ATS keywords for a graphic designer resume
Many employers keep applications in an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), where recruiters search and sort them by the skills the role needs. Use these terms where they honestly describe your experience, so your resume is easy to find and easy to read:
Key skills to highlight
- ▸Brand and identity design
- ▸Layout for print and digital
- ▸Typography and visual hierarchy
- ▸Working to a brief and to deadlines
- ▸Taking feedback and iterating
Credentials Australian employers screen for
- ▸Degree or diploma in design, or an equivalent body of work
- ▸A current, well-curated portfolio link
- ▸Named software proficiency (Adobe Creative Suite, Figma)
- ▸Any specialisations (motion, UX/UI, packaging)
Common mistakes to avoid
- ▸No portfolio link, the single biggest mistake for a designer.
- ▸Listing software without showing the range of work it produced.
- ▸Describing deliverables without the brief or outcome.
- ▸A visually flat resume that undersells the design skill it claims.
Graphic Designer CV example: before and after
One experience entry, written twice. The numbers are illustrative, the structure is what matters.
Before
Graphic Designer, 2019 to present. Design artwork for a range of clients across print and digital. Use the Adobe Creative Suite to produce brochures, social media graphics and other marketing collateral. Work with the team to meet deadlines.
It lists deliverables with no brief, no outcome and no portfolio link, so the studio has nothing to click through to, and the software name sits on the page with none of the range of work it actually produced attached to it.
After
Graphic Designer | Bachelor of Design | Portfolio: yourname.com.au | Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), Figma, After Effects
In-house creative team of four at a national multi-site retailer | March 2019 to present | Full time
- ▸Branding and identity: led a sub-brand visual identity refresh covering logo, typography system, colour palette and a 40 page brand guidelines document, then rolled it out across 60 stores.
- ▸Print and digital design across seasonal campaigns, from press-ready catalogue layout and prepress in InDesign through to social tiles, EDM templates and large format in-store signage.
- ▸UI design in Figma for the ecommerce team, including a reusable component library that cut design handover on a campaign landing page from two days to half a day.
- ▸Motion graphics: produced 30 to 40 short social cutdowns a quarter in After Effects, built from the same campaign masters so typography and visual hierarchy stayed consistent across channels.
- ▸Ran feedback rounds with marketing and merchandising stakeholders, typically taking a brief to approved artwork in three rounds inside a five day turnaround.
Same designer, same tools. The rewrite leads with a live portfolio link and frames each piece of work as a brief plus a result, so the software list finally has evidence of range sitting behind it.
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Frequently asked questions
Do I need a portfolio link on my graphic designer resume?
Absolutely. Put a current portfolio link near your contact details. For most Australian design roles the portfolio is the deciding factor, and a resume without one is usually skipped.
Which design software should I list?
List the tools the job ad names first, commonly the Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) and Figma, with your proficiency. ATS matches on the specific names.
Should my resume itself be heavily designed?
Keep it clean and readable, a resume parsed by an ATS can mangle complex layouts. Show your design flair in the portfolio, and keep the resume well structured and parseable.
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