5 min read

I can write almost anything for anyone however when it comes to writing my own resume, something terrible happens.

As a communications professional of 14 years, my resume is still the most agitating and draining task to face. The irony being that my resume says how well I can write, it says I have attention to detail and how well I generate creative solutions to complex problems.

It’s very ‘meta’ writing a resume about copywriting skills and same for a web designer’s website. It tends to be all or nothing, and there can be no errors or otherwise I am not walking my own talk. The slightest oversight, double space or outdated format will see my resume be the faux-pas that gets overlooked.

It’s enough to make me want to run for the hills, get work as a gardener swapping skills for rent and never return to civilisation again. The uncomfortableness of being visible and signifying that I am creative but professional has always been a tight rope to walk.

However, in more recent years, I came in to some huge unexpected barriers.

I had shifted out of traditional workplaces in to start ups, freelance work and then I faced some personal tragedies and great losses. All work and decisions were impeded by a grief fog and my resume suffered greatly for it.

As the grief slowly shifted, and in an attempt to meet home loan requirements, I went through several foiled interviews for day jobs but for the first time in my adult life, I struggled with my identity and explaining my scenario because it was no longer straight forward like it had been in my late 20s and early 30s.

I had significant life events outside of work but that didn’t mean I had been stripped of my skills or experience in any way shape or form, my degree and experience doesn’t magically disintegrate if I take a short break to recover. If anything, it greatly improved my professional confidence, capacity for joy, hunger for intellectual stimulation and need for fun and light heartedness with my colleagues and friends.

But none of that mattered because it was all unexplainable in a resume format. It turns out there is no place for women’s lived experiences in a job application.

I tried to shine it on as best I could but I was coming across plain confusing to people. Startups thought I was too old yet traditional workplaces with interview manels didn’t like that my linear career had taken some very small and slight detours. I had found myself between worlds, between identities, between stages of life and it was all stopping me from moving forward. I had also run out of savings.

It was at this turning point I started the biggest job application research project of the century.

I booked resume writers, career counsellors, met with recruiters, quizzed my contacts, studied the history and philosophy of resumes and I volunteered. There was no school of thought about these topics that I didn’t devour and try on for myself in applications. After about a year of trial and error, I finally learnt how to have a good resume again, as a mid 30s woman.

And I learnt how to have a resume as a creative woman.

I now have a part-time day job as well as making websites and resumes for other women as part of my new business. I named my business Joan and Daughters after my grandmother and her five daughters to acknowledge the work of women in my family. The work that has so many transferable skills, creativity, colour, style, unmatched quality and ‘human centred’ elements.

The work that ought to pay, and pay well. The work that can be outlined, highlighted and celebrated.

Your resume and LinkedIn are great ways to do exactly that!

Here are some of the things that helped turn it all around for me:

1. Career ‘Stories’

There needs to be a cohesive theme that is obvious at first glance. This alone, trips a lot of people up.

Lack of cohesion can be derailing for anyone, it’s kryptonite to people who have lives outside of work (how dare you) but as with my own story, it doesn’t have to keep being a roadblock for you. All you have to do is elevate and spotlight the common elements, skills, themes, industries, position titles, or even locations.

Make sure you explain the connection between each of the companies, positions, and projects - modifying the language so it’s all connected goes a very long way. Say who the clients are, include your volunteer work and list your professional development courses to better capture the level you are at.

Wrap up all your efforts in an amazing container that is super clear and amplifies the direction you are going in. It needs to have some things in common with where you want to be next so (unfortunately) customising for each and every application is a must.

2. Formatting is (almost) more important than content

Show people instead of telling them.
Creative flair is best demonstrated in your folio, or online presence rather than in the resume document.
Scannable position titles, keywords and company names rather than tangled sentences. Those keywords and phrases are vital when applying at larger companies thanks to AI.
No daggy photos or fonts, no more than one colour if you’re using a designed template.
Use single columns, good spacing and classic styled bullets.
For LinkedIn, use all the functions and fields as they are intended to be used.
If it looks polished like any other serious business document, then you’re more than halfway there.

3. Numbers

Include data, numbers, statistics, percentages and ratios to demonstrate the impact your work has had.
The credibility of business outcomes and outputs will shift the perception of you significantly, as long as you don’t lean on them like they are a signpost.
Having a few stats will level up applications for in-house roles as well as things like getting funding for art-based projects, tenders, securing finance and it will illuminate your freelance work in a way that words alone cannot.

4. Forge past those ‘old chestnuts’

A big chunk of our purpose is from the work we do so it can feel very brutal when you are rejected. Unsuccessful interview feedback for creative women can often be contradictory and perplexing if others don’t perceive you to fall in to a clear category.

I am sure recruiters mean no disrespect when they come at you with old chestnuts like ‘you’re over qualified’ but the very next week you’re under qualified for a similar role. The bottom line is if you didn’t get it, they have to say something to you (or at least they feel they do).

I have sat on panels and seen perfectly suited candidates turned away because of strict recruitment policies where there’s a voting system where the majority rules, and nothing more than that. My favourite was when I applied for the exact same role I had held previously, at the same university but in a different department to be told over the phone that someone else had ‘closer, more relevant experience’.

It’s important these old chestnuts don’t derail you, or your future applications. Focus and forge on because your work matters, even if someone else says otherwise in an awkward attempt to let you down gently.

Updating your resume can be pivotal (as much as it can be painful). But you are capturing the work of a creative woman that may not otherwise be acknowledged or said anywhere else, ever. If you’re out of sight, you’re out of mind and you’re out of work.

Simply listing it out and declaring what your work means both now and in the future is a powerful thing. If all else fails, there is always a need for gardeners.

Author Bio:

Emily is a web designer, copywriter and owner of Joan and Daughters. She helps creatives and businesses translate their work into websites, resumes and more. Emily has had an extensive communications career and loves working with women who are forging their own path and creating their own damn jobs.

On being creative and having a resume