Tuesday 18 October 2016

What makes a good CV? / CV evaluations - PAB


In this lesson we discussed what makes a good CV and evaluated a few musical theatre/dance based examples. Here is the video of the discussion and below my notes and findings from the discussion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ua0PA4H77M - Discussion


Evaluations:


Cathy Marston - http://www.cathymarston.com/cathy-marston-cv.pdf




Good points
Negative Points
-          Content is good she incorporates all her skills and awards in which she has received. - showing achievements is always a good way of expressing yourself as it shows viewers that you have excelled in this area highlighting how good you are and the best for the job.
-    The headshot is very effective as it allows to put all the information to a face - also if looks are a key element for what someone is looking for then they will be able to consider you a lot quicker than someone who hasn't demonstrated a photo.
-         The writing isn't laid out very well and makes it difficult to read - this wouldn't work well for someone who has to skim many cvs in a go and select promising ones as you would instantly be discarded as wont have time to try and read it.
-          Hasn’t stated any clear references therefore not got examples and a back up to their skills - References are always important as it is physical evidence in the form people usually to show you have achieved all these things, and if they're positive then it is definitely going to be a favourable thing for you as a performer.


Leon Poulton - http://www.leonpoulton.com/dance-cv


Good Points
Negative Points
-          Very personal, makes it easier to understand him and what he is about - This is always an effective thing as it really showcases you as a person as well as a performer and people these days have become very interested at knowing someone well before hiring them as they don't want to make a wrong decision.
-           
-         The design isn't very formal - This can look unprofessional and automatically make people discard you as an option within their selection, which definitely isn't what you want in this industry, giving it more of a structure and better headings could make it more bold and attract more attention in a positive way.
-          No headings makes it confusing - like the previous point i mentioned headings this cv is very bleak for them, this will make all the information blur into one for someone who has to browse them quickly so you want it to be easy to ready but still effective and stylised so that you look like you have put time into it but still professional simultaneously.
-           


Wolfgang Mwange - http://www.wolfmoves.com/dance/dance-cv/


Good Points
Negative Points
-          Has stats, very effective for a dancer as normally hired through aesthetics of a person, usually casting have a certain image in mind so aesthetics are very important with first impressions because it can be all about how you look or perform.
-          Has a lot of experiences shows he is professional, experienced performers are a more popular choice due to knowledge and know that will do exactly what is required, making every team members life easier.
-          Very consistent layout - consistency is always effective allowing the performer to show they are dedicated and starts a professional reputation.
-          Tidy dates and information - shows he is an organised person which is a good skill to have, especially in a active business like performing, you've always got to be on your toes and ready.
-          Good to show who he has worked with -  as can contact them for reference and within the business it is very much who you know as well as what you know.
-          Doesn’t need the extra dance within the title as you are already in dance makes it very confusing and overcrowded. - you don't want it to lose focus from the main information when people are browsing your cv, especially if it is in a speed look situation.
-          PDF version isn’t as effective too complicated and changed the fonts too much makes it hard to concentrate on one aspect - trying to be modern isn't always the best way to do things, also sticking to your theme is always best as it adds to your repetoire as a person, so creating many different ones may show your very undecided as a person and messy which is not the vibe you ever want to emit in this industry.
-          More like a Wikipedia page than a cv not very personal - you definitely don't want it to look like a wiki page as it will give off the element that you've just copied someone else, just a carbon copy and not original, also shows no personality if its too factual and boring people won't feel interested in your experiences if you overload with extras that are unnecessary. 




Bernie Allcock - https://lookaside.fbsbx.com/file/Bernie-Allcock-Performance-CV-2016.pdf?token=AWyi_U2lHYBycWFfXDOlYP2y9QcIaQ9BHXvYFT8g4ftpNw0SkVmmzlrYXGbBshQuTl013ouVs4J3rrDD6DiU7quDuTp0jBVNUsj--xtgiXN4ecnvh_u6XZ7oZo0SNQRdPopOH_TqN_-R9A1F7roxsjxJ




Good Points
Negative Points
-          Expanding in detail on her projects/experiences - doing this is very effective as it allows you to widen your repertoire by displaying many skills you have acquired through the experiences, also showing that you can work efficiently in different environments and are a very diverse person/performer.
-          Amount of information is good - with performing cvs, you always want a good amount of information, because either too much is overloading and will be overlooked in many cases and too small may exude that you are not experienced enough so you want a suitable amount that gives you a efficient representation.
-          Including all experiences that are relevant to her job specifications - This is always a good idea as anything can be relevant in the performing industry as you never know what people are looking for as their is such wide range of performance displays today.
-          Add more space to the writing as makes it all slightly blur - As the writing is too close together it makes it quite difficult to read this could also be solved with changing the font as that could also slightly be to fault as well. Obviously being able to read the cv is a very important part of the hiring process, so definitely something that is key when creating.
-          Change the order for the sections - Maybe put the personal qualities at the top, so that they get to know a bit more about you before just the factual information, like I've mentioned previously personality can be very important when displaying yourself within a cv as people like to know who they're really hiring and what they are like personally so know that your exact for the job.
-          Should mention the DBS check earlier on - This should be a definite decision as it is important especially if applying for a teaching job, you want to show all skills that are very important and training supported hire up as it displays your specialities and why you are different to others as well as more qualified.
-          Have not put any references - references are such an important key to  success as people like a second opinion and you get to choose the references so put ones you want them to hear and think will be effective for the jobs you will be applying for or hope will find you.

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