What makes a Good CV?

Based on the research I have collected I have concluded that a CV should be Relevant and short. “A survey shows that employers take less than a minute to decide if an application is worth consideration.” (Saner, 2020)  Recruiters ready over a CV to pick out keywords or qualifications that they are looking for, they do not want to know about things that are not relevant to the job. While keeping it short, it is also important to include things like:

• brief summary of who you are
• skills
• qualifications
• knowledge of software’s
• work/volunteer experience
• education
• awards
• interesting hobbies
• contact/website info

 

I Began to research CVs of people in the art industry and picked out some of the ones I liked. I really love how the CV represents who they are based just on the appearance of the CV. The information is clearly laid out so that the reader can quickly find that they are looking for, instead of reading through paragraphs to find out information. Yes there is a lot of detail going on in the background, but the information is clear in the centre.

The first thing I did was lay out my information and type up Essential information along with skills and experience I hold.

I had been talking about my ideas Rachel, who was taking our class. They Advised that since I had skills and interests within 3D and 2D, that I should create a 3D background for my CV instead of having the 2D illustrations. I really loved this idea so I began  to work on the Render in Blender. I took some of my own assets and added them onto my Render to help show my personality a little better through my CV. Rachel Also Advised to add more information on any awards etc I have received, along with contact info such as an email address.

Once I had Rendered my Background I placed it behind my text in Microsoft Word. Once all of my text was laid out how I wanted it to, I added some more information and adjusted my ‘about me’ section to make it more appealing to the reader. I did not want to add an image of myself, so I added an illustration that i use on my website to keep my CV and portfolio work consistent.

 

Creating a Cover e-mail for Job Listings

 

A cover letter is a Short summary of your work history, educational background, skills and the values you could bring to the organisation you’re applying to. A cover email should be concise, professional, and make a strong case for why you are the best candidate for the position. A cover letter should not be long in detail as the recruiter will find out what they need to know further if they decide to invite you for an interview.

A good cover email should:

• Be addressed to to the employers name if possible.
• Show that you have done some background research on the company
• Show that you are interested in applying for the role
• Most importantly, Give the reader a Brief overview of your skills/qualifications and why you are suitable for the job

 

Based on my research and slides on blackboard, the best layout for my cover email was:

1. Introduction and something I like about the company
2. skills/qualities that I hold that the job listing requires
3. previous work experience and how it benefits
4. Thank the company and let them know you will be excited to hear back

 

For job listings, I was looking at Indeed and Ni Screen placements. The main one that interested me was Flickerpix as a trainee animation generalist.

Firstly, I made sure to do some background research on Flickerpix, so I could find out more about what they do and work they have produced. As well as highlighting the Job Description so that I can mention qualities that I hold, that this job requires. Upon researching, I discovered one of their animation series Hop N’ Zip which is a fun silent comedy for kids. Watching these reminded me of my childhood, watching silent comedies from Tom & Jerry to Mr Bean.

 

I then made notes of all essential criteria that the job required which were:

• Strong drawing skills and creative vision
• 2D/3D animation experience
• Understanding of lighting/composition
• attention to detail
• communication and organisation skills

 

Then in my own words, I described how I hold this essential criteria, and experience I have within this criteria. Also mentioning that I am eager to learning things that I may not have experience/knowledge in. I made sure to check off every single point off in my cover letter so that I have the best chance of being hired, as well as making it easier for the reader to see what criteria I hit.

In this Job Description, there is also a ‘Desirable Criteria’ List which includes:

• Knowledge of Adobe After Effects
• Knowledge of both 2D/3D animation Software
• Knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite

 

This Criteria is like a Bonus, which means if I show the Hiring manager, that I  hold this criteria, I have a much higher chance at being considered. As I hold knowledge and experience in this Criteria, I made sure to add it in under software’s that I am knowledgeable in.

Furthermore, I added in a summary of work experience, highlighting the skills I have gained that are also criteria for this job listing, along with how I work as an employee.

Finally, I finish it off with another compliment and mention how I am excited to hear back, reminding them of how I am serious about applying for this role.

My Final Cover Email 

I think my cover email covers all the qualities that I hold, that are relevant to the job while also demonstrating how I am a good fit for the role. I think that the reader will be pleased that I have done some research on their work as its shows that I’m interested in working for them. Finally, I have broken the email up into appropriate sections and made it appealing for the reader.

What makes a good showreel edit?

A showreel allows recruiters to get a 60 second glimpse of your work and the type of animations you’ve worked on.

What should you include and not include?

Things to make sure your showreel has:

• length of around 60 seconds
• only the best work
• best work shown first followed by least best
• non distracting music
• Name and contact details displayed before reel plays

 

Things not to do:

• have a reel filled with a lot of work making the reel come to 2+ minutes long
• have loud distracting music that makes it hard for the viewer to watch
• have animations sped up or not giving them enough time to play
• putting the worst work first – we want the viewer to keep watching

 

I took all of my best animations and edited them together in Premiere pro and downloaded music from  upbeat to add to my showreel. I put my best/most recent work first and made sure to add a title to each, so the viewer could read what it is. I made sure each animation had an appropriate amount of playing time, not too short or long. The over length was just under 60 seconds.

For the title screen, I looked at a few other showreels I found online as reference:

These Examples also gave me a better sense on how long I should let my animations play for.

This is my final showreel:

I am very pleased with how my showreel has turned out, I feel like it shows my best work and has a good variety between 3D and 2D work.

Portfolio 

A portfolio is a place to showcase all of your work. I did originally have a Artstation dedicated to showcasing my work, but I decided to set up a website where I could include my showreel, CV, Portfolio as well as all of my contact info and platforms I use. For my Website, I set up a home page that has my showreel, and then drop down options where you can access my projects, portfolio, about and contact info. I thought this was a great idea, as its a place where recruiters can access all my work from the one place.

Website: https://artsiellen.wixsite.com/artsiellen

Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/ellenh

 

Looking for jobs and Preparing for interviews

 

While there are Job websites such as Indeed, it is important to look at other options as I want to ensure my possibilities of getting a job are high. Based on research, I found other ways to discover and apply for jobs:

• Job fairs
• Networking – talking to people from the industry and showing your work
• Company websites – you could email by finding contact information
• Taking on temporary work/ work experience that may lead to a permanent role

 

If I am successful and receive an interview, I need to be prepared for the interview. I researched common questions for the interview and this is what I found:

• What are your career goals as an animator?
• What is the difference between animation and cartoons?
• What does rigging mean in animation?
• If you weren’t pursuing a career in animation, what would you do?
• Why do you want to work as an animator here (in our studio, company, media agency, etc)?
• Why employment and not freelancing?
• What animation software you have experience with?
• How do you deal with criticism of your work?
• Why should we hire you?
• Which animated movies do you see the most?

 

While these questions may not all come up within the interview and there are many other questions that could be asked, I think it is best to go over as much as possible and be aware of the kind of questions that could be asked in an interview. Its also good to know that recruiters like to be asked questions too.