Tattoo Artist Resume: Examples and Tips
Tattoo artists create temporary or permanent designs on clients’ skin. In addition to natural creativity and talent, this job values the ability to communicate with clients, create custom designs as needed, and apply tattoos safely. Proper understanding of tattoo equipment, tattoo care, knowledge of state and federal health guidelines, expert communication skills, and organizational skills are required.
Make sure you have a resume for a tattoo job that has the right look as well as the right content, using our tips and template designs on this page.
Table of Contents
Featured resume example: tattoo artist
Name: JASON BENNET
Address: City, State, Zip Code
Phone: 000-000-0000
E-Mail: email@email.com
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Creative Tattoo Artist skilled at design, business operations and team leadership. Offering extensive book of experience. Fully licensed and certified professional.
WORK HISTORY
Tattoo Artist,
12/2016 to Current
Company Name, City, State
- Commission up to 15 medium- and large scale tattoo projects per
month. - Strong client following.
- Collaborate with clients to make their vision in a design.
Tattoo Artist,
03/2014 to 11/2016
Company Name, City, State
- Effectively communicated with customers to design detailed
graphics and build clients. - Created up to 40 commissioned tattoo projects and accepted
walk-ins. - Maintained hospital-level cleanliness of the establishment.
Tattoo Apprentice,
07/2011 to 06/2014
Company Name, City, State
- Presented template design sheets for customers to review.
- Utilized photographs and sketches from customers to develop ideas.
- Collaborated in team-based environment to maximize customer
satisfaction with services.
SKILLS
- Customer Relations
- Tattoo designs
- Sanitation procedures
- Business knowledge
- Composition
- Material selection
- Payment processing
- Non-toxic ink
- Staff collaboration
EDUCATION
Associate of Arts, Design,City, State
CERTIFICATIONS
The Alliance of Professional Tattooists (2013)
Top 4 characteristics of a best-in-class tattoo artist resume
- Summary In a few concise sentences, outline your top skills, qualifications or certifications, as well as an example or two of your work experience. For example: “Versatile tattoo artist skilled at custom designs, with four years of professional experience.” Focus on attributes that best fit the specific job you’re applying to.
- Skills Include technical skills such as proficiency in specific inks and techniques, as well as experience maintaining a client-safe environment, as well as key soft skills such as attention to detail, interpersonal skills, and time management.
- Work experience In general, stick to the last 10 years in describing your work experience. Focus on top achievements rather than daily tasks, and supply details for your accomplishments whenever possible, to give employers more insight about your abilities. For example, instead of writing, “Applied tattoos using permanent and temporary ink,” consider writing, “Applied tattoos using permanent ink for 5+ clients per day, at tattoo parlor that regularly received five-star Yelp reviews.”
- Education Along with your highest academic credential (e.g., high school diploma or college degree), present your professional certifications and license for tattoo art.
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Find the right template for your resume
Create a resume with a design that matches your own talent for design, using these employer-ready templates.
Cool
This dual-column layout has a professional but contemporary look, with a bold header for extra impact.
Fresh
This template uses striking resume fonts and neatly arranged section headings to create a visually appealing yet easy-to-read presentation.
Esteemed
This streamlined design creates a contemporary look through its “pipeline” graphics and generous spacing.
For more templates you can use to create your own resume, visit our resume templates section.
Do’s and don’ts for your resume
- DO eliminate first-person pronouns. As you’ll notice from our resume examples, first-person pronouns like “I,” “me” and “my” just aren’t needed in resumes. Instead of wasting useful space on these pronouns, keep your bullet points and phrases short and punchy. For example, instead of writing, “I completed 40 body-size tattoo projects and over 345 small and medium-sized tattoo projects,” write “Designed and applied 40 body-size tattoos and 345 small and medium-sized tattoo projects.”
- DO quantify your achievements. Quantifying your achievements by using concrete numbers gives your achievements weight, and gives you an edge over resumes that use vague statements. So instead of writing “Designed and applied tattoos in a professional studio for customers,” write “Designed and applied 40+ tattoo projects in professional studio each week, with loyal client base of 200 customers.”
- DO use action verbs. Using strong action verbs will make you sound confident, proactive, and make a stronger impression on employers. Writing “Created tattoo designs and implemented body piercings” reads better than “was responsible for tattoo designs and body piercings.” Some action verbs you could use include “applied,” “created,” “designed,” “developed,” “consulted,” “managed,” “organized,” “defined” and “executed.”
- DON’T make your resume too long. Employers take a few seconds to read a resume, on average. Make sure your resume is to the point, and not overstuffed with information not directly related to the position you’re applying to. Sick to your most notable accomplishments and skills. Ideally, your own resume should be two-pages long at most.
- DON’T submit your resume without proofing. Experts agree: A resume with even a single error can be a big turn-off for employers. Review your resume after you write it to delete any spelling or grammar mistakes, and make sure the information you’ve provided is accurate and fits what the job needs. If you use our Resume Builder, the included tools will scan your resume in all these areas before you send it out.
- DON’T forget: your summary should be an elevator pitch.An elevator pitch is a quick, peppy sales pitch that’s marketing the most important product: you. In your summary, introduce yourself by explaining the top qualities, experiences and skills you have. Once employers read your summary, they should know exactly what’s most important about you. For example: “Versatile and creative tattoo artist with five years of studio experience, skilled at shading techniques and non-toxic inking.”
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