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Creative Director Resume Examples to Help You Build Yours

Creative directors are responsible for all high-level decisions in a business. Here’s how you create a resume that shows this.

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By Ho Lin 5 minute read

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Creative Director Resume Example

Creative Director Resume Example

What to highlight in a creative director resume

Whether you’re the creative director of a graphic design house or you want to become the creative director of a high-profile clothing company, you’ll need a resume that shows you can juggle all the roles and responsibilities of a creative director. 

Becoming a creative director isn’t easy and usually takes many years of experience and refining your skills before becoming eligible for the role. That’s why it’s important to give yourself the best chance with the best resume that shows you know how to be part of a creative team, navigate social media, design marketing campaigns and so much more!

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Structure of a creative director resume

The structure of a resume is largely defined by the resume format candidates choose to use. 

Candidates might choose a chronological or combination format resume. This will help them show off the necessary work experience and skills that it takes to become a creative director. 

Whether you choose a chronological, functional, or combined resume, your resume will still have similar sections:

Header

The header section is usually the first part of a professional resume and includes your contact information. You should include these details: 

  • Name
  • Location 
  • Phone number 
  • Email address

As you can’t go into too much detail on a resume, providing a link to a professional networking site like LinkedIn is a great way of giving the hiring manager or recruiter more information. This is also a good way of showing off how many industry contacts you have. 

You can also include a link to any portfolio sites you have that show off things like digital marketing campaigns and any experience you have as an art director or in rebranding. 

Resume summary

The resume summary section is a collection of brief sentences that summarize your resume content. This section is designed to grab the hiring manager or recruiter’s attention. Do this by explaining any unique information such as certifications or key achievements that you believe make you the ideal candidate. You should give a specific example or two of how your creative direction has helped and can help an employer, encouraging them to read on. 

Skills

The skills section will help the hiring manager assess whether you have the right hard skills and soft skills for the role. The perfect resume skills section should have a good mix of hard, role-specific skills and soft, transferable skills. 

For a creative director resume, consider including these bullet points in your resume skills section: 

  • Budgeting 
  • Copywriting 
  • Project management 
  • Use of Adobe InDesign 
  • Mentoring 
  • Photoshop 
  • Adobe Creative Suite
  • Interpersonal skills 
  • Time management 
  • People management skills 
  • Designing marketing plans 
  • Technical skills 
  • Use of initiative 
  • HTML writing 
  • Business strategy planning 
  • Multitasking 

Work history

The experience section is a critical part of a resume, especially for a job title as senior as creative director. This section essentially acts as a record of any previous experience you have in the creative process.

You should include any involvement in a creative direction, such as an associate creative director role and other director positions. You should list your experience in reverse chronological order, starting from the most recent role. You can also include the company name, location and the dates you started and finished. 

To give this section structure, you can use a resume template to help you format many job titles under the same heading. 

Education

A creative director will usually need a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in the correct creative subject, so the education section is very important. In this section, you should state your qualification title, the school from which you graduated and your graduation year.

Do’s and don’ts for a creative director resume

check sign Do's
  • Study the job description attached to the job posting. This might help to inspire your resume content.
  • Use role-specific keywords when writing your resume. This can help you navigate applicant tracking systems (ATS) and ensure that your resume continues in the hiring process.
  • Use a resume builder. This can help give your resume structure and pick out professional fonts.
close sign Don'ts
  • List your high school GPA. This might clutter your resume with unnecessary information.
  • Go into too much detail about previous creative director jobs. The hiring manager will contact you about this.
  • Use the same resume or cover letter for each application. You should customize each one to meet specifics in the job listing.

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FAQ: Creative director resumes

Have questions? We’re here to help.

While the hiring manager or recruiter will likely tell you if you need a cover letter, they’re important to include throughout your job search. Cover letters allow you to go into further detail about your experience and explain why you believe you’re the ideal candidate for developing creative strategies. 

Creative directors might work typical office hours but are also expected to attend most work-related events in the evenings or weekends. Their schedule may even include travel so it’s not surprising to see them working in different timezones if their company is worldwide. 

1. Use a creative director resume sample to create an eye-catching resume. 

2. Proofread your resume once you have finished. 

3. Keep your sentences concise, focusing on keywords (skills and requirements) that match what the job posting wants.

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Ho Lin Profile
WRITTEN BY Ho Lin

Ho Lin is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and editor with two decades of experience in content strategy, creation, and development. He holds a Master’s degree in Creative Writing from Johns Hopkins University and his background includes experience aiding military veterans as they transition to civilian careers.

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