Guides
Short, practical guides for creatives: CVs, cover letters, portfolios, freelancing, invoices, interviews and asking for more. Written by Hired Creative, free to read, with something to do today at the end of each.
Writing a CV that gets read
A one-page CV for creatives, with before and after bullets, layout rules that survive software, and notes for applying across borders.
Finding clients as a freelancer
Where your first and next clients actually come from, and the exact messages that get replies.
Writing a cover letter
A short, specific cover letter for creative jobs, with sample wording you can adapt in ten minutes.
Getting over a job or pitch rejection and using it
A rejection hurts for real reasons. Here is how to feel it, learn one useful thing from it, and send the next application.
Going freelance: setting up, day rate, contracts and money admin
A plain checklist for the first month: registering, pricing a day, agreeing terms in writing and keeping records.
Building your portfolio PDF
How to choose, order, caption and export a portfolio PDF that opens fast and gets you a reply.
Writing a cold email to a studio or client
How to find the right person, write four short sentences that earn a reply, and follow up without being a pest.
Speaking in public without the nerves
How to present work, pitch ideas and answer interview questions out loud when your heart is racing.
Sending and chasing invoices
What to put on an invoice, when to send it, and a four-step chasing routine with wording you can copy.
Preparing for a creative job interview
A practical plan for the screening call, the portfolio walkthrough, the tricky questions and the follow-up.
Living with imposter syndrome
Why capable creatives feel like frauds, and small habits that keep the feeling from steering your decisions.
Asking for more money
How to ask for a raise, a higher offer or a higher day rate, with wording you can copy and answers to the usual pushback.
Using Instagram for your career, calmly
Set up your profile once so the right people can find you, then post on a schedule you can keep.