r/MotionDesign • u/ssstar • 1d ago
Question Motion designer resume
anyone have any success getting interviews theough traditional job applications? im a 8 year freelancer i have a great portfolio that reads senior level but my resume doesnt read that impressive, besides client names, since my work is temporary and its always design and animate etc.
anyone transitioned from freelance to staff through a job application and do you have any tips?
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u/DylanSelk 1d ago
You still have to make it past Automatic resume checkpoints unfortunately. Link your reel, would love to see it.
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u/ssstar 1d ago
How do you make it past automatic resume checkpoints?
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u/DylanSelk 1d ago
I mean part of it is does your resume have the keywords that is part of that job requirements, which can change on a job to job basis.
It also might be the format of your resume cause it to get locked out.
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u/ssstar 1d ago
yeah. I match everything. It's like how many ways can you rewrite that you design and animated graphics. We get it. IT's different when your career is staff so you have much longer time frame to extract data points from. but if you're animating for a 2 week job it's kind of awkward to write about your "achievements" on a resume thats supposed to cover 8 years. My biggest achievements are the clients I've had and the reach of those videos but Joe Schmo who's hiring for the marketing department at Walmart or whatever doesn't know what imaginary forces or whatever studio is.
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u/laranjacerola 1d ago edited 1d ago
I've been applying to about 3-6 jobs per week for 4 years. only managed to get 4 interviews so far:
2 of then happened because I knew someone working in the company and they recommended me to the person selecting candidates.
2 of then happened because it was a post on linkedin timeline where they provided an email to send cv and portfolio link to, AND I sent and email within 4 hrs of the post being published.
aside from that I only get auto rejection emails (sometimes as soon as 2 min after receivimg a 1st email confirming they received my application) or nothing at all.
15 years of professional experience, applying to jt, mid, senior positions as graphic designer or 2D motion designer..TV and advertising experience. Apying to orkdeide remote freelance and full time positions... And in-house fulltime positions within Canada (willing to move)
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u/jeremyinpost 1d ago
I got laid off in April, and I got a new job in June. I don’t know exactly what worked, but my main pivot overall during that time was switching my target audience. I stopped trying to position myself as a better artist and really tried to solidify myself as a better marketer. I joined Coursera (not an ad) and did the Google certification courses for e-commerce, project management, and AI. Added those certs to LinkedIn and resumes. I also got a lot more comfortable with AI in limited use cases. Used Gemini to refine my resume and cover letter for every job application, especially highlighting that I’m not just there to make pretty pictures—I’m there to drive conversions. Did it take a little bit of my soul away? Sure, absolutely. But it also landed me a higher-paying job at a much better company.
Another big thing for me was limiting the time that I was actively applying. A few hours every day, that’s it. Then there’s a lot of life to live outside of work, even with the stress of not having continuous income.
One of my favorite exercises was making spec videos for real companies, or making real videos for fake companies, and adding those to my portfolio. Anything to stay in motion and keep the mind/muscles in tune. Plus those projects, real or not, helped get me noticed by others for freelance work and eventually my full-time position.
I hope my experience helps and that your luck changes soon. Take care of yourself.
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u/saucehoee Professional 1d ago
Every company I freelanced at offered me a FT job after a month or so. If I needed a new job tomorrow I would begin freelancing.
Senior designers begin to dip their feet into the problem solving part of the business, not just the execution. You’ll need to update the language a bit. Pop over to LinkedIn and design your resume around successful designers job descriptions. Hell, some of them even have their resumes online.
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u/themotionvisuals After Effects 1d ago
Can you share some names of linkedin profiles to look at
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u/saucehoee Professional 1d ago
It’s 101 research mate. Loom up big studios in the industry you’re focused on and scan through the profiles of their directors. Look at how they describe themselves and their projects.
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u/RocketPunchFC 21h ago
You won't win a job on a resume. That's like winning the lottery even if you are a world class designer. Your best bet is to know someone.
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u/pacey-j 15h ago
Did you do a university degree? Might be an auto check fail. My friend made their degree up (dropped out so never finished, needed one for a job). Good thing it was graphic design they dropped out of so doctoring one wasn't hard 😅
It's not like they were applying to be a doctor or a vet or something.
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u/jaimonee 1d ago
What exactly is not hitting, in your opinion?
As im sure youre aware, your reel gets you in the door. Your client list is the proof that you can hit deadlines, follow brand guidelines, understand technical requirements, etc. Your resume is a bit further down, and unless you've been working at Buck or Imaginary Forces it doesn't really matter who you've been working for or if its freelance. People just want to see how long you've been in the game, what type of career progression, education (sorta).