Arts Resume Examples

Choose the Right Format for Your Arts Resume

A resume format is really just the way your resume is organized, and choosing the best fit for you comes down to your years of experience in the field and what you’re applying for.

If you’re a candidate with many years of consistent employment in the arts industry — say ten years or more — there are two routes for you:

• A CV if your career in arts gears more towards academics or you want to apply for grants, gallery shows, competitions, etc.
• Or the chronological resume

An artistic CV shows everything you’ve done and accomplished in your career. It includes samples of work, publications, awards, exhibitions, collections and memberships to arts-related organizations. It’s much more detailed and longer than a regular resume because it tells the story of your professional life. Usually the hiring manager will request that you send a CV instead of a resume.

The chronological resume is a lot shorter, no more than two pages, and it focuses on your career progression. It’s the best and most organized way to show the hiring manager, for example, how you went from being an art gallery assistant to a curator.

However, the chronological format might not be the best fit if you have little to no experience working in the arts. If you’re fresh out of art school or changing industries, check out the functional resume!

A functional resume puts greater emphasis on your skills and education. That way you can focus on your abilities and the things that you’re good at, instead of your scarce art experience.

If you have a couple of years of experience, but less than five in total, you might want to consider using the best of both worlds: the hybrid format.

It works just as it sounds. It’s a mix between a chronological and functional format that puts more emphasis on your skills. But it also gives more space to describe your arts history than a functional resume.

Our advice: Read the job application and choose one of these formats before you begin writing. It will help you make sure your information is presented in the strongest way given your experience.

Promote Sought-After Resume Skills

While each art form requires its own set of skills, certain skills are considered desirable and beneficial to possess for all artistic roles.

Make sure that you highlight some of these skills when applicable to your abilities so that employers know you’re what they’re looking for.

Some sought-after skills in the arts include:

• Critical thinking
• Attention to detail
• Creativity
• Innovative
• Time management
• Initiative
• Passion
• Self-motivated
• Communication
• Team player
• Organized
• Responsible
• Flexible
• Presentation skills
• Consistency
• Positive attitude
• Ability to work under pressure

Try to feature some of these skills that best describe your strengths as an artist.

Use a Template to Make Your Resume Look Eye-Grabbing

The fun thing about being an artist is that you get to create a resume that aligns with your creativity. Unlike many other careers, which are limited to traditional and conservative templates, artists can use templates with pictures, bold colors and cutting-edge designs.

Want a different color? You got it! Another font? No problem!

At JobHero, we have tons of examples and templates that will make it so much easier for you to have a resume that not only looks good but works to get you hired.

Consider using one of our many resume templates! It will help you organize your experience, skills and abilities, while still giving you the wiggle room to customize it the way you want.

Use our Resume Builder to your heart’s desire and get your resume ready in a few minutes. Once it’s done, you can save it and start sending hiring managers your masterpiece.