What Should I Definitely Include?

We strongly recommend that you include the following sections in your CV. If nothing else was added, these core sections would enable you to show the skills and experience that make you the right candidate.

Personal Details

You should always include your contact details. Your address, home telephone number, mobile number and e-mail address are standard. You may also wish to include your website address, blog or myspace page if you have one, but only if you feel the content is relevant to the opportunity and industry you are aiming for.

Education

Write your qualifications in reverse chronological order, listing the most recent first. List each qualification together with the date they were taken, the institution you attended.

Example:

2004-2006
London College of Communication, London, UK Fda in Digital Media Production, New Media Design (2.1)

2003
Westminster Adult Education , London, UK BTEC National Diploma in Studio Photography (Distinction)

If you have not yet gained relevant work experience, or have gained skills and experience through your course that differ from those gained at work, you may wish to include some details under your qualifications. This could include the modules you studied, skills gained, your final dissertation, or collaborative projects with employers/external organisations if they are relevant.

Example:

London College of Communication, 2002-2005
BA Print Media Surface Design
Skills learned include screen-printing using a wide range of techniques onto textile, ceramics, plastics, glass and paper.

Central St. Martins, 2002 - 2006
BA Fashion Communication with Promotion (2.2)
Final project: design and production of magazine on 'Nomadism in Fashion and Film', including all journalism, photography, styling, and graphics.

Earlier qualifications, such as A levels and GCSEs are likely to be of less importance to an employer and it is sufficient to summarise these instead of listing all subjects and grades.

Example:

"9 GCSEs at A-C grade", or "7 GCSEs including English and Media Studies"

Work Experience and/or employment

List each position you have held in reverse chronological order, with the most recent first. For each position you should include:

• Company name
• Dates of your placement or employment
• Your job title
• Descriptions of your responsibilities and the skills you have developed (it is important to highlight the transferable skills gained. You can do this using power words).

Your employment and work placements can be organised in a few different ways. When deciding how to group these sections, you should consider which will allow your strongest or most relevant experience to stand out when an employer first glances through your CV.

Traditional

Traditionally, people have one section for paid 'Employment' and one for 'Work Experience' which includes any placements or internships you have held.

'Related' & 'Other'

Alternatively, you can combine paid positions and placements, but organise these into two sections of 'Related Experience' and 'Other Work Experience'.

For example:

If you are aiming for a career in Marketing you could have a section entitled 'Marketing Experience’. By pulling them together in this way, you are increasing the chance that an employer sees all your relevant experience.

References

It is optional whether you give details of your references on your CV or indicate at the very end of your CV, 'references available on request'. Two references are standard. If you do not have two work references, a college tutor is a good alternative. It is courteous to inform your referees when you are planning to use their names to support your CV application.

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What Else Could I Include?

There are a number of optional sections that you could include on your CV. Many of these sections overlap so it is important to only include those that you feel are relevant to your industry and career, or allow you to highlight your strengths and achievements.

Profile

A profile is a short, positive, statement at the beginning of your CV, summarising your key qualities – skills, experience, knowledge, suitability for the position, aspirations, unique selling points – so that an employer is enticed to read the whole document. It is important that the rest of your CV provides evidence to back up the statement you make here.

Consider what makes you special and frame it as a combination of:

• Skills
• Attitude
• Motivation
• Research/Knowledge
• Influences
• Ideas/creativity
• Practical – organisation of time, projects, etc.
• Goals – future plans

Example of a bad statement:

"Design graduate with good communication and organisation skills. Also very much a team player who is self motivated, and ambitious with excellent time management."

Why is this a bad example? Because it doesn't grab an employer's attention – the statement above is little more than a list of standard skills that almost all candidates would include.

A couple of good examples would be:

• "Fashion designer accomplished at pattern cutting and sewing with a specific interest in knitwear and tailored clothing. My work reflects an appreciation of intricate patterns, attention to surface embellishment, colour and texture, inspired by an enthusiasm for vintage clothing."

• "Currently studying Fda Graphic Design, I have been involved in art and culture activities for over ten years. I have experience in photography, design, administration and project management. I am positive, approachable, practical and creative."

…and these are good examples that would stand out because they add touches of individuality and passion for their work.

Key Skills

You can place a short list of skills near the top of your CV that are important for the position you are applying for, to quickly draw the recipient's attention to the fact that you match their needs, and entice them to read the entire document. These can include technical skills, creative skills, IT skills and transferable skills. Example: Enthusiastic, communicator, curious, idea generator, open minded, imaginative, flexible, able to work to deadlines, sense of humour, experimental Example: Focused and rational while working under pressure Creative and strategic in approach to project management Excellent model making skills Fluent in English and Italian

Interests

There are a number of ways to use your interests section. You can show your personality, your artistic style, your activities and interests that relate to your industry, the activities that motivate you, or those that you feel make you memorable and fascinating. If you do not feel interests are ‘interesting’ or appropriate, it is fine to leave them out completely.

Some Examples:

"I am an enthusiastic photographer and amateur film maker, enjoying documenting every day events around me."

"I have been playing bass for 5 years and have performed with a band in several venues across the country. Being part of a band has taught me how to work creatively with other people."

"It is important to me that my work as an artist gives back to the community I live in. I volunteer with a youth group, and have recently organised an exhibition of 100 local children's self portraits."

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What if I need to produce an artist-specific CV?

An artist or designer-maker’s CV differs from a normal CV, as it is usually sent for a very specific purpose such as an exhibition, competitions, residencies etc.

This CV should only include information that is relevant to your artistic/design achievements and not include any unrelated positions and education.

Most artists/designer-makers include a statement about their work and philosophy as an artist/designer-maker. This can be several paragraphs long and include any of the following:

• The ways your work has developed
• Where it is going
• The materials or skills that you use
• The meaning of your work
• Your ambitions
• Your intended market
• Your influences
• Personal reflections
• Key themes in your work
• Your personal and professional beliefs/ethics

That’s all we’re going to say on the matter of Artist CVs and statements. The reason being that there are a number of websites already in existence who can provide you with really useful information for this, so we won’t be duplicating this.
If you are a London-based visual artist/designer-maker, then click here to go to the Artquest website where you can get everything you need to know about working as an artist in London. They provide information on anything ranging from organising an exhibition, preparing to present your work, how you can set up a peer mentoring group etc.


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