By Prachi Sachdeva in Resume Examples — Oct 30, 2022

How To Write a Resume for Arts Students - BA & MA [15 Examples]

Even with a lower preference in the job market, art students have a fair chance to get a job that compensates for their skills.

Photo by Annie Spratt / Unsplash

With hiring trends shifting from qualification based to skilled-based, getting a degree or diploma from a reputed college or university does not confirm you a job anymore.

Despite the shift, it is still a struggle for art students to find high-paying jobs. Candidates with professional degrees are still preferred by employers worldwide. Even with a lower preference in the job market, art students have a fair chance to get a job that compensates for their skills.

The first step is developing employable skills

The second one is having a resume that strongly presents your case.

A resume is like a snapshot of your skills and potential, illuminating your worth to a company if hired. Thus, it’s necessary to write a thoughtful resume for winning your first job interview. You have landed in the right place where you will get a step-by-step guide to writing a resume that stands out.

This blog will guide you through:

The correct resume format for arts students
Various sections of a resume for arts students
Tips to make your arts resume stand out
Skills for your arts resume
Top rated arts resumes on Resumod

How To Write a Resume for Arts Students - BA & MA [15 Examples]

The Correct Resume Format for Arts Students

The first thing is to choose the best format for your resume. There are three common formats for writing a resume, each having specific intentions and impacts. Let’s see their role and how they work to help you choose the right format for your needs:

#1 Chronological Resume Format

This format is best suited for individuals who hold a rich working experience to showcase in their resumes. Here, all the experiences are mentioned in chronological order from the latest at the top and the oldest at the bottom, becoming the main focus of the resume.

As a new graduate especially for art students having very few internship opportunities, a lack of representable experience is common. Thus, a chronological resume doesn’t make the best choice.

#2 Functional Resume Format

This is a skill-oriented format. With this format, the aim is to highlight your skills, not the length of your experience.

You do not organize your experience based on the chronology, but rather on your skills. For instance, you have had jobs in multiple fields. You will position your experiences as per the category, rather than your employment date.

#3 Hybrid Format

This is a mixture of both chronological and functional resume formats. It makes a perfect choice for art students. Your lack of experience is backed by your skill set, increasing your relevancy to the job.

Thus, mention your skills and any relevant experience such as internships or summer camps.

Various Sections of a Resume for Arts Students

There are a lot of doubts in a student's mind while writing a resume. The whole process can be really stressful if you don’t know what and how much content to add to your resume. However, we have compiled some common techniques useful to write an organized and standing-out resume.

Contact Details

No resume is complete without contact details. These come on the top.

Write your official full name and phone number, along with your email address and LinkedIn profile (if possible) credentials and your current address. Avoid using vague email addresses and nicknames. Keep everything concise and professional.

Objective Statement

Make your objective, also known as a “statement of intent” relevant to the job, by mentioning a few key responsibilities in it.

For an arts resume, make your objective statement skill-based and talk about the core skills that you'll require during your job role.

Education

Your educational status says a lot about you despite your experience. Many candidates mention their education status at the bottom which decreases its overall intentional impact. Therefore, do not hesitate to write your education section at the top, right after the objective statement.

If you have internships that directly support your future job, then make space for those in the bottom.

Education, objective, and contact details in an arts resume

Tailor your education by following these simple steps:

Add your educational status in chronological order, from the latest/pursuing to the oldest.
Mention the complete name of your institution, along with the year of graduation or total tenure spent during graduation. Write the expected year if you are still pursuing the course.
Describe key areas of your study that you overtook while studying. It could be anything based on your projects, research, or academic achievements.

Projects, Research, and Published Writings

Most Arts students are required to submit some research papers or theories at some point related to their study area during graduation. It could be in the form of group projects or assignments.

Use them to your benefit by writing them in your resume.

Write the topic of the project or research paper and describe your outcome in a separate para limited to 2-3 lines only.

However, make sure that you only add the most relevant ones, based on the profile’s requirements. Keep it concise and relevant.

Skills & Competencies

Normally flexing is bad, but there is no harm in flexing your skills while writing a resume. However, write only those skills relevant to the job profile. It also helps in trespassing the automated process of resume rejection based on skills.

Read the job description carefully and list out key skills keywords. Write them down under your skills section.

Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular activities are your holy grail. They give you brownie points for being outside the classroom and developing your interest areas.

You never know, your engagement in a college society might land you a sales job.

Tips to Make Your Arts Resume Stand Out

Make your resume organized and easily readable. Only choose professional fonts like Arial and the correct font size.
Do not repeat the skills and keep them limited to 10-12 skills only.
The best way to make use of your education is by mentioning your learning from the various courses undergone and describing how they can help you with the applied position.
Mention your GPA, but only if it is impressive and you can back it up. Don’t mention otherwise.
Include a combination of soft skills like communication, problem-solving, quick thinking, etc, and technical skills like MS Office, foreign languages, editing, content writing, etc. This gives a balance to your personal and professional qualifications.

Recruiters do notice these small things, making you stand out and way more relevant than others candidates.