Becky from careers came back up to speak to us today about creative CV's. I already have a CV that I updated in August because I was applying for photographic jobs during the summer but I didn't know if my CV was good or not so I was glad that Becky came up to speak to us.
First of all what should a CV be?
Quick and concise with great content.
A celebration of achievements and share experiences in other words its a marketing advert and a way of selling yourself to make a good first impression.
What should it include?
A professional email address
Social media links
Portfolio site
Profile which is a short introduction into you and why you're great
Employability experiences - where have you been, where do you want to go?
Do's and Don'ts of CV's:
1. Had a picture and a CV shouldn't include a picture but had good listing of skills and good work experience
2. Don't put your date of birth on a CV but include skills and work experience
3. Keep it simple and clear, include a bio but don't make it too long as if it's too long with a load of text the employer won't read it as employers only spend 20-30 seconds reading a CV. ALWAYS start with most recent dates of employment and education
4. Avoid using acronyms and illustrations as well as abbreviations
5. Make it nice and neat
6. CV's aren't always written or printed one has been published online so it's not always what's in the CV it's where the CV is put (this isn't the one I got shown but it's similar
Do's and Don't's in images:
Profile Statement:
A short, positive paragraph about yourself
Focus on YOUR strengths and qualities, inspiration and aspiration
Introduces the rest of your CV
Update it to match the job you're applying for
Some more information to add and think about:
Keep it relevant and concise
Ask yourself ‘so what’
Keep it factual
List achievements rather than replicating a job description
Don’t assume people know what you’ve done
Ask friends, family, tutors five words they would describe you as and things they might have thought of might not have come into your head
DO NOT!
Add unnecessary photos
Don’t put it in a folder/binder
Avoid using the word individual
She then told us to have a go at the CV Builder on the Careers Toolkit and to the send our CV over to her and she can help us and give us guidance and advice. She also gave me some very good advice that I had never thought about before. Always save a CV as YOUR NAME CV.doc or pdf not pages as not everyone has pages.
Cover Letter
What's the difference?
CV is factual
Cover Letter is a chance to be a bit more imaginative and engaging as it gives more insight into who you are
What’s in it?
Your introduction
Avoid starting with ‘I am writing…’ because it’s obvious what you're writing about
Personal
3-5 paragraph
Find out the name of the person you’re applying to
Be specific to the job and match skills
Where to put a CV?
LinkedIn - don’t put your a student, put junior
Check websites of organisations or people who could hold your dream job. There may even be an apply now button
Don’t forget job wall
Remember - many jobs aren’t advertised. Use social media to connect with your potential employers
Finally she told us about a £250 bursary that we can apply for which will help towards travel, flight costs and anything that helps to set up exhibitions or help with assisting, anything that's relevant to future career.
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