Few real products yet — what do I put in the portfolio to still get called?

List the related products you really made, including coursework, self-made work from a practice brief and work for acquaintances — one line per product stating your own part. Never put images collected online into the portfolio and claim them as yours.

Should I list every piece of software I ever opened?

Only software you can really use to produce the products in the portfolio. The recruiter will ask how you made them in the interview or set a test — claiming software you cannot use and being found out in the test is the real weakness.

Team work — how do I write the portfolio so it is not misunderstood?

State your part in each product: concept, main drawing, editing or layout. Claiming the whole team's product as your own shows up as soon as the recruiter asks in depth about how that product was made.

Where should the portfolio link go in the CV?

Right after the role line, at the top of the CV, with one line stating how many products there are and which categories they belong to. Recruiters look at the portfolio before reading the words — a link at the end of the CV is often never opened.

Never designed print packaging — should I put it in the CV?

State clearly that you never did print packaging, but list the work you did instead: social banners, sales posts, digital publications. The recruiter assigns the right role without print — claiming it and being found out when the print file is due is the real weakness.

← Guides Tiếng Việt

Job seekers8 min read

CV for graphic designers: write it so recruiters look at your portfolio and call you

Keep it to 1–2 pages plus one portfolio link: one line with the main design category plus the channel or product plus the work mode, 3–5 design tasks written as concrete action verbs, a portfolio of 6–10 real products (one line per product stating your own part), the software you can really use, and when you can start. Skip vague lines like “creative, good taste, proficient in Photoshop” with no real product and no clear statement of which part of each product is yours — the recruiter has nothing to judge your skill on.

Free for job seekersCreate a professional CV for freeFive layouts, portrait photo, save to your profile, and print. No fee for job seekers.Create a professional CV for free →

How recruiters read a designer's CV

Unlike sales or office CVs, a designer's CV is judged in exactly two places: a portfolio that opens at once and how real each product in it is. Recruiters look for four answers: which design categories can you do, which real products have you made, which software can you use, and can you take the right kind of work and meet the deadline. Missing any one of the four usually puts the CV behind others, even if you are genuinely talented. So put the portfolio link plus design categories right after the role line, then representative products, then software and honesty about skill at the end of the main part.

One role line: main design category + channel/product + work mode

Open the CV with exactly one line: the main design category you want to do, the channel or product, and the work mode. Examples: “Social media designer, banners and posts for Facebook and TikTok for shops, remote by project.” For brand identity: “Brand identity designer, logo and stationery sets for small businesses, office-based.” For print: “Print designer, packaging, flyers and catalogues, by order.” The most common mistake is writing it too generally (“looking for graphic design work”) or naming the category without the channel and work mode — both force the recruiter to ask, and when hiring urgently, people who need asking are usually skipped first.

Design categories and tasks: one task per line, only real work

This section is mandatory. List the design tasks you can do, one line each, written with concrete action verbs plus the category. For social media: design banners and sales posts for Facebook and TikTok — develop image ideas from the post content, choose colours and fonts to the shop's identity, export files at each platform's size. For brand identity: design logos and stationery sets — sketch several options, revise on client feedback, hand over source files and print-ready files. For print: design packaging, flyers and catalogues — lay out pages, set margins and bleed, check colours before sending to the printer. Claiming a category or task you never did shows up in the first product and costs the contract and the company's reputation with its client.

Portfolio: 6–10 real products, one line per product stating your own part

The portfolio is what sets this CV apart. Pick your 6–10 best products, one line each stating the category, the client or client type (fashion shop, eatery, small business — no need for the client's detailed name under a confidentiality agreement) and your own part (concept, main drawing, editing, layout, or support only). The portfolio link must open for viewing at once, with no password and no heavy file to download first. If a product was made as a team, state your part clearly — never claim the whole team's product as your own. Recruiters assign work by category and deadline; a skill claim that does not match, discovered only after the work is assigned, wastes everyone's time.

Experience by workplace: workplace + dates + main task, no long descriptions

For each agency, studio, shop or freelance project, three facts are enough: the type of place (advertising agency, design studio, shop, freelance — no need for the old employer's name or detailed address), the dates (month/year from–to), and one or two main tasks you did there. No long description, no list of every small product. If you did many short stints or small freelance projects, do not hide them: list them all, one main task per place. Short stints are not automatically a weakness when the portfolio is real and the categories are clear; hiding them and being found out during probation is.

Software, deadlines and work mode: only real, checkable claims

Software: image-design, layout and basic video software — state which you use fluently, which you know only basically and need guidance on, and state clearly if you have never edited video or never designed print packaging. Deadlines: take the brief, deliver the draft on time, revise within the agreed number of rounds. Work mode: office-based, remote, by project or full-time — state clearly which modes you cannot do. Do not list software you never used, hobbies, or an elaborate portrait photo. Recruiters mostly call or message — the phone number must be one you actually use and answer during office hours.

Contact details and next step

At the end, only three things are needed: full name, phone number, a portfolio link that opens at once, and the work mode you can take. No detailed home address, no hobbies, no elaborate portrait photo. Next, create an account and upload your CV so recruiters can find it: register as a candidate on timviecde.vn (/register). Note: with an unverified email you cannot upload a CV or receive selection emails — verify your email right after registering, before uploading.

Do this next

One role line: the main design category you want to do + the channel/product + the work mode.
A portfolio of 6–10 real products, one line per product stating your own part, with a link that opens at once.
Software you can really use + when you can start; software and tasks you have never done stated clearly.

Common questions

Few real products yet — what do I put in the portfolio to still get called?: List the related products you really made, including coursework, self-made work from a practice brief and work for acquaintances — one line per product stating your own part. Never put images collected online into the portfolio and claim them as yours.
Should I list every piece of software I ever opened?: Only software you can really use to produce the products in the portfolio. The recruiter will ask how you made them in the interview or set a test — claiming software you cannot use and being found out in the test is the real weakness.
Team work — how do I write the portfolio so it is not misunderstood?: State your part in each product: concept, main drawing, editing or layout. Claiming the whole team's product as your own shows up as soon as the recruiter asks in depth about how that product was made.
Where should the portfolio link go in the CV?: Right after the role line, at the top of the CV, with one line stating how many products there are and which categories they belong to. Recruiters look at the portfolio before reading the words — a link at the end of the CV is often never opened.
Never designed print packaging — should I put it in the CV?: State clearly that you never did print packaging, but list the work you did instead: social banners, sales posts, digital publications. The recruiter assigns the right role without print — claiming it and being found out when the print file is due is the real weakness.

Create yours now

Five layouts, portrait photo, save to your profile, and print. No fee for job seekers.

Create a professional CV for free →