It’s no secret that graphic designers, artists and other creatives are often introverts and may lack a certain level of social skills that come naturally to others. I’m putting together a simple checklist of do’s and don’ts that may hopefully help aspiring design students who may be looking to apply for a design internship, part time work, a contract position, or freelance opportunities.

For starters, let me start by saying that I don’t work in human resources, and I’m not a hiring manager. I was however recently tasked with reviewing resumes of applicants for a graphic design internship at the company I work for, and I must say I was actually quite surprised at the lack of common sense in around 70% of the responses I received. I’m not an expert on the subject of resumes or professionalism standards, nor do I claim to be, but the majority of applicants I received led me to believe that this is apparently not common knowledge. I am just writing about my personal opinion on the majority of the responses I received, and sharing tips from one designer to other designers. If nothing else, this can be used to understand how your application may be received and interpreted by the person who is reviewing it.

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