Jewelry Designer Resume and Portfolio

Finding a job in the jewelry design industry can take some time. However, by creating a website for yourself you can make it easier to get your name, your work, and your reputation out there. One of the first things you should do is to get an account on Linkedin.com and connect with all the people you currently know in the business. It's best to keep the connections on linkedin completely professional. As your connections grow you will be linked to companies in the industry that could become potential employers for you. Linkedin is where your profile can be viewed as well as any recommendations about you.

Be sure to include a link to your own website.

The second key to self promotion on the web for jewelry designers is creating your own web site.

This is a where you can showcase your creativity, professionalism, portfolio, resume and any other talents you wish to share.

The first step is choosing a web host which will cost you $20.00 or less, for a basic web page, per month. I have used squarespace.com and it has been really easy to use and has excellent graphic templates that you can custom alter to your own look.

Your web site should contain a brief history about your professional career and education. You can create a separate page for your entire resume. All you need to do is create your resume in Word and then cut and paste it into the new page. Including a photograph of yourself makes it more personal as well. Make sure you choose a portrait that represents you as a professional.

One of the most popular pages on my own website is my Portfolio page. You can choose a number of different formats for this, but i have chosen a page that allows the user to click through large images one at a time.
I did my own photography for my pieces and then loaded them into my photo editing program. Once they were created in correct colors and edited for size I added them to the portfolio page.

My jewelry was photographed on a mirror using natural light from a large window. Since my ceiling happens to be blue the color in the background came out in various shades of blue. I use the setting on my camera for closeup work, and also the one for photographing food. This worked out very well and was not time consuming.

My website also happens to be my blog. Blogs are a good way to share your personality and your point of view. Keep in mind always that your site is representing you as a professional. Do not get caught up in sharing your personal life in any way on your site. Whatever you put on the site shows how you will function in the industry.

Definitely be yourself and write in a way that is natural and honest. If your site represents you as a 'like-able' person that is a good thing. We all want to work with people we like. Adding a page of recommendations from former employers is a good idea as well.

Be creative on your website. If you have worked on any projects that you want to share feedback on, or you would like to share trend advice for the industry, or just post links to great jewelry sites-- an informative site is one that people continue to come back to.... and sites that are popular will come up in search engines more often.
I suggest reading up on how search engines work and how to make sure you use the right key words in your text to be as successful as possible.

The web is a great way to get your name out there in the industry. It helps you to be viewed as an expert in the field,and it makes it easier for prospective employers to learn about you, your work, and your work history.

Finally your website provides clear contact information so that setting up an interview becomes simple.

Designers always need to have a portfolio to show at an interview, so don't count on the client having access to your web site entirely.

Showing and telling about yourself and what you can offer the client is all a part of the final sales pitch when selling your skills to a potential employer.