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Creative Director Resume Example

Creatives are those quirky associates who beg for more time on projects, show up to meetings at the last possible second, and try to solve problems with imaginative but untested approaches. A number of leadership experts have described leading creative colleagues as similar to herding the neighborhood’s cat population. Cats like their freedom, and so do creatives.

You, a successful creative director, have learned to offer the freedom your personnel craves while balancing the business of deadlines and corporate responsibility, and the skill of accommodating both sets you apart from the competition. When composing your resume, focus on your strengths in this area. Review our creative director resume sample below for ideas on how to do this well, and if you’re still struggling to put your creative and corporate genius into words, let our resume builder help.

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Darcy Andrews

123 Fake Street | City, State, Zip Code
Cell: 000-000-0000
email@email.com

Professional Summary

Talented Creative Director accustomed to accountability for visual design, user interface and graphic production for Top 400 Internet Retailers. Solid record of user engagement and click through enticement by means of innovative, concise and attractive design. Supportive team leader able to mentor designers to best work on deadline and within budget.

Core Qualifications

  • Applications Development
  • Adobe CreativeSuite 6
  • FinalCut Pro
  • CSS and HTML5
  • Color Psychology
  • Commercial Photography

Experience

Creative Director, August 2009 – Present

Company Name – City, State
  • Lead team of 12 creative personnel as part of a specialized mobile applications retail project for deployment across Android, iPhone and iPad environments, providing user access to 80,000 products of over 1200 top brands.
  • Develop daily campaign concepts, direct copywriting, visual design and digital deployment for up to three different email campaigns for varied segments of 6 million email subscribers.
  • Provide ongoing leadership and supervision of all creative personnel as part of daily work for web environments, campaigns, social media channels and print materials.
  • Ensure 100% on-time delivery of all team graphics projects.

Creative Director, April 2005 – August 2009
Company Name – City, State
  • Provided creative leadership, idea generation, copywriting, planning, brand development, video production and shoot photography supervision for all brand activities and representation.
  • Managed busy creative department of 12 personnel in design, photography, copywriting and encoding.
  • Executed major rebranding across all channels, modernizing appeal and leading to 35% brand growth in first three months following relaunch.

Education


2005 Bachelor’s of Science, Visual Arts
Art and Design College of California – City, State

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Why Is This a Good Creative Director Resume Sample?

To draft an ideal resume, start with the professional summary. Remember that a summary should be brief, so aim for three statements that sketch an overview of your vocational identity and most noteworthy professional abilities. In the creative director resume sample, the candidate focuses on previous accountability and a proven record. She also emphasizes her ability to balance creativity with deadlines and budget constraints.

The summary leads into the core qualifications section that the candidate centers on her technological expertise. Listing programs like Adobe Creative Suite 6 and Final Cut Pro among her proficiencies, she includes only programs relevant to the position rather than all familiar applications.

Following the summary and qualifications, the experience section of the creative director resume sample showcases the applicant’s work history in depth. After giving the necessary information, job titles with the locations and dates of employment, the candidate outlines her specific responsibilities. Notice that she begins each description with a strong verb (present tense for current jobs and past tense for previous positions) and stresses the results of her actions for end users. For example, a retail project she led provided “user access to 80,000 products of over 1200 top brands.” She also “executed major rebranding¦leading to 35 percent brand growth in the first three months.” Employers like to see applicants’ job descriptions demonstrate actions directly leading to results. The resume sample provides a compelling model for such job descriptions.

Finally, the education section of the creative director resume sample indicates the highest level of education the candidate has achieved. Notice that she specifies her degree and the college where she obtained it as well as the location of the school and the date of her graduation. This basic information is all that’s needed in the education section unless an applicant has additional training and certifications. Grade point average is not typically included unless a candidate has recently graduated.

Why You Need a Strong Creative Director Resume

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) anticipates slow growth in the demand for creative directors through 2024. Estimating a four percent increase at most, the BLS suggests a continued need remains for creative directors who can oversee graphic artists, illustrators, and other imaginative thinkers.

How these statistics translate is an imperative for creative directors to present themselves well when sending resumes for posted positions. With competition in the field likely remaining strong, you want to capitalize on your first chance at impressing the hiring manager. Your resume is that chance, and in fewer than seven seconds, it should convince the reviewer to stop and read more thoroughly. Use our creative director resume sample to strengthen your resume’s persuasiveness and get you in the door for an interview.

Costly Creative Director Resume Mistakes To Avoid

Before submitting your resume, be sure to proofread it. Look for typos, grammar mistakes, and punctuation errors. One way to ensure you catch your own blunders is to update your resume long before the application deadline. Once you’ve revamped it, wait until the next day to review it again because fresh eyes can see errors tired eyes miss. Take the opportunity to review your work once more, and correct any additional mistakes you find.

In addition to correcting blatant errors, check the content of your work. Look at the job description once more and thoughtfully consider whether your document adequately addresses the needs mentioned, using specific words and phrases from the posting. In the creative director resume sample, for example, the candidate specifies “idea generation, copywriting, and brand development,” mirroring experience commonly required in the industry. When you’re satisfied your content adequately reflects qualities the employer seeks and you’re certain you’ve caught any misspellings or grammar miscues, go ahead and click “submit.

Conclusion

As you prepare to update your resume and apply for a more challenging director’s position, consult our creative director resume sample for inspiration. Try a new crisp look, strengthen your content, and eliminate unnecessary details. Tap into your personal creativity to bolster your resume’s appeal and persuade the hiring manager of your corporate brilliance.

Creative Director Resume Questions 

1. If you’ve never held a creative director job before, how do you make a creative director resume?

The first time you apply for a job as creative director, whether climbing the career ladder or moving from another industry to marketing, your past work history may not align directly with the position you want to obtain. When this is the case, your primary goal is to create a document that clearly identifies the role you want to play and why. Use a format that draws attention to your top selling points, especially those that align with the job description. A combination format (rather than a chronological or functional resume format) gives you the chance to put emphasis on your work history and valid skills. Our creative director resume sample provides some good examples of showcasing important skills.

2. What sections should you include in your creative director resume?

Most resumes include a header, summary, work history, and education section. Remember that you only have a few seconds to grab the attention of hiring managers, so put your best stuff at the top of the page. Keep your header concise and include contact information, such as name, phone number, and email. If you have a professional website, include that link in the header. Follow the header with a summary that includes your professional title and your most marketable skills, as in our creative director resume sample. List your work history, beginning with your most recent position and working in reverse chronological order. Finish with an accurate education section and any awards or certifications you may have earned.

3. What’s an example of a great creative director resume?

A great creative director resume should present your brand in an appealing way. Use a summary statement connected to your header to show your potential value as an employee. For the best results, this statement should establish your brand by combining your tangible and soft skills, presenting an authentic and passionate image. Our creative director resume sample provides a great example of this. Check out our step-by-step resume builder tool to guide you effortlessly through writing your own strong document.

4. How do you list education on a creative director resume?

The education section of your resume belongs after your previous work experience. List educational achievements in reverse chronological order unless your coursework is more pertinent to the position you hope to obtain. Each listing should include the school and specific degree you earned; dates aren’t necessary. As you can see in our creative director resume sample, you don’t need to share your GPA or grades. However, if you’ve earned special honors, such as summa cum laude status, it is appropriate to include them in the education section.

5. How do you list awards on your creative director resume?

The awards section of your resume belongs right under the experience section, if you’re going to include it. The formatting of this section should be the same as you’ve used in the rest of your document; if you’ve used bullets, stick with those and don’t change up the font type or color. Choose relevant awards and stick to those that show you’ll be a great employee. As you can see from our creative director resume sample, space is at a premium in this valuable document.