Task 1A - Professional Profile

CVs are vital when it comes to applying for a new job. They are essentially your potential employer’s first impression of you and, we all know, you don’t get a second chance at a first impression. You may have the most incredible inter-personal skills but unless you are called for an interview you will not get the chance to show them off. Your CV helps you get your foot in the door and secure that all important interview; I have seen my previous employer discard CVs for poor grammar, spelling mistakes, looking cluttered or even because they are too long.

 I have two CVs; one that I submit for performing jobs and the other for what I would call ‘regular’ jobs. Regular jobs are what performers do in-between professional work – bar work, retail etc – a job is a job and beggars can’t be choosers, it helps to pay the bills.

My ‘regular’ CV incorporates my personal qualities, skills and achievements as well as the previous experience which would make me an ideal candidate for that job. On the other hand, my performing CV includes the genres of dance I trained in, my vocal range and performance experience that I gained whilst training.

Like many people I have had to amend my CV countless times; to keep it up to date as a result of learning a new skill or to make it more specific for a certain role, for example, changing my headshot for a pantomime audition.

Putting together a successful CV is difficult but ultimately it’s about taking all your skills and tailoring them to the job you’re applying for. These are some of the questions that come into my mind when re drafting my CV:

There is no set or correct way to write a CV and I feel your CV will never be perfect as it is constantly changing, you learn new skills and you need to remove non relevant entries to ensure that you don’t lose the reader’s attention.

Having looked at other CVs, I have noticed how each one reflects the individual and how different they all are. I liked the way in which Laura Gregory used a pop of colour on her dance CV to make it slightly more unusual and highlight key areas. I never considered using colour but have now added it into my own performing CV.

I also realised that my previous CV was cluttered and very busy looking and, after reading blogs and articles, I realised the importance of a clear and concise CV.  Having now rearranged my CV, I feel that it is easier to read and highlights the key points.

My regular CV: 

My performing CV: