Animator Resume: Examples, Templates and Skills

“Let it go, Let it go!..” Walt Disney Animation Studio shocked the global audience with the meticulous details on Princess Elsa and all other characters.

The profound knowledge of creating a compelling narrative & making the characters move falls in the animator’s hand. 

While animators relied on hand-drawn storyboards and works in the past, most of the responsibilities now are completed on computers and professional software.

Whether the candidate is devoting themselves to different fields, ranging from 3D animation, 2D animation, character animation, scene, and background animation, it is truly a job that integrates creativity, artistic techniques, and project management. 

Although the art portfolio is one of the most (if not the most) important factors in the artistic industry, a strong animator resume can beef up the candidate’s possibility to land an interview, a closer look at one’s portfolio, and maybe the job itself. 

From the essence of tackling an animator resume, to contents and suggestions on the application letter for animator, or the perfect guide to resume format for animation freshers... This article has it all! 

A resume headline is also known as the candidate’s professional brand marked on their animator resume. 

Resume headline: a one sentence/phrase synopsis of a candidate’s highest-profile and achievements related to the animator position. It is placed below the candidate’s full name.

Edit your headline to the specific animator job description. This is different from copying existing headlines on animator resumes, but instead to get an idea of what an ideal personal image fits the industry/company/role.

An animator resume summary refers to a lengthened version of the headline. If healing is the candidate’s hashtag, an animator resume summary would the candidate’s bio that gives concise notes on the candidates’ skills and achievements.

Adjectives at the front give a personal tint to the animator resume and the application and help establish the candidate’s brand (needs to be attuned with animator job descriptions).

Fragmented sentences written are preferred.

What special skills are needed for an animator resume? 

• As its name suggested, animator resume skills are the candidate’s professional skills & related knowledge about the animation field.
• The creative industry values portfolio/demo reel more than anything. Links to the candidate’s portfolio and work are a must and a mandatory section on an animator’s resume. Those crafting a resume for animator fresher (in terms of employment history), no worries, one’s animation project can speak of oneself.
• Essential animator resume skills range from 3D modeling, character design to CGI, VR/AR, art foundations, and more, depending on the position, industry, and company the candidate is working.

It is crucial to mire a professional profile in one’s animator resume suitable for the position one’s applying for. Attuning one’s animator resume to the animation job descriptions is ideal for showing one as the perfect fit.

To avoid razzle-dazzle, a candidate should thoroughly proofread their animator resume to avoid hilarious mistakes. 

Chronological resume format:

Follow the time sequence and dates the candidate’s experiences from present to past Generally, most animator resumes adopt this format as it’s the safest choice to go.

Functional resume format:

Focus on animator resume skills instead of employment history. An optimal resume format for animator resume. Need a strong portfolio and demo veels to back it up.

Targeted resume format: 

A “targeted'' animator resume format for specific role & company. Beef up chances at the cost of time and effort. Works well with cover letter for animation job with no experience to show determination & passion.

Hybrid resume format: 

Combining the functional and chronological resume formats, the hybrid resume format is best for experienced candidates. Show both strengths in skills and employment history at the cost of length. Brevity is the key.

A good animator resume template doubles the chances of a trip to the job. There are two common ways the candidate chooses to craft their animator resume template.

Option 1: Microsoft Word & Mac OS Pages

Online animator resume examples can be your starting point.

Although animator is a position fueled by creativity and artistic skills, the resume itself doesn’t need to be fancy and flamboyant. Check out online animator resume examples for some inspiration.

Mandatory sections for every animator resume template: Contact Information, Skills, and Working History.

Besides, remember that "Brevity is the key." Avoid fancy designs that are non-ATS friendly.

Option 2: Online Resume Maker

Using Word editors is a suitable method if one holds design skills. If not, online resume builders will make the candidate’s life much easier!

Cake is an online resume builder that allows users to customize their animator resumes with snippets. Not only does it provide free animated resume templates, but is also known as a friendly resume builder for artists and engineers.

✅ One should …

• Only include information relevant to animation positions and industries. Indeed, adding personalized hobbies can humanize the application process, but one may be deemed creative or unprofessional depending on the company culture.
• Focus on quantitative results, which are the best way to showcase one’s achievement from a concrete perspective.
• Adopting ATS-friendly animator resume templates is a must.
• Use active verbs to present one’s determination, willingness to take on responsibility, and active team members.
• Craft a formal animator cover letter to supplement the resume.

❌ One should not … 

• Confuse an animator resume with animator CV. 

• Using old-fashioned animator resume objectives will show the candidate’s incompatibility in a fast-paced environment & current global trend (animation is a creative field that changes every day). 
• Tell personal information that may prompt and invoke unwanted discrimination (age, marital status, etc.).
  P.S: Normally, there are no strict animator education requirements. Yet it would be optimal to have formal training and education in art foundations / related fields. 
• Disclosing information from former employers is not a smart move. 
• Sending the animator resume in word format may be deemed unprofessional.