Resume Tips and Tricks for the Printing Industry

Even for printing specialists who are experts in layout and visual design, organizing your resume to have maximum impact while maintaining a professional tone can be tricky. With hiring managers spending 6 seconds on average skimming your resume to decide whether you make it to the next round of screening, it’s essential that your skills and experience are clear and easy to read at a glance. Use these print shop resume tips and tricks to create a polished document and land the interview!

Title and Summary

Every resume begins with a header that includes your name and contact information in an easy-to-read format. The header is followed by your job title and a 3–5 sentence summary of key value points you bring to the table. The summary gives the reader a snapshot of who you are as a professional, so it’s important that it paints you in the best light possible. What experience do you have that sets you apart from other applicants? Have you received any awards or frequent public praise for your work?

Core Competencies

Your core competencies are a list of approximately 10–15 essential capabilities. This inventory helps ensure your resume has the keywords it needs to make it past the applicant tracking system (ATS) while also allowing hiring managers to immediately see that you are a strong match for their opening. Some skills typical of a resume for printing industry applications are:

1. Customer service
2. Visual design /graphic design
3. Offset printing
4. Digital printing
5. Typography
6. Bindery
7. Imaging
8. Color management
9. Ink mixing
10. Large format printing

Because resumes for printing industry professionals tend to need several machine-oriented and software-based skills, it is usually best to list these areas of expertise in their own, separate section labeled “Technical Skills,” either directly below the core competencies or at the very end of the resume.

There are several strategies to generate a great list of core competencies. Research trending skills for your profession, or use iScore to discover keywords that will make your resume a match for each job posting.

Experience & Achievements

Your professional experience and accomplishments are the proof in your resume for printing industry employers to see your track record of success. For most people, this section should be organized with your most recent (or current) position listed first, and then previous positions in reverse-chronological order, going back no more than 10 years. For each job, state your employer, the city/state where you worked, your job title, and the years when you filled that role.

After the basic introductory information, list the specifics of each role in a short paragraph. The majority of the paragraph will describe your key duties and responsibilities; however, you might also include why you were hired/promoted or the number of employees you supervised.

Finally, use a bullet-point list to highlight your key accomplishments in each role. These should be measurable and use strong vocabulary to drive home the value you’ve brought previous employers. Did you reduce production costs to increase profits? Have you streamlined any processes to increase production efficiency? Were you involved in any especially impressive projects? Review the print production manager resume examples below for even more inspiration:

For some career changers, recent graduates, or those with gaps in their work histories, the chronological organization described above might not be the right choice. Take a moment to read about the three resume formats and decide whether one of the other options might be better for your print shop resume.

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Education & Training

This section lists any degrees, continued education or certificates that make you a fit for this position. Especially for printing professionals, it is important to leverage this portion of your resume to highlight any additional training you have with specific machinery or printing processes.

Even if you haven’t had the opportunity to apply all your training in your day-to-day work yet, listing the extra preparation you’ve pursued demonstrates your willingness to learn new skills.

Memberships & Affiliations

Depending on the exact role you are applying for and the prospective employer, you might consider including this optional section at the end of your resume. Relevant volunteer work or professional organizations you are a current member of should be listed here. Make sure to specifically note leadership positions you’ve held with your professional organizations, as these highlight your expertise and dependability and show that you are active in your field.

Looking for more resume tips and tricks before you submit your application? Check out these editing and proofreading resources, find out how long your resume should be, and learn about some spellcheck mistakes to avoid. Or, if you love the print production manager resume examples above, try iHire Printing's Resume Writing Services and start wowing hiring managers!