Graphic Designer Resume Mistakes That Get You Ignored

Summary

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The Angry Designer – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Graphic Designer Resume Mistakes That Get You Ignored
Date: March 31, 2026
Hosts: Massimo (A) and John (B)

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Episode Overview

In this no-bull, unapologetic episode, the hosts dissect why traditional graphic designer resumes are failing to get noticed by hiring managers. Based on firsthand experience sifting through 100+ applications, Massimo and John pull back the curtain on what really happens when designers hit that “apply” button—and what actually leads to getting hired today. The conversation covers the sameness epidemic in design resumes, pitfalls of over-creativity, cover letter truths, the power of LinkedIn, and a practical “funnel” approach for job applications.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Sameness Epidemic in Designer Resumes

• High Volume, Little Impact: Massimo recently posted a job and received over 100 resumes in three days; almost all were indistinguishably generic.
  • Quote:

    "Most of them, they could have been written by the exact same person. Creative problem solver, 80% efficient in Photoshop, expert in Adobe Suite. I even had a couple design ninjas apply. Different names, same word, same story." (A, 00:10)

• AI-Generated Content: Many resumes showed telltale signs of being written by AI, using similar phrases, structures, and even copy-pasted job description jargon.
  • Quote:

    "There is no question that half of them, if not two thirds, had AI writes." (A, 03:36)

  • Example: Multiple applicants referred to the position as a “growth position,” a phrase from the job description not actually present.

Why Traditional Resumes Fail Designers

• Historical Context: Resumes originated for corporate job sorting and mass applications; they're a poor fit for showcasing creative skills.
  • Quote:

    "Resumes were never really meant for designers to begin with...template formatic systems for these giant organizations." (A, 05:03)

• Creativity Misdirected: Attempts to “stand out” via over-designed resumes (infographics, decorative icons, skills bars) just create clutter and frustration for hiring managers.

Top Resume Mistakes Designers Make

(Massimo’s Top 10, [09:50–15:29])

1. Overuse of Software Icons:
   • "I'm tired of seeing fucking software icons everywhere on there. Grids of Illustrator, Photoshop, Figma. I get it." (A, 10:13)
2. Unnecessarily Complex Layouts:
   • Overly creative designs that obscure information.
   • "People were trying to go above and beyond...it would slow me down. Kind of pissed me off, to be honest." (A, 11:14)
3. Skills Bars & Infographics:
   • "Another thing I’m sick and tired of seeing is frickin skills bars rating charts, Photoshop at 80%...this is not the place for it." (A, 12:12)
4. Decorative Clutter:
   • Textures, clipart, and “visual noise” add no value.
5. Generic Buzzwords:
   • Repeating “creative problem solver,” “out-of-the-box thinker,” etc., with no evidence.
6. Massive Software Lists:
   • Including outdated or irrelevant tools.
7. Irrelevant Work History:
   • Fast-food jobs, retail, etc., unless directly related to design.
8. Headshots:
   • Introduces bias; unnecessary, especially in Western markets.
9. Vague Job Descriptions:
   • Listing duties without outcomes or context.
10. Poor Narrative Flow:

• Not guiding the hiring manager to the most relevant info.

The Unexpected Power of Cover Letters

• Underused Differentiator:
  • "Oddly, the people I called. Two of the three actually submitted cover letters...those cover letters caught my eye." (A, 15:43)
• Quality Over Quantity:
  • Most cover letters seemed AI-generated; only thoughtfully written, truly personal letters stood out.
  • "Two of them were clearly AI written...but two for sure were not. They dug deeper, actually spoke about the position in detail." (A, 16:09)

The Critical Role of LinkedIn

• The Real Hiring Checkpoint:
  • "Turns out about 89% of recruiters, you know, still use LinkedIn as part of their hiring process." (A, 17:34)
• Common Mistakes:
  • Designers treat LinkedIn like Dribbble or Behance, merely posting portfolio pieces instead of engaging thoughtfully.
  • "Very few designers are actually using LinkedIn effectively...It’s not fucking dribble. It’s not behance, guys." (A, 18:13)
• What Matters:
  • Engagement with industry content, sharing thoughts, showcasing thinking and problem-solving, not just finished products.

The "Application Funnel" for Designers ([20:34–26:11])

• New Approach:
  1. Resume = The Gate:
     • Simple, clear, skimmable. Used only to pique interest.
  2. LinkedIn = Credibility:
     • Shows professional story, engagement, personality, and proof via social signals.
  3. Portfolio = Proof:
     • Not just images! Must explain the problem, process, strategy, and results.
  • Quote:

    "You need to think of them more like a funnel...Resume gets people through the gate...then drive people to your LinkedIn...then from LinkedIn, you get them to show your portfolio." (A, 20:34–21:15)

Standing Out in a Sea of Sameness

• Storytelling:
  • Designers are supposed to be storytellers—yet most fail to tell their own. Stand out by guiding recruiters through your journey.
• Don’t Fear Being Different:
  • "Who's to say you can't submit the same to the same company twice?...Catch somebody's attention and guide them somewhere else that has good information." (A, 28:03)
• Hiring Managers Play it Safe:
  • The best candidate sometimes loses out to the safest-looking one. Job-jumping resumes are red flags.

Final Recommendations ([29:45–31:15])

• Control the Flow:
  • You want to guide exactly how a potential employer experiences your story: Resume → LinkedIn → Portfolio.
• Three-Part System Boosts Success:
  • "Now using this three part funneling system, I think it will increase all designers chances. Absolutely. Big time." (A, 31:00)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the state of designer resumes:

  "Everybody now has a perfect fucking resume. Seriously. So the differentiator disappears." (A, 07:49)

• On standing out:

  "We're storytellers. Well, the good ones are supposed to be storytellers...they should be taking advantage of the opportunity of standing out in a crowded field." (A, 09:50)

• On the application process:

  "Your resume is your landing page. It’s not your website." (A, 23:30)

• On portfolios:

  "Everybody's tired of seeing just pretty pictures...nobody ever talks about the problem that you discovered, the way you were thinking to get through that problem, the strategy you used, the outcomes." (A, 25:23)

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• 00:10 – 03:41: Sameness epidemic in design resumes
• 04:09 – 05:56: Historical context—resumes not designed for creatives
• 09:50 – 15:29: Top 10 resume mistakes
• 15:35 – 16:29: Cover letters (the overlooked differentiator)
• 17:05 – 19:46: LinkedIn’s unrecognized power and common mistakes
• 20:34 – 26:11: The Resume–LinkedIn–Portfolio “funnel” strategy
• 27:23 – 29:35: Why hiring managers play it safe; the importance of differentiating
• 31:00 – End: Summary, call to action, and community info

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Tone & Takeaways

• Tone: Blunt, practical, peppered with humor and honest frustration
• For Designers:
  • Stop obsessing over fancy resumes; don’t over-design and don’t trust AI to tell your story.
  • Use cover letters for thoughtful, genuine engagement.
  • Treat LinkedIn as an essential professional proving ground.
  • Craft a cohesive, story-driven application experience.
  • Use resume, LinkedIn, and portfolio together, as a funnel—not as isolated artifacts.

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Connect with the Show

• Feedback and questions: Reach out via YouTube, Instagram, website, or subscribe to “Anger Management for Designers” newsletter for more no-nonsense advice—and the occasional AirPods giveaway.

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“Stay creative and stay angry.” — Massimo & John

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Transcript

[A]

Recently, I just put out a job listing and got over 100 resumes in three days. And most of them, they could have been written by the exact same person. Creative problem solver, 80% efficient in Photoshop, expert in Adobe Suite. I even had a couple design ninjas apply. Different names, same word, same story. And the scary part is designers are spending hours polishing this stuff, obsessing over a document that's supposed to get them hired. Meanwhile, the people that are hiring are. Are barely even reading them. In this episode of the Angry Designer podcast, powered by wix Studio, we're diving into why the traditional designer resume is totally bombing, how recruiters are actually evaluating designers and the real funnel that most creatives don't even know that they should have. What most designers don't realize is the resume was never the thing that actually got them hired in the first place. And what we're going to share with you today is going to change how you apply for any job in the future. Let's go.

[B]

All right, here we go. So back to beer.

[A]

Back to beer.

[B]

Still on.

[A]

Dude, you gotta check. Look at. Look at this. Wow. Right? Look at that bright pink. Look at this can. This is one thing I like about, you know, beer cans is every time you get to go to the store.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, there's always such a very distinct selection to choose from. They're all very different. I'm gonna tie this into our episode. Cheers, my friends.

[B]

Get it. Cheers.

[A]

Cheers.

[B]

Okay, here we go.

[A]

Damn, that is a great sour. Again. Me with the sour. What do you got?

[B]

I've got coffee cake, white stout, and it's not bad.

[A]

Whoa. It's got. Oddly, it's got a wizard on there. It's got flames. It looks really badass.

[B]

Yeah, it's. It's a very cool package for.

[A]

And that's good. And that's the thing. Our beers are both good. And they're both so different.

[B]

They're so wildly different.

[A]

Wildly different and recognizable, right?

[B]

Yes, exactly. Well, let me tell you, stand out from the crowd.

[A]

Let me tell you about an experience I had that wasn't so different. Okay. So recently I put out a job description. Yes. Okay. Because I needed. I. We need some help. And within three days, got over 100 applications. 100 in three days. Okay, three days. And, you know, you think that that's great, but it's as though the same person resubmitted the same one over and over. They all sounded the same. Wow. They all looked more or less, had a similar flow. Like I was expecting more from Creative people. But literally, dude, like they would be. They were all passionate designers, okay? They, they were all collaborative, okay? Experts in Adobe. And let me tell you, we had some pirates apply. We had even a ninja or to apply, okay? A design ninja. I'm telling you, like, I can see the design.

[B]

Pirate, pirate, you know, stealing other people's design.

[A]

Hey, you are so right. But I mean, like, it was, again, it was, they were all so the same and they were forgettable and it was, it was driving me nuts. And even the ones who tried to go above and beyond creative were still the same. Like, they used a lot of the same. And it honestly, it was a mind numbing experience to say the least. Okay. Because it's just me. I'm not a huge hiring department. It's just me. And I'm trying to go through. And there is no question that half of them, if not two thirds, had AI rights.

[B]

Just gonna say that smells of. Because.

[A]

Okay, because let me tell you, okay, I had my, my, my ad was my ad, right? The job description was what it was. And I put what we're looking for this, that I had three people say, this isn't a job. This is a growth position. And I'm like, you guys are just copy pasting in chat because nowhere is this a growth position. Like, it was such. Wow. So it was a little frustrating to say the least.

[B]

Yeah, I guess.

[A]

And then oddly enough, like, you know, literally within the same week, I saw this article in Business Insider. Okay. About how this is actually becoming an issue, okay. That, you know, there are so many HR people, hiring managers that are completely ignoring resumes altogether because they're all AI generated, they're all AI written, so they're getting this mountain of candidates. But it's all the same. It's all. And this is a huge problem, right, because again, they're using all the same tools to write the exact same. Right? So it's kind of.

[B]

Basically, what's happening is people, 100 some odd people are seeing that description that you are, you're, you're the position. You're.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

They're keying that into chat and saying, give me a description. So everything comes out exactly the same.

[A]

Exactly the same. Everybody sounds like they're a scholar, everybody sounds great, everybody uses the same bs. Wow. Okay. And it's, it's kind of like a really shitty system. Okay, right now, which, which is crazy because, I mean, okay, if you think resumes were never really meant for designers to begin with, they really weren't. Okay. If you Go back. Okay. Resumes were. Were. Were for a completely different era of jobs.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

This was like when corporations needed to hire a ton of people and, and HR departments had to sort through. Right? So then they would look at, like, people's history and. Right. Their job, you know, what they're, what their credentials were, what their education. And it was just to sort. Yeah, but you can't really grade designers that way. Okay. Because what. Okay. Ooh, we went to school. Do. Really Ever checked if anybody in the past 25 years of applications, if I verified this, if they've gone to school?

[B]

Yeah, no, just like. Yeah.

[A]

Not to mention some of them said high schools on. I don't care about their high school. That's another whole thing altogether. Right? But I mean, again, the. The resumes were, you know, like, such like, you know, template formatic systems for these giant organizations to sort through hundreds that they never, ever put anything out there that designers actually. Separate designers, right, Are our train of thought. Right? They were not friendly for. For portfolios. They're not friendly for, you know, what we do, how we think. Right? The most, the most creativity that you'd have on there is like, when you design it out. And that's not good either as of lately. And we'll talk about that. But so again, it's. It's kind of turning into a disaster. And now with AI doing this, right? Yeah, everybody sounds great on their resume. You know what this reminds me of?

[B]

What's that?

[A]

I first saw this about 15 years ago. Okay, 20 years. So again, if anybody doesn't know this, you know, this is the town that that BlackBerry came from, okay? And, you know, Research in Motion was a company had BlackBerry, right? And. And it went through this massive explosion. It grew like crazy. They hired people everywhere. And just as fast as they hired people everywhere, they tanked when the iPhone hit the market, right? They were a little arrogant and thought that iPhone couldn't catch them. And literally they had to start laying off thousands of people. What they offered, okay, which fucked every small business over in Kitchener Waterloo, okay, is they would let people go, but they would offer them assistance in writing their resumes. Okay? So now working with rim, okay, Working with rim, you knew that one in ten employees were actually good. Yeah. Okay? Nine of them were just like bodies filling a spot that they sucked. But the problem is, on paper, they all read like they were good, right? So again, this service turned out the same people over and over and over, and that's what AI is doing, okay? Everybody now has a perfect fucking resume. Okay, Seriously. So the differentiator disappears.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

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[B]

And they're kicking around, but they're original now because at least something different.

[A]

Chat would never tell you that. Chat would never tell me that.

[B]

Okay, you should be a pirate.

[A]

Yes, yes. Stand out from everybody else, you know, and, and it's so bad. But the ironic thing is this is the opportunity designers should take advantage of because, I mean, we're storytellers. Well, the good ones are supposed to be storytellers, so, you know, they should be taking advantage of. Of, you know, like the whole opportunity of standing out in, in a crowded field. But they're not. Dude. Like, there was so many. Dude. I got a list here. I wrote down 10 things, okay? After going through this list of, of, you know, going sifting through a hundred fricking resumes. Okay, this is shit designers need to stop doing. Okay? And you tell me. I'm sure you guys are like, oh, shit, really? Like number one. I'm tired of seeing fucking software icons everywhere on there. Okay? Grids of Illustrator, Photoshop, Figma. Okay, yeah, I get it.

[B]

You know, you're a product a bunch of times. Yes.

[A]

I don't need to see this on your resume anymore. Okay. Yeah, you know, I get it. It's not, it's not meant for the resume. Okay. So instead of, instead of actually putting these stupid things on there, just list figma.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Four years and you know, I used it to product design and prototyping or whatever. Right. Like example, give me something not just an Illustrator icon.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

That says. Shit. I'm tired of that. Okay. Like everybody layout was so different. Okay. People were trying to go above and beyond. Oh. They're trying to be uber creative.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And the problem is, it's like it. Half the time I'm trying to find the information to figure out who they are, what they do.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And it was like every new one was a little different experience. So I, It. It would slow me down. Kind of pissed me off, to be honest. Okay. So there's some common formatting that they should follow. Okay. Right. If you're a good designer, guess what? Grids are pretty cool and they work for a reason. So embrace that shit. Okay? Stop with this trying to go over and beyond with the portfolio. And I'm not saying, you know, or. Sorry. With the, with the resume. I'm not saying don't be creative.

[B]

Yeah. You got to be.

[A]

But, but I mean, show me a little bit of your personality. Don't try to redesign the whole damn thing. Right. Jacob's Law. Right? Give. Give me what I'm already used to, you know, and add creativity where it doesn't matter.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

It shouldn't if you're trying to sift through an A resume to find information because of the creativity is blocking it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That's kind of defeating the whole purpose.

[A]

Absolutely, Absolutely.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That's another thing I'm sick and tired of seeing is frickin skills bars rating charts, Photoshop and 80. 80% of 100. Right. Like, guys, really, you know, I don't need to see this along the side because it's. This is not the place for it. No. Right. Because again, this, that's not the job of this. Okay. Infographics. Charts. Yeah. Okay. I'm seeing that all over the place. Right. Which again, I applaud the attempt to try to stand out. And now everybody's doing it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So it's like I'm sick and tired of seeing this over, dude. I. Not one person did I call back with any of this. Obviously too many decorative elements showing me like, you know, background textures. It's like, hey, you want to texture Buy the paper, you know what I mean? And give me that, that works better than that. You know, creating visual clutter and clipartic. No, I don't want to see any of that. Okay, Generic buzzwords, guys. If I see another creative problem solver that doesn't say that you actually solve problems. Okay, right. Passionate designer, out of the box thinker.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

You're obviously not an out of the box thinker. If, if everybody else is using the exact same people. You know, massive software lists. Yo, I don't care if you know 20, 30 variations of Microsoft and, and Lotus, Lotus or whatever, Lotus Notes. And this really, this stuff doesn't help you out. Especially if the job that you're, that you're applying for is a design job. I don't care if you know all these obscure processing that's out there. So it does you no favor to list this out. Okay? Irrelevant work history. Don't care if you're worked at McDonald's, I don't care. You're a sales guy. You know, hey, nothing personal. Good. But that doesn't do me any favors.

[B]

Yeah, that doesn't reflect what you're doing.

[A]

Here's a weird one that you know, you know, I wasn't sure about if maybe I was just kind of being a jerk about this one or not, but headshots are kind of a no cool thing anymore, right? I thought it was just. Well, I mean, people would often send, you know, headshots through so you'd see the person you think, okay, makes it a little bit more human. But I was reading online that sometimes what happens is, is when it's a headshot, people are almost obliged to recognize the ethnicity to recognize and almost use it as an advantage. Right. Which is actually caused more shit like so more in the western markets. Okay. But it was like it can unnecessarily introduce biased. Right. And, and you know, and we don't, we just don't want to go there.

[B]

That's not good. Yeah, you always thought, I mean, we were always taught in school that your resume should be generic in that regard in that regards.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Don't throw your picture a full size headshot.

[A]

And there's enough places for, for that kind of shit out there. Resume probably isn't one where you want, you know, you don't need that. And, and of course, last but not least, I don't really want to read about vague duty that you did somewhere. You know, janitorial services, you know, opening and closing of, of lights. And you know, it really doesn't do any better. But this is legit. Out of these hundreds, this is the. I kept on seeing over and over, but you must.

[B]

So the differentiator. And the bane of my existence when I was doing this stuff was the

[A]

COVID letter that had. The infamous.

[B]

The infamous cover letter that probably has separated the. Some of these people. So from their. From this.

[A]

This piss poor. So get. Get this. You're. You're right, actually. And oddly, the people I called. Okay. Two of the three actually submitted cover letters. Most.

[B]

Not everybody does.

[A]

No. Of that list. Okay. Of the 100. Of the 100. And I capped it. I stopped at 100. Right.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I can honestly say there was less than a handful in one hand I could count that actually had cover letters. And sadly, those cover letters caught my eye.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Two of them were clearly AI written. Right. So I was like, no. Okay. But, you know, two for sure were not. Because they talked about the jobs, they dug deeper. They. They actually spoke about the position in detail. What? Like it was. It was well done. So incredibly right now, it was like it was the COVID letter that caught my attention, not the resume.

[B]

Holy shit.

[A]

And I'm just saying, from my experience, whether or not this is across the board, whether or not this is what the world's doing, I can't say for sure. But in this case, it was the COVID letter that caught my eye.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Isn't that funny? Eh? Wow. So then, you know, my next step wasn't to go and contact these people. Okay. My next logical step, I checked him out on LinkedIn.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Okay. I absolutely did.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And it's a logical step. We'll talk about this a little later. But the thing is, you know, digging deeper. Okay. It turns. And again, I wasn't sure lately because, I mean, LinkedIn is a social platform. It's kind of annoying.

[B]

It's. I. I was just gonna say it just seems so.

[A]

I know, it does. It seems like it's. It feels like Facebook. It feels like a lot of the shit on there's AI driven. Right. But that's just the content that's on there. It doesn't necessarily mean it's your content and what you should be posting, because I did check out every one of these people that, you know, I ended up calling in. And then, you know, it turns out that about 89% of recruiters, you know, still use LinkedIn as part of their hiring process.

[B]

89.

[A]

89. Okay. So this is a big, huge. It is huge. Okay. We're not talking about. They're gonna go check out your Facebook. And we're not talking about. They're gonna check, you know, there they are using LinkedIn, and I feel that that is such an underutilized place for people to be. But, I mean, the shit's there, okay? The problem is the way designers use LinkedIn. It's not effective at all, right? They put on, you know, status, you know, open to new opportunities. Thanks, guys. You know, they'll. They'll throw on a new logo project that they got, right? Oh, hey, I just got this new logo. I'm happy to have this customer, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Very few people, you know, that I found, especially designers, okay, are actually using LinkedIn effectively, right? And so again, I started putting all this shit together, right? Digging through this, right? Because I know what hiring managers are looking for in this case, I know what I was looking for. I'm not going to their LinkedIn to look at portfolio pieces.

[B]

Okay, okay.

[A]

Because again, that's not the place for it necessarily, right? I don't want to see a logo that you popped on there, right? And. And again, everybody's doing the same thing. They want to see how people think. They want to see what people engage with, how they, you know, how they connect to the bigger world, Right? You know, sometimes people are highlighting articles that they like, Sometimes people are commenting on top of articles they like, right? The people that are standing out in that LinkedIn world are the ones that are engaging in. In the work topics that, you know, actually involve what it is that they do. And this is the kind of shit that actually catches people's attention for jobs because it shows that you know how to do more than just create a logo and pop it on. On. Hey, this is my portfolio piece. You know, granted, nobody should have a portfolio like that, but that's how people are using LinkedIn. It's not fucking dribble. Yeah, yeah, you know, it's not behance, guys, right? But that's how designers use it, so that's a huge problem. Okay, so then that's what kind of got me thinking that, you know, it seems as though, you know, everybody's kind of using this the wrong way. Right? Okay. Because proof, okay, people are definitely on LinkedIn and they're using LinkedIn where most

[B]

of the people from this pool of. Of employees or the potential employees, were they all on LinkedIn?

[A]

No. Very well, very few of them even had their LinkedIn profile on there. Oh, that's the funny thing. But of course, my short list, I was on their LinkedIn and.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

I was on all their other stuff Too. Okay. I was on their Instagram. Okay. And again, it made a difference because then it's like I saw the way they thought I saw. I saw somebody else. They applied and randomly they had five posts and they had like 13,000 followers. And I was like, wait a minute, this post only got like 10 likes. This post only got 14 likes. All of them were. But he got 10,000, 13,000 followers. I was like, I think he maybe paid for something there, maybe, you know, and it's like, again, some of us might be smart enough to kind of call on some of this stuff.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It seems like people, especially designers. Okay. Are using resumes, LinkedIn and portfolios separately. Like they're separate silos of information. Okay. And the reality is, okay, when, when you're trying to get hired, okay. You need to think of them more like a funnel. Okay? We all talk about funnels. We know this, this term. Okay? It's a huge HubSpot turn, right? Create the funnel, you know, get the pipeline going. We need to make people realize that, you know, there's a succession, there's a plan here that you need. You need a resume. All that resume should do is get people through the gate. That's it. Okay? Get you through the gate. Okay. And then drive. You drive people to your LinkedIn. Okay. Then that LinkedIn. Right, that LinkedIn, it gives you the credibility. Right, okay. That you're looking for and makes them think, huh, this is somebody that might actually, you know, have some, Some worth behind them. And then from LinkedIn, you get them to show your portfolio. That's the funnel that I think needs to happen nowadays, especially for designers. Okay. If you're just applying for a. A small retail job or something else, fine, drop in a resume. Good luck. You know, that's. Pray that it's going to happen and that's it. Right. But this is a process that designers have to realize. And it's like, you know, I'm thinking that this, these three things have to work together to actually get you to that, you know, that. That level. Get you that job these days. Yeah. Because one is just not enough.

[B]

Yeah. And it's consecutive. It's a story almost that you're telling.

[A]

Well, you know what I mean? Again, we are supposed to be good enough to be able to connect and tell that. Right. But very few people actually are. And again, they're not taking up, they're not taking advantage of this opportunity. Right. So again, the resume.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Okay. This is, this is the gate. This is the only thing this is supposed to do. Is catch people's eyes and, and push them through. Okay. So it needs to have like, you know, you, you want to, you know, to intrigue them enough that they're going to want to learn more about you for their job. Hm. This is somebody good. This looks like it's got some really, you know, good. Right. You want to make sure that there's clear float to this. And it's really easy to skim. Okay. But using hierarchy, surprise, surprise. Right. You actually want to highlight the things, the points that you want them to see. Okay. Because again, this is a job enough to, to, to, to pique the curiosity, but not tell the whole story, because the whole story should be delivered in LinkedIn. Okay. But you just want to highlight a couple strong achievements. Okay. Mention some of the deeper thinking. Okay. That you have and that it's available on LinkedIn. Okay. And you want to call people to it. And again, you just, you want to think of this as the landing page. Okay. It's not your website. This is not your website. Your resume is your landing page.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And you want them to take, go from the landing page then to your LinkedIn. Right. Okay. LinkedIn is where, you know, the credibility happens. Right. That's where people will discover you if they're just searching. So LinkedIn actually works harder than a resume would because a resume is you to push it out to people. Yeah. Okay. Where LinkedIn, surprisingly enough, if you, if you actually optimize your LinkedIn profile, it spits it out everywhere.

[B]

Right?

[A]

Right. People are regularly finding you. Right. There's algorithms that will bring you up for job searches automatically if you use it. It can be pretty powerful. Right. But then again, it's, you know, if somebody's clearly using it or, sorry, if somebody, you know, if you do this. Right, okay. And somebody is actually interested in your resume, they're clearly going to go and validate you on LinkedIn. LinkedIn. Right. Proof. Almost 90% of recruiters will use this.

[B]

Yeah. Geez.

[A]

Okay. You know, you want to make sure that you have a clear headline, you know, a positioning statement, what it is that you do. Okay. You know, you don't want to just talk about, you know, the, the list, the employers that you have, but, you know, actually talk about what you did at those. I, I see so many wasted opportunities there in LinkedIn. Yeah. And then again, you know, you also have to realize it is a social media platform. You have to put stories out there. You have to comment on things that you see. Maybe engage with a couple of people here, there, heaven forbid Right. If, if you're looking for a job, LinkedIn should be your full time, temporary job. There's no reason why you're not living on that freaking thing. Okay. And then of course on that, you want to make it really easy for people to find your portfolio. Whether you know, it is on LinkedIn or whether you do want to push them into dribble or behance or find a platform that integrates with LinkedIn, which I think that there are a few even for there really. Right. But then that's the third part of this funnel, right? Because again, your portfolio now is the proof. So again, you know, your resume is the gate y. Okay. LinkedIn is the credibility and now your portfolio is the proof. Right? So it's like, hey, I. Okay, this looks pretty good, but now let's see if he's actually legit or not. So when they get you there, okay. What you don't want to do for the portfolio is you don't want it just to be a blind gallery. Yeah. Okay. You don't. Because again, it's just pretty pictures. The whole world right now is pretty pictures. Okay? It is. And I'm done. Everybody's tired of seeing just pretty pictures because as good as your pictures are, there's. There's better everywhere else. Okay. But what it's missing is, you know, nobody ever talks about the problem that you discovered, okay. The way you were thinking to get through that problem, right. The strategy you used, you know, the outlets, the techniques, the mediums, and then of course, the results, the outcomes. Okay. This is the. That everybody wants to read about because that's the stuff people want to hire.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It reminds me of this story we once pitched a company, okay. And it was a big company. And I knew that there were a whole bunch of other agencies going okay, to the company. And every agency was going to bring their portfolio, they were going to open it up and talk and blah, blah, blah, right? We knew this, we knew the story. I get there, right? We had a custom printed portfolio. It was about, you know, 30 pages thick, right. Showed all of our stuff, explanations, this, that, right. Walked up to the table, there was like six ladies in front of me, right? And insurance company, okay? So it was very, it was very women centric. I don't know why, but okay. Needless to say, I sat down and just myself. I do great. To me, I'm like, you know what? Put the portfolio down. I said, this is my portfolio. I'm just going to leave this with you guys because I'm sure being that you're an insurance company. You have brought, you know, you put this out to a lot of really good agencies, okay. But, you know, there's more to the agency experience than just what we're capable of. So you can keep this. Let's spend the next half hour and just get to know each other and let's chat. All of them all of a sudden were shocked and they sat back in their chairs and were like, in relief.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then we just talked. We talked about what they were looking for, what they wanted in agency, what their struggle were. That was the whole thing. Okay. I left them the portfolio in the end, okay. Needless to say, we got the job. Okay. And it was. And it was because we knew that everybody would have equally great portfolios.

[B]

It's going to be good. But you knew exactly. They were going to do the exact same thing.

[A]

Exactly. Right.

[B]

And these people were like, switch it up.

[A]

And that's why I think to catch somebody's attention, you know, in this whole. In this whole world with resumes and shit, right, you need to be able to. To shake things up. Who's to say you can't submit the same to the same company twice?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Try a second version. Why not do something radical, do something different. Catch somebody's attention and guide them somewhere else that has good information. Okay. That would catch more people's attention than just another sea of. Just another resume kind of coming through the same old, same old.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

Because people keep forgetting that, you know, when people are looking for someone to join their organization, okay, it's not necessarily just looking for the right person for the job. They also want to cover their ass and want to also hire the safest person because how. So what's the safest hiring is a pain in the ass, okay. And you don't want to have to spend two, three months looking for somebody, hiring somebody, getting them onboarded, you know, Then all of a sudden, two and a half months later, finding out they're. They're fake, they're duds, you know, and you then have to try to exit them. Sometimes they just keep them there and find other jobs for them just because it's such a pain in the ass. You don't want. I've. I've known people that have discovered that, you know, somebody was a bad hire and it took them over a year to finally get. Get that person out of the company. Oh. Just because it was then they had to go through it all over again. They were like, trying to. And it was just such a. So this is why hiring managers are often looking for the safest person to hire, not just the best person, because sometimes the superstars have got resumes that look like a freaking movie reel where it's like job after job stuff. Nobody hires that.

[B]

Yeah, there's a. There's a reason for that.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

Job jumper. And you know, that used to be the. The kind of a red flag for. For people back in the day.

[A]

And it still is too. It absolutely still is.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I do think that, you know, resumes on a whole. Okay. Were specifically for a different time. Okay. I don't think they're useful anymore, especially not to designers. Okay. And I think that was the problem because, you know, information is everywhere now. Okay. And it's. It's like an overload. Yeah. So I do think that designers, you know, you know, considering that we have storytelling abilities and we have creative ways to. To funnel people through to a place where, you know, we want them to get to, this is where we have to now use that three part system and use this whole idea of a, you know, resume, LinkedIn and then to your portfolio. Right. Make a succession plan here. Right. Because that is ultimately what. What helped me decide who it was I was going to. Now, none of them were as slick.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

As what we just described. Right. In all fairness. But that was my natural plan.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay. I talked to a couple other people. They're like, yeah, we always do that.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Right. And I was like, wow. Duh. And it's true. Because this is a missed opportunity. Right. Because then this way you control how people see you. Right. And how they evaluate you and ultimately then how they hire you. Okay. You want to control that flow. Yeah. My recommendation. Yes. Okay. And I think this is what people need to try because again, the current system is broken. Okay. And now using this three part funneling system, I think it will increase all designers chances. Yes, absolutely. Big time.

[B]

All right, this concludes our three part series.

[A]

Three part series about the 100k designer. Right. The horrible job descriptions and now the resumes.

[B]

Now the resume.

[A]

If there's other parts of this that you guys actually want to hear about, you know, reach out, hit us up. Let us know what you want to hear from an agency perspective, if you want some honest answers. Because, you know, I'm not going to hold back. You know, if you want to know what it is that. That catches my eye, what we're looking for, what, you know, what we don't want to see, just. Just hit me up and let us know. Yeah, hit us up on YouTube. Hit us up on Instagram or directly on our website.

[B]

Don't forget the newsletter.

[A]

Oh, yeah, we have a newsletter. Anger Management for designers. Yes. Hit that up. Look for it. It's just a lot more of this, you know, a lot more of this. Just an email newsletter form. And yeah, we're going to be bringing back that contest soon for another set of AirPods. Oh, yes. So stay tuned for that next month. All it's going to take is just a simple pull, simple little ad for them to fill out. And only about 3, 400 people fill this thing out. So your odds are pretty good. Yeah, odds are pretty good.

[B]

Good for a nice set of headphones.

[A]

Yeah, beautiful. Nice, right? I've already got them. They're just sitting there waiting. Not for you.

[B]

I'm just gonna submit then, so.

[A]

All right, everybody. My name is Massimo.

[B]

My name is John.

[A]

Stay creative and stay angry. Sa. Sam.