CV:
When starting out on making a CV it’s crucial to understand why you need a CV in the first place. A CV is essentially your own personal marketing tool, and is the first impression you give to an employer, this means that your CV should be laid out in a clear and concise way (Lala, 2023). The content on the CV should include your name, contact information, education, experience, skills, and an ‘about me’ section. For creative CV’s in particular, it is also a good idea to list all the software you have experience in, such as Adobe suite products, 3D modelling, and other tools such as Toon Boom Harmony.
Your CV should never be too bulky or unclear, meaning that 1-2 pages are the maximum that should be used (Indeed, 2025). This is because job recruiters are more likely to pay attention and thoroughly read through it. The aesthetic of your CV is just as important as its content, each aforementioned section should be findable at a glance, laid out in a structured order. It should also be short, each point you want to make should be able to be understood in 1-3 sentences, this circles back to the idea of making the CV easy to read and skim over. If your CV contains information that is hard to find, the employer is unlikely to put in a tremendous amount of effort to find a single line of information.
You should also take the job you are applying for into consideration, and tailor your CV accordingly to the specific role you want to have ( Resume Writing Services, 2025). An example of this would be that you shouldn’t have your CV talking about handling money and experience with that, if you are applying for a job that doesn’t require you to go near finances. Your skills section should be tailored as well, short and relevant rather than overflowing with non transferable skills.
As your CV is a representation of you, you should avoid common mistakes that are seen among applicants. These can range from small mistakes such as grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and poor formatting, to much higher stake errors, such as an unprofessional email, and incorrect contact information. This means that your CV should be consistently updated, as it could be the difference between you having a job and missing out on the opportunity entirely.
Overall, a good CV should follow these guidelines (National Careers Service, 2022):
- All information should be clear and to the point so that the employer can quickly glance over it and pick out any selling points that may help you to get an interview.
- It should be tailored to the job and any existing CV should always be updated to reflect new achievements, experiences or skills you have gained. A good CV will reflect the job description and essential criteria needed for the job you are applying to while keeping in mind the company behind the job advert.
- Always read over your CV to ensure there are no grammatical errors or spelling mistakes as these can deter a potential employer from reaching out.
When making my own CV, I looked into examples that helped me structure my own. What I found from researching example CVs was that they stick to the same font, have bold headings and use minimal colour to draw your attention to particular areas such as skills and subheadings. Below you can see some examples that I used to base my own CV from.
Rahul’s CV is monotone in colour and uses clear, concise language to draw attention to his particular skills. He only uses bold letters to draw the employer’s eye to the main focus points. On the other hand, Yael is a graphic designer and this is clearly displayed through her CV. She uses handmade assets and colours to showcase her passion, but she leaves out a description of herself and allows the CV layout itself to showcase her skills.
For my own CV I went with a bright blue colour to draw attention to my name and bold, capital headings to draw attention to the different sections of my CV. I thought some colour would be good as animation is a vibrant job, but I didn’t want to go overboard. As I am applying for an animation job, I thought it would be helpful to include a section about what software I can use and did so by adding the logos of each one as I thought this would be more direct than listing them out in words.
In the first draft of my CV, I used a rather dull palette that when looking over it just didn’t draw your attention. To combat this in my second version, I added a nice blue colour over my education and skills section and complimented it by giving the title a darker blue. I also went back and changed some of my work experience titles, eg. Instead of writing “Design and make a game with people in Columbia” I wrote “Columbian Games Project” and changed the description slightly. I also went over my draft and fixed some grammar and spelling mistakes that I hadn’t noticed the first time. I also noticed that my work experience section was rather crammed so I spread this out to make it easier to read.
First Draft:
Final Version:
Cover letter:
A cover letter is a short introduction to you, and it accompanies your resume. It asks your employer to take their time to read into you as a candidate, and consider you for the position of the job. It should highlight your achievements, and experience in the field you are applying for (University of Washington, 2024).
Much like the CV, it shouldn’t be too long, around the 300 word mark as you want to keep it short and concise. It should be tailored to the job you are applying for, as it needs to compliment the CV you have tailored to the job application. You should take the time and research the company you are applying for, and go into depth about why this particular job interests you, and how you would fit well into the company’s space. This means that you should personalise your cover letter, and if possible refer to the hiring manager’s name if possible.
The ideal structure for a Cover letter is an introduction to who you are, a body of text that highlights your most important qualifications and why you would fit in well at the company, and a conclusion. The ending of your cover letter should be signed appropriately, having your full name on display.
A common pitfall is rehearsing your CV word for word, and should be avoided entirely. The cover letter’s purpose isn’t to paraphrase your CV, but to introduce you and what you are able to bring to the team if hired. Lis McGuire, the founder of Giraffe CV mentioned that a cover letter should be as though you are speaking in person to someone when you hand over your CV. You are basically writing what you might say to them, such as expressing an interest in the company (Piñeda, 2017).
When looking into writing my own cover letter, I used Indeed, Glassdoor, LinkedIn and Google Jobs. I was very particular about finding a job in 2D or 3D animation and made sure that any potential job listings I looked at matched my qualifications. Some jobs were looking for someone with years of experience, something which I don’t have yet, while others were more interested in a varied portfolio.
In the end, I chose to make a cover letter and CV that were tailored for JAM Media 2D Character Animator. I felt like this job suited me as they were looking for someone who had experience with Toon Boom Harmony and a strong knowledge of animation fundamentals. Furthermore, the job role was hybrid and based in Belfast so I knew I would be able to visit their offices for an interview.
The job description:
My cover letter:
Showreel:
A showreel is a brief video showing off all of your best work, much like a portfolio. The goal of a showreel is to show your best work quickly and clearly. When making a showreel you should order your work appropriately, starting with the highest quality pieces as that is your first impression to your employer. Much like everything else it is a good idea to tailor your work to the job you are applying for. From an animation job application standpoint, if the job you are applying for states ‘experience with lip syncing’, it is a good idea to start your showreel with your best work that relates to lip syncing, instead of starting off with the most flashy piece of work.
When deciding what to put onto your showreel, the best thing to consider is quality over quantity, as a good showreel should sit between 1-2 minutes long. Sometimes it is a good idea to caption your showreel, giving short additional context to your work. It shouldn’t be overused however, as you want your work to be the centre of attention throughout. It is also a good idea to add your name and contact information at the start of the showreel, as if recruiters wish to go back to the work, they can quickly, and easily find your name.
Reference List:
Resume Writing Services (2025). LinkedIn. [online] Linkedin.com. Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/importance-tailoring-your-resume-each-job-cyfkc [Accessed 14 May 2025].
Indeed (2025). Resume Tips To Get Noticed. [online] Indeed Career Guide. Available at: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/how-long-should-a-resume-be [Accessed 14 May 2025].
Lala, S. (2023). Crafting a winning CV. [online] Linkedin.com. Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/crafting-winning-cv-your-personal-marketing-tool-sandhya-sandhya-lala/?trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_more-articles_related-content-card [Accessed 14 May 2025].
National Careers Service (2022). CV Sections | Careers Advice | National Careers Service. [online] nationalcareers.service.gov.uk. Available at: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/cv-sections.
Piñeda, N.L. (2017). The perfect pitch: how to write a successful cover letter. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/careers/2017/sep/25/how-to-write-cover-letter-perfect-pitch [Accessed 14 May 2025].
University of Washington (2024). Key Elements of a Cover Letter | DO-IT. [online] www.washington.edu. Available at: https://www.washington.edu/doit/key-elements-cover-letter.