CV Feedback
polycounter lvl 3
For a long time I've been wondering what I could improve in my CV, but not knowing anyone, I never had feedback from a 3D Artist or professional from the industry.
I'd really appreciate some honest feedback about my CV.
Is it missing information? Am I putting anything more than necessary? Should I go for a traditional CV style?
I feel like I hit a roadblock and don't know how I could make it better.
I've omitted my email and address for the sake of privacy, but they work fine in the final version.
It's the PDF in the attachments, thank you.
I'd really appreciate some honest feedback about my CV.
Is it missing information? Am I putting anything more than necessary? Should I go for a traditional CV style?
I feel like I hit a roadblock and don't know how I could make it better.
I've omitted my email and address for the sake of privacy, but they work fine in the final version.
It's the PDF in the attachments, thank you.
Replies
It's best to tailor your resume, adjusting it to each specific job you're applying to.
I would suggest removing all the fluff (photo, inspirational summary, graphic design layout, etc.). Hiring managers just want the facts, don't waste their time with embellishments.
The things we want to know from a resume, in order by importance:
- What kind of specialization are you best at, and most interested in. (headline)
- Work experience: what you accomplished, how long you did it, who for, and what job title.
- Portfolio link.
- Contact info.
- Software.
- Education.
Resume is a gate, a filter mechanism, we're using it to filter people out. Customize yours with keywords from the job listing.As far as your portfolio goes, use Artstation instead of behance. Remove stuff that doesn't fit the particular job you're applying to. Your home page looks like you only made four pieces, don't bury all those cars (if cars are the kind of work you want, put those up front all on the first page and remove everything else).
I hope this helps.
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Game_Industry
Just another thing I wonder, do you think I should leave experience in video editing and web design from before I started with 3D or that's completely irrelevant (not to mention my two years in piloting school)?
Ensure the text is selectable. You want to make the life of the people looking at your CV easier and this includes letting them copy and paste stuff into their notes.
In addition to dropping the photo there's no need to inform links are clickable if they're styled differently. Remove the hyperlink from the location as it's unnecessary, and it'd be better to not bundle portfolio, social media and location/contact together. Contact and location should be close to the top and to your name, followed by portfolio in priority. Social media is dispensable. If you're really intent on including them curate and reduce the list, and add it as an extra at the bottom.
Your software proficiency would be easier to ascertain if you kept them separated from skills. Simple lists are faster to scan than comma separated item sequences, so make good use of the extra room you'll get if reworking your CV to organize items into lists. Avoid redundancy like citing software after skill, and avoid prepending experience lists with "professional". This implies everything else was done in an amateur capacity and if you're applying to a junior position, well... no one will expect you to have decades of studio experience under your belt. There's no need to draw attention to it.
About the language section, this is a bit of a pet peeve of mine I guess, but avoid progression trackers. They're not informative. IE: If I needed to know whether you can speak German 1/5 proficiency tells me nothing at all. Just use the regular spoken/written indicator, and it's better to leave languages you can't hold a conversation in out while you don't get stronger grasp on them.
An extra tip about language: Be careful with prepositions. Several English prepositions translate to the exactly same Portuguese words, making it easy to slip and pick the wrong one on the way back. You're experienced in (doing something) or with (thing), not for. This is not a cardinal sin or anything, it's just a common pitfall created by our native language.
I can't thank you guys enough, so many doubts I had are gone and I guess I could have a grasp on how different this industry is from the other ones and how important it is to focus on one area.
birb said: I completely agree, thanks for ponting it all out, that's something I always had some feeling it was indeed useless in the back of my head but never knew what to do with these thoughts, and I'll try to pay some more attention to grammar too.
- 5+ Years of professional experience in Hard Surface 3D Modelling (Blender)
- Fast-paced
- Precision Modelling
- AAA Workflow familiarisation
- Experience with Unity 3D
side note: a lot of the applications you send aren't going to be read by clueless HR staff, they usually go to lead artists in my experience. You don't need to go as hard on the buzzwords. Stay cute