Animator Resume Examples and Templates for 2023

Animator Text-Only Resume Examples

Years of Experience

Tips for Writing a Better Animator Resume

Now that you’ve seen some strong examples of animator resumes, we’ll guide you on how to adopt our resume-building methodology to craft your content. As a technical professional, you’ll want to provide insights into the nuances of your career achievements within the entertainment industry. You’ll also want to demonstrate that you’re a creative thinker who can apply technical principles to bring the director’s artistic vision to life. Below, you’ll find three expert tips to help you draw attention to the most important aspects of your background in animation and secure your next job opportunity:

1. Feature key projects and titles.

Within the animation field, name-dropping can go a long way in grabbing the attention of prospective employers. If the hiring manager recognizes a project you previously worked on and is impressed by your background, you’ll significantly increase your chances of landing the interview. In the example below, the candidate draws attention to an array of well-known gaming titles they worked on for a highly regarded studio, which will speak to their credibility as an animator within the game development space:

2. Showcase your technical achievements.

Hiring managers want to see that you have the technical expertise to succeed in the position and provide valuable contributions to their team. The best way to highlight your technical knowledge is by giving specific examples of putting these skill sets into practice on specific projects. In the resume featured below, the job seeker uses specific examples to demonstrate their expertise in both hand-keyed and motion capture techniques, which will make a much stronger impact on prospective employers than simply listing these skills in a vacuum without context:

3. Highlight your leadership capabilities.

Large projects within the entertainment space require an immense amount of team collaboration across various segments of the organization. Your ability to thrive in fast-paced, cross-functional environments will help demonstrate that you’re the right fit for the company’s team culture. In the example below, the candidate showcases their experience coordinating effectively with directors, artists, and animation teams to bring feature films to life, which will be sure to make a positive impression on the hiring manager:

Key Skills Hiring Managers Look for on Animator Resumes

Most employers utilize some form of Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to screen candidates during the initial phase of the hiring process. To ensure that your resume is properly optimized for the ATS screening, you’ll need to integrate specific keywords that match the position you’re applying for. While it’s important to list as many key terms as possible on your document, be sure to include some specific examples of you using these skill sets in your daily workflows, as you need to make a positive impression on the hiring manager after passing the initial ATS scan.

Below, you’ll find a list of potential keywords that you may encounter during the job hunt:

Common Action Verbs for Animator Resumes

As you begin to craft your bullet points, you may find yourself running short on action verbs to convey your professional experience. Writing a resume is a complicated process. As a technical professional, you may find that there’s only a limited number of verbs you can use to describe your career achievements accurately. To help you keep your content fresh throughout the document, we’ve provided a list of action verbs you can use to build out your resume:

How to Align Your Animator Resume With the Job Description

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual salary for animators was $78,790 in 2021, with a 16% increase in projected growth over the next ten years. This field is highly competitive. You’ll need to build a strong, accomplishment-driven resume to differentiate yourself from the other applicants during your job search. Hiring managers will be very interested in reading about projects that you’ve previously worked on within the gaming, television, and entertainment industries.

Aligning your document with the job description is one of the most important aspects of the resume-building process. The resume is, for all intents and purposes, a marketing document. If you don’t tailor your content toward specific job opportunities, you may struggle to gain traction during the job hunt. For example, if you’re pursuing an animator position for a game developer studio, it’s important to showcase your technical expertise in both motion capture and hand-key techniques. When pursuing a role as an animator for a film studio, you’ll likely want to focus on your experience in coordinating cross-functionally with artists, animators, and directors to create storyboards and define character designs. As you build your resume, you’ll want to continually cross-reference the document you’re creating with the opportunities you intend to apply for.

Frank Hackett

Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW)

Frank Hackett is a professional resume writer and career consultant with over eight years of experience. As the lead editor at a boutique career consulting firm, Frank developed an innovative approach to resume writing that empowers job seekers to tell their professional stories. His approach involves creating accomplishment-driven documents that balance keyword optimization with personal branding. Frank is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches (PAWRCC).