In the close of November 2009, I started to produce CV’s in order to apply for work experience at various media companies. This process sounds much more compact and lengthy than it sounds. It is one of the hardest and minds blowing experiences – there will always be a CV better than yours, so how do you make yours stand out?
A CV to me it a word document listing in a very formal and clean appearance of all the experiences you have done as well as all the things you have achieved academically. While creating a personal profile of you using words such as ‘creative’ and ‘unique’. The only unique thing about a CV is that there are hundreds of ones like yours.
But a media CV is different right? You can be that little more creative, that little bit more modern, attractive and funny. My first CV in which I drafted included everything I thought was an achievement life. My GCSE’s in which I to attend countless after school clubs for, my contribution to the local rugby team and my three year spell slaving away in a Comet warehouse. To me, these lengthy chunks of my life were CV worthy – but boy, I got corrected!
Meetings with my tutor to discuss the appearance of my CV along with its content caused me to leave the room basically creating a new one. It was kind of a shock to learn my GCSE’s were not worthy no more, my Comet employment was irrelevant and the rugby was pointless information. At least I didn’t put my paper round on; this may of caused an eyebrow to be raised.
You see, a CV is a document that has to sell you to the employer in a flash of a second. The reader just has to look at your CV and be attracted by it. By the end of month, I amended everything you could think of, even the things you can’t think of. Like the formation and design. The psychological aspect of making the readers eye look down the page by creating a pyramid style introduction.
After draft two, three, four…….twelve and thirteen. I reached a conclusion, the end, the CV in which I thought was perfect to be sent. It had a photo of myself smiling, a cheeky smile, but a smile you would love to see in your television studio. A smile that said ‘employ me, and I will be this happy and enthusiastic all the time. From 5am-12am. Which of course, I was.
The process for me now was to send it off. With this I occupied a cover letter stating my dates of potential work, a brief two line synopsis of myself and what my intentions from this placement. A comfortable one page letter in a modern font, that wasn’t to much information, nor was it too little. Together I had thought I had created a dream team. How can one student go wrong with the perfect CV and a brilliant cover letter? Well, quite easy. You get no replies.
I couldn’t understand it. Why have I had no replies? I have spent £30 on stamps, sent off at least 40 letters and I have had no replies. So far my success ratio stood at 0:40. I was disappointed to say the least but there was still a chance. There was one thing in which I did not do which looking back now, was a schoolboy error, why did I not think off this before. A simple ‘Private and Confidential’ seemed the most logical thing – in which I forgot.
Christmas and New Year went and the new term was on the horizon. A perfect time I felt to send off a second batch of CVs. It just seemed logical. I could see it now. “It’s a new year, we need new runners”. So, another £25 of fine first class stamps and off they went. But this bundle of CVs seemed to have a little bit more of fairy dust sprinkled on them because the ratio of success to letters sent was 3:25. 2010 was set to be a good year…..
My CV image
