THE RÉSUMÉ
Firstly you might be wondering why we should even have a résumé in a design portfolio, surely it should be all about the work and not the fact that you worked at McDonalds during college. In some respects that statement is correct, the work should be the focus, but by not including a résumé you might miss some vital opportunities to start some discussions. These discussions often get across what a great person you are and give the employer an insight into what you might be like to work with.
Remember they are not just looking at your work, they are also meeting you to find out whether you would fit in with their team. There has been many a case where the 2nd most talented person got the job because they had more in common with the employer.
So do we do a full résumé with certificates and references and work history back to the weekend job you had at 15?
No, all we need to do is put together an abbreviated résumé that lists the most relevant parts, matches your grid layout and provides some personal insight into who you are. How do we start?
Name
Um...that's your name.
Date of birth
Better than just pointing out your age, also means you don't have to update it every year. Is it necessary? It's up to you really, I don't think it really hurts and maybe stops the employer from making the wrong assumption.
Marital status
Really not important so don't bother putting it in. Exactly the same for all those other things you see on applications (eg: sex, dependants, favorite colour etc.)
Contact details
Phone number, mobile, email...don't worry about your mailing address. It's very rare that someone is going to want to send you something rather than send an email or call in this situation.
Education
High school? Perhaps, don't go into too much detail though, more important is your college, and any short courses you might've completed. Make sure it's relevant, a short course in knitting might not really show any benefit for a design job. Having said that it does show that you are actively learning and bettering yourself, so it's up to you whether you put it in or not. The last thing you might want to add is any awards you might have received; best student, top of majors etc. Again make sure it's relevant and something that's actually worth being awarded.
Employment
Where have you worked? Depending on how much work history you have will depend on how much you put in. Go back 5-6 years, more is just going to get ignored anyway. List who the employer was, what were your duties, period of work, reason for leaving and perhaps a contact name and number. Keep it short and sweet.
Skills
Hugely important and where you can get across all your relevant computer skills, program skills and language skills. Make sure it's relevant, being able to shear a sheep in under a minute may be interesting but is it really necessary in a design studio...maybe.
Interests
This part always gets attention and as much as we laugh about what some people might've put in here it does go some way to showing the employer that you'll fit in with their team.
...and that's about it. Remember we're not going into too much detail, we are just giving them something to browse over quickly and maybe ask a question or two about, and then we can get onto the main course: your work.
----------
The time table looks like this now:
Week 16 - Resume due
Week 17 - B/W roughs due
Week 18 - Interviews
