiters want to see a holistic image of the job seeker. Your interpersonal skills are just as important as your professional skills.

While they'll be curious to know your job history and hands-on experience, they'll also want to see the way you communicate and behave in various situations (especially as a makeup artist who will be touching their face!!)

Nonetheless, it's not just about becoming more vulnerable by letting them know what you're really like. 

Employers are starting to pay attention to workplace happiness as it affects the productivity and creativity of their employees. 

That's why your soft skills have their rightful place in the Skills section of your resume — they'll help them see how you'd fit in with the company culture and perform in the workplace.

8. Guitar Instructor Resume Sample

The best way to make your resume stand out from the rest is to quantify your achievements.

Describe situations when you helped solve a problem or negotiate a deal and illustrate your accomplishments with numbers, they speak volumes.

Saying that you helped attract a new client, for example, will just never be as effective as when you add that you grew revenue from $1 million to 5$ million.

Even our guitar instructor Anna did a great job at quantifying her achievements:

• Promoted services and school all over the Internet - increased client base by 60% within 3 years. 
• Worked on the constant improvement of student satisfaction - increased from 85% to 97%.

9. Photo Editor Resume Sample

This example proves you can format your resume whichever way you want, putting emphasis on whatever you deem important.

While the traditional chronological resume format prioritises job seeker's work experience, a functional resume format can help you highlight a completely different section (usually the skills). In this case, the resume focuses on awards.

The same goes for the order of jobs in the Work experience section. If you're working a full-time job and freelancing at the same time, it's only up to you to decide which you want to put on display first.

10. Junior Creative Resume Sample

When it comes to boosting your credibility, nothing compares to including references on your resume.

Ask your professors, tutors, and supervisors whom you trust for permission to use their contact information on your resume and willingness to vouch for your skills. 

If you're not sure how to ask someone to be a reference, simply send them an email with the necessary information.

Then, include their name, role, and contact information on your resume in a separate references section. Here's how Alan did that:

• Shaik Yusuff, Senior Lecturer S.V. Degree College, 999 999 999 
• Shaik Cheruddin, Basha Capgemini, (Canada)

If you can’t do so now, insert a note saying, “References available upon request.” 

Recruiters will appreciate your willingness to lay your cards on the table and stay honest throughout the process.

11. Senior Copywriter Resume Sample

In the creative industry, it only makes sense that you showcase your creativity. Even through your resume. 

For a (copy)writer this should be no problem. For instance, rather than just listing his past work experience in a boring way, Martin guides you through his resume in a more engaging, friendly way:

• One of my pieces got corrected by Elon Musk's PR team, which makes me sort of proud of that really minor inaccuracy! (More of a difference of opinion, really.);
• Co-authored and edited Kickresume's ebook "The Jobseeker's Guide to the Galaxy". It wasn't officially recognised by anyone important but it’s beautiful and I take pride in it.

He uses informal language, a conversational tone, and shares his personal opinions. Yet, the resume conveys all the necessary information and comes off as professional.  

PS: That's why we hired Martin.

12. Creative Photographer Resume Sample

Social media is a big part of our daily lives. Hence, including your social media on a resume is a great move for people who regularly share their work on these sites. It's basically an extension of your portfolio. 

Plus, your social media can also help people get to know your personality more. Which is a big thing in this industry. People don't just hire a photographer, they hire someone who is on the same wavelength as them. 

Let's look at which social media you should (not) include on your resume:

• Always: LinkedIn, professional website, portfolio
• Depends: Instagram, YouTube, GitHub, TikTok
• Never: Reddit, Facebook, Snapchat

And how do you include social media on a resume? 

Simply include your social media handle in the contact information section, like Renato did. Alternatively, if you want to include 3+ profiles, you can create a separate social media resume section. 

Still not enough? If you want to see more examples, check out our resume examples library!