ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

11 years, 7 months ago - cath le couteur

Nicholas and Bruce - thanks for this. We totally agree. We're working on making any file available to upload - ie non-shooter stuff/cv's etc. Will let you know when it's up.
Thanks
Cath

11 years, 7 months ago - Rachael Swindale

The biggest challenge I find is that you don't always have that much information about the job you're applying for, so it's quite hard to know what to leave out. And very often, I apply for one job, don't get it and then get a call a few weeks later about something else entirely. That voluntary work I did with homeless people or the travelling I did in South America, might be irrelevant for the job I'm applying for but might just swing it for something else the company has coming up.

11 years, 7 months ago - Vasco de Sousa

Thank you. I like the "significant credits" idea. Perhaps a "significant day jobs" list might help a lot of people too.

11 years, 7 months ago - Vasco de Sousa

Well, I can't yet tell how much effort someone puts in from a CV (often someone else helps them write one.) I use it to gauge interest, to see if someone knows what direction they are going. Thank you for your response, I have other things to look out for now (including in my own CVs.)

11 years, 8 months ago - Nicholas Hughes

There's no way I can list all my credits over the years and make it all relevant for my next job so I list the ones that stand out, for one reason or another. It may be because of the job I'm going for or else the old "wow" factor previous job ("wow, you worked on 'X', what was that like?"). I also keep the CV down to one page but mention at the top (and in the covering letter) that what follows is a list of "significant credits". The CV has to make you look professional and potentially good to work with but I've found the covering letter is the clincher. Get that right and you're in with an excellent shot.

11 years, 8 months ago - Radar Music Videos

I read CVs. I look for whether the person has put effort into their life and whether they can convey their work history concisely. I also look for relevant experience or facility to pick up new skills well. HTH.

11 years, 8 months ago - Marlom Tander

I used to hire people. I had to read their CV's.

Most were "don't hire me" documents.

OP is right - keep it short and focussed, esp when you are pitching for a project role rather than a "proper full time job" (if such things still exist).

The best advice I was ever given (and this back in about 1982, in 6th Form, and in the context of a "proper job") was "don't have a CV. Have a CV for each job application."

In my case my CV always described "my next job", which was uncannily like the one I was applying for, and my CV had been worded to make that seem a very logical next step. It seemed to work :-)

cheers

11 years, 7 months ago - Nicholas Hughes

I would love it if Shooting People had the capability to have people's CVs uploaded instead of having to use their system, which only looks impressive if your previous jobs were somehow affiliated to Shooting People. I've worked a lot on corporate films and music videos and they weren't crewed or cast via SP.

11 years, 8 months ago - Gavin Ricketts

Totally agree with Marlom. I've read hundreds of bad CVs. Sadly, a bad CV is not always a bad applicant. They just don't know how to express clearly what they do, which is easily taught.

Vasco's tips make a good start, but there are plenty more tricks to a TV/Film CV. Like being sure to describe what the format the project you worked on, whether is was filmed on location or studio, a short synopsis. It helps me understand under what conditions you got your experience.

I started running workshops back in 2007 to help give my perspective on how to write a decent CV for creatives, they went so well I wrote them as a book. Available at discount on my site:

http://www.cv4tv.co.uk/buy-clearly-creative-cvs

See reviews on Amazon:
http://amzn.to/16zAAxf

My blog with free tips on job applications:
http://cv4tv.wordpress.com/

11 years, 8 months ago - Bruce M. Foster

Why is it that I am thinking Schrőedinger'cat at this moment.

11 years, 7 months ago - Bruce M. Foster

I tend to shy away from sites that want to privilege their formatting over mine.