Why We Need To Burn The Resume In The Creative Industry
- Jan 31, 2022
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 19, 2025
Written by: Courtlyn Jones, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Have you seen the hashtag burn the resume on social media? If you haven’t, then we need to talk about it. For all businesses that need to hire creative talent for your team, this article is for you! It’s 2022 and we are deep in the middle of “The Great Resignation.” Companies are losing their employees left and right and desperately seeking more help.
Unfortunately, finding full-time employees in the creative industry is not as easy of a process as it once was. Why? Because more Creatives are waking up and realizing their worth and are no longer interested in working under a boss in corporate. This is creating a massive spike in the number of freelancers vs. corporate employees.
The good news is that companies can still hire talent using freelance platforms like The Design Database. Online marketplaces like this have become more popular since the pandemic started in 2020 because they provide companies with quick and easy access to great employees who are ready to work.
However, there are still companies who are searching on job boards (i.e. Linkedin, Indeed, or Monster) where they are requiring resumes, cover letters, and minimum years of “qualification.”
In the creative industry, we need clients and companies to understand that the resume does NOT define an artist’s ability to do the job. This is not only limited to the creative industry, but it is a HUGE loss for companies who are looking to hire amazing talent for their team and are constantly overlooking qualified candidates due to the resume.
If someone has the talent to do the work, who CARES where they got it from? Not everyone who has creative talent went to school to get a degree for it. There are finance majors who switched career paths later in life and are now working as Creative Directors. Some of the most talented people out there didn’t go to school at all and have never worked in an office setting a day in their life.
Does that mean they can’t do the job? Of course not!
If the talent is there, the educational background or minimum years of experience doesn’t matter.
The Design Database is built to be a freelance platform, community, and support system for Creatives. One of my biggest reasons for building my company was to showcase the art and talent of Creatives all over the world. My purpose is to break down the barriers between clients looking to hire new talent and Creatives looking for new jobs or projects. The resume needs to be the first thing to go. The Design Database doesn’t even include a space to upload a resume because this should be an antiquated practice.
Since the beginning of 2021, I’ve noticed more hiring managers on Linkedin have openly admitted to no longer reading cover letters. The cover letter is predicted to be obsolete by the end of 2022. This NEEDS to happen with resumes for creative talent.
If you’re looking to hire an accountant for tax season and you need to make sure they have a minimum number of years in the field, or you need to make sure they can do math, then of course you will need a resume. If you need to hire a teacher and want to make sure they have their license and have completed the necessary courses, then maybe you will need to see their resume.
(Although this is still up for discussion because if companies are doing background checks, the resume still seems pointless.)
For Creatives, the portfolio IS the resume. It’s BETTER because you can see what they are able to do right off the bat. If you’re skeptical because you’re thinking, “How do I know they created this and aren’t faking it?” you can require a design test during the interview process. Also keep in mind, anyone can lie on their resume, and they do.
The resume doesn’t tell you anything. It just tells you a boring list of things that really hold no value in the real world.
Unpopular opinion: The people that went to college are not actually better than those who didn’t.
Speaking from experience, I have worked as a graphic designer for over 10 years now and I don’t even have my BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts). I only have my AAS (Associate of Applied Science) because my single mother was putting two of her four daughters through college at the same time and we couldn’t afford for me (the youngest daughter) to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology for all four years. In the past, this made me feel like a failure because I feared I wouldn’t be able to find a good job as a designer or no one would hire me because I didn’t have my BFA. That’s all a lie that society has fed us.
I have been blessed to work at so many amazing companies and moonlighted as a freelance designer, working with an incredible roster of clients, and now I’ve built my own global freelance platform to help other Creatives find their dream clients and jobs.
We need to burn the resume and focus on the person and the talent. Don’t let the resume be the reason why you miss out on the best talent out there.
Work smarter, not harder. The more you know.
Courtlyn Jones, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Courtlyn Jones is a graphic designer and creative entrepreneur. She is the CEO and Founder of The Design Database, a new online platform and community designed to be a support system for Creatives (artists, designers, illustrators, photographers, writers, and more). With her platform, Creatives can connect with clients who are looking to hire now, connect with other Creatives in the community to form partnerships, gain inspiration, and make new friends, and also host and sell their work. She has partnered up with other amazing businesses who share the same mission as her to support Creatives by providing tools and resources to help these independent workers be successful in their careers. Her mission is to help create change in the creative community and bring people together because she believes that when Creatives come together, true magic happens!
