My work history is a mess. How can I write a resume?
I really want to get a job as a creative director in advertising, because I’ve realized it’s my calling. The problem is my background is very diverse. I’ve had a lot of different jobs, like working in transportation and television and at a chiropractor’s office. It’s very unique experience, so I don’t know how to tie it all together when I write my resume.
I know my jobs have been all over the place but I don’t have a lot of gaps, though I did take some time off to care for a sick family member. I know if someone just hired me as a creative director, I’d do really well at the job. I was even doing that job in all but title as a freelancer at a friend’s agency, but they’re not hiring right now.
The great thing about where you are in your job hunt is that you know exactly the job you want. And you’ve tried that job and liked it.
People always think that the hardest part of a job hunt is getting the job, but actually the hardest part is knowing what job you’re trying to get.
A good solution might be to have a functional resume instead of a chronological resume. A functional resume highlights your skills and experience without presenting your life as a linear arrow from point A to point B, which is the type of life that look best on a chronologically-oriented resume.
Some of the best examples of functional resumes that I’ve seen are at Careers Plus Resumes. Check out their page of resume templates and I bet you’ll find one that speaks to the skills you’ve assembled during you zig-zagging career.
Caveat: be sure to have a professional approve any formatting for a functional resume. Once you get into the territory of resumes that are not chronological, you risk having formatting that is so non-standard that the hiring manager won’t take the time to decode it.
When people are hiring, they find themselves faced with a huge stack of resumes and they want to throw out most of them quickly so they can have a more manageable pile. Crazy, unreadable formatting is something that goes into the garbage quickly.
So when you decide to use a functional resume be sure to also use follow a proven template so you stay on the right side of thin line between innovative presentation and incompetent presentation.
Penelope
My take has nothing to do with the resume.
You want to be a creative director at an advertising agency?
Get in line.
I mean, oh my god, if you worked at a medium sized agency you did see that any reputable CD has at least 10 years of creative side advertising experience right? Art director, Senior Art director, etc… You don’t just jump into being a creative director. Something is amiss in this story.
I know a few CDs, because my husband happens to be an advertising executive who has worked in small, mid and large agencies.
It’s a very coveted and competitive position.
If you want to get into the creative side of advertising you need a portfio. Do not apply to CD positions right now, you will not be taken seriously.
I agree with Jessica. You definitely need a portfolio–you have to prove that you have created some amazing work. That said, my friend is a freelance graphic designer (with 7+ years of experience) who now gets some really great assignments where she gets to do art direction. So that’s another possible route.
Hi there,
I worked for an ad agency for 7 years as a Project Manager, so I worked very closely alongside the creative department.
It is true that creative departments are very hierarchical – it could be 10 years from starting as an intern, then moving progressively upwards to a CD job.
The great news, is that having lots of different work and especially industry experience is a GREAT thing when it comes to advertising. Creatives work on many different clients from a variety of industries, so you can use that to your advantage and show how you have “insight” into many different industries.
CDs (the people hiring you would be Creative Directors, you would be an intern or Jr. Art Director at best), are very unconventional people, so having unconventional experience isnt a bad thing. They just want to see that you have great ideas.
To echo above posters, you need a great portfolio. You do not need a job to build your portfolio; just choose a product/service and make up a brief, then do the ads. You can be 100% transparent that you did this.
It would help you if you could be the creative person who also understands data – that is where the industry is moving. Every jerk out there can think up some catchy slogan and design for the latest burger. Can you look at web analytics for ads and websites, and use that to hone your ads, or be more strategic in your messaging? Do you have a basic understanding of analytics at all?
I don’t know your educational background; if you dont have anything directly ad related, you may want to do some courses with an ad/communication organization. These are pretty low investment in terms of cost and time, but it gets you meeting people in the industry (all instructors are in industry). In Canada, we have CAAP. http://www.caapcanada.ca/