Congratulations on your decision to use a camera in your new career path. But if you’ve never worked with this media as a professional, how do you convince an employer to take a chance on you? What you need is a great resume.
The right tools go a long way toward crafting a resume for photographer with no experience that effectively presents you as a skilled camera operator, even if you’ve only worked in other industries before. Here, you will find some tips to guide you in creating your resume as well as a sample that shows one way to sell yourself as a new photographer.
Resume for Photographer With No Experience Sample
Lauren Marie Shaw
New Orleans, LA 11111
E: lmshaw@thismail.com T: 555-500-5000
New Orleans, LA 11111
E: lmshaw@thismail.com T: 555-500-5000
Summary Statement
Up-and-coming photographer with experience in sales and the service industry. Customer-focused with strong work principles and able to complete projects effectively solo or with a team. Highly capable in the areas of time management and communication, with a good eye for color and detail.
Skills
• Customer service
• Organization
• Microsoft Office Suite
• Adobe Photoshop Suite
• Social media
Equipment
• Familiar with Nikon and Canon attachments
• Tripods and monopods
• Digital and physical filters
• Reflectors, domes and ring flashes
Education
Bachelor of Arts in Communication – 2014
Louisiana State University – Baton Rouge, LA
Relevant Courses included: digital media, marketing & advertising
Achievements
• Graduated magna cum laude
• Member of Golden Key Honor Society, 2012–2014
• Headed scholarship fundraising effort that brought in $250,000
• Mentored high school seniors, with a 90% graduation rate among those mentored
Work Experience
Lead Sales Representative: September 2015 – Present
Homes on the River, New Orleans, OK
• Maintain accurate and detailed sales records for finished homes and homes in progress
• Follow up with prospective homebuyers in a friendly and professional way
• Review ad materials for clarity and a clean style that reflects the company culture
• Listen to potential buyers about what they desire most in a house and provide options that suit those desires
• Give tours of model homes and show where different options are available
Retail Sales Representative: May 2014 – September 2015
Hats Off to You, Shenandoah, OK
• Updated inventory logs regularly and ordered new merchandise as needed
• Designed window displays to entice passing shoppers inside
• Held demonstrations for new customers interested in designing their own hat
• Established relationships with regular customers and offered suggestions in line with their past purchases
Digital Assistant; Internship: August 2013 – December 2013
Clarity Advertisers, Baton Rouge, OK
• Designed new and edited existing brochures for use at job fairs
• Edited images for use in brochures and posters
• Revised digital designs as directed by the lead graphic designer
• Checked print quality of physical assets for accuracy and clear colors
• Attended ad meetings and helped put together example portfolios for new clients
Tips for Creating a Resume for Photographer With No Experience
1. Sell yourself from the start
Because most hiring managers spend an average of six seconds or less on a resume, yours needs a great start to keep someone’s attention. In this resume for photographer with no experience, you can notice how quickly the applicant mentions photography. This is important since none of the jobseeker’s work experience relates directly to photography.
Another important part of the introduction is how the writer emphasizes certain skills, both general and specific to photography. Look at a few job descriptions online to see what kind of skills are most desired in this position and work those into your starting summary.
2. Spotlight important skills
In a resume for photography with no experience, it is important to include the tools and techniques you are familiar with. That is because these items might not come up in your work experience, making the skills section the best place for them.
In this photographer resume, notice that there is a skills section and an equipment section. This allows the jobseeker to showcase the photography tools she is familiar with, even if she did not use them in a professional capacity in any previous jobs. This works for photography and other jobs that require the use of specific equipment.
3. Avoid mentioning your lack of experience
Nowhere in your photography resume should you apologize or even mention that you do not have direct job experience in this category. For one, it looks bad. For another, the reader can figure that out just by reading the rest of your resume.
Someone reading your resume does not want to know what you can’t do. Hiring managers look for what you can do and see how well that lines up with the job opening. That means you should focus on what experience you do have and how it relates to the job you want.
4. Make your work experience relevant
No matter how different your previous experience is from the new career you are pursuing, there are bound to be one or more crossover skills. Notice that this resume shows sales experience instead of photography, but the bullet items mention times when the writer used her artistic eye.
You might not always include a college internship in your resume, but in this case it is a valid inclusion. Photography shows up in many digital mediums, so an internship at an ad company putting together brochures is relevant to the desired job.
The Most Important Resume for Photographer With No Experience Takeaways
Entering a new field of work is an exciting and stressful life change, but it’s one you shouldn’t be afraid of pursuing. Your resume for photographer with no experience can still emphasize what makes you a good job candidate without drawing attention to your lack of experience.
Give your resume a strong start and showcase the crossover skills that you picked up in your previous work experience. Be sure to include keywords throughout all sections that relate back to your new career as a photographer. If you would like more help after reviewing this guide, take a look at our convenient resume builder.
