Full notes on Karen’s talk can be found here.
To begin with, these are the three key points that I will be reflecting on from Karen’s talk:
Now that I am several months away from graduating, the seemingly daunting reality of searching and applying for jobs is suddenly looming over me. Karen’s talk was extremely helpful at reassuring and providing me with information that I could use to make the entire process less stressful and worrying.
The first point I will be reflecting on is her discussion on CVs. A CV, which stands for curriculum vitae, is one of the most important documents required when sending off a job application. Following this talk, I took away several points and used them to improve my own CV. Below is a comparison between my document before and after adopting the tips and advice provided.
Before:
Charisma Liu CV - Google Docs UPDATED.pdf
After:
Charisma_Joy_Beltran_Liu_-_ (2).pdf
The first problem I resolved was the length. On average, Karen highlights that an employer spends roughly 5-7 seconds skimming over CVs, therefore it’s vital that it’s produced professionally and has an eye-catching flair that distinguishes it from others. To write a successful CV, Karen emphasises focusing on keeping everything as concise as possible. These documents should ideally be no longer than a page. Originally, my CV was almost two full pages. The likeliness of the second side being glanced over by a prospective employer is very slim. To reduce the amount of information, I decided to remove unnecessary detail, as well as any decorative language. Knowing what to cut was quite difficult, which brings me onto the second issue that I tackled - relevance. The last time I updated my CV was almost a year ago. Between now and then I have been fortunate enough to gain more experience within the creative industry. Karen advised us to spotlight industry related work over casual jobs, therefore I strictly attributed a detailed description to my summer internship and part-time employment in animation only.
Furthermore, Karen insisted on demonstrating our skills rather than simply listing them. I evidenced this by describing my roles and responsibilities during each project, along with a ‘technical skills’ section on the left-hand side for reiteration purposes. Along with this, I also provided links to my LinkedIn and portfolio, as I previously only had my email attached, ensuring that these were clickable hyperlinks that took the employer to the appropriate destination.
Finally, I made drastic adjustments to the overall aesthetic of my CV. Changing the font made it significantly more legible and created a cleaner appearance. Revising the composition also provided an airier feel.
Karen briefly touched on the topic of networking. The importance of exposure within the industry is constantly stressed as it is extremely effective at securing graduates with jobs. Going to events, sharing your profile links, and reaching out to others are all valid ways of making a positive impression within communities. Word of mouth is a powerful tool, and if your work or experience catches someone’s attention, numerous opportunities can be unlocked.
I took this section of Karen’s talk as a nudge to take networking more seriously. To make a start, I decided to improve my LinkedIn page. She recommended this platform as a great way to connect with professionals and browse the latest jobs. It is also another chance to demonstrate aptitude and showcase previous experience to recruiters and employers alike, therefore keeping it updated and well-written is in my best interest.
Below is a before and after comparison of my profile. I added descriptions of the tasks I completed during each of my jobs, as well as the skills I learned/used for them.
Before: