Wednesday 13 February 2013
1a. The importance of presentation...
Because I am an aspiring choreographer and teacher I quickly decided that I wanted to create a CV just for the work experience I have done related to this field. This then allows anyone reading my blog to see how my career is developing down a specific path. In addition to my choreographic and teaching CV, I also have my everyday working CV and my Spotlight CV. I was unsure whether to upload both of these as well as I felt that three may be a bit excessive! I checked out other people's blogs and found a mixture of CV's had been added. As I browsed through a few, I began to notice that some were easier to read and access information that others. At first I thought it was just the way they had been worded, but I then began to realise that it was also the layout and design that affected which ones I liked and which ones I didn't. This straight away got my mind thinking about the society we live in today, and the importance of presentation, against the importance of content. Which one is more valuable?
This sent me off on a tangent thinking about this in the Musical Theatre world. What is more important at an audition? If the person looks right for the part, or whether the person can actually play/sing/ dance the part? An ongoing and frustrating debate I feel...
From researching this further online I stumbled across this quote which although isn't linked to Musical Theatre, is very interesting in terms of CV's, and could be easily translated for an audition situation.
'...many CVs are immediately dismissed..., not because the person isn't a strong candidate (they never get to interview stage) but because the information in the CV is presented poorly...'*
For many, this statement is brutal but true. Although we like to pretend that our qualifications and experience will always be the most important thing, society now suggests otherwise. It's now not enough to just be able to do the job or play the part, you have to do it with such a style and look that sets you apart from others. Your image is vital. And your CV is stage one of your image.
Although I am fairly happy with the presentation of my CV's on my blog, I am not 100% convinced that they demonstrate my professionalism and my personality in it's entirety. This is hugely down to the fact that my computer skills are not developed enough yet to work out how to upload my CV's exactly how I want them. But I also feel that I should develop my research into this field in order for my CV to be the best it can be.
*http://www.odgersberndtson.co.uk/gb/news-knowledge/blogs/cfo-blog/post/the-importance-of-a-good-cv-2474/
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Yes, it is interesting how things have changed in the years since I was a performer. Apart from a Head shot and a short profile in Spotlight if you were and actor, you just went to the audition, no CV, no info just you and you talent (or lack of it). Obviously if you had an agent then they had your Head shot and your physical details but nothing else! My first CV was created for office work when I was about 34! Certainly for office work and I am guessing now in the performing world the CV creates the first impression, and I have, in the past, dismissed people without even interviewing them purely based on their CV presentation. Glad that didnt happen in my day!!
ReplyDeleteExactly! It's so funny how times have changed! I have done exactly the same thing. I worked as a host for Jamie's Italian and people came in and if I didn't think they had made an effort with how they dressed and if I found their CV to be boring I quite often forgot to pass on the CV, or simply gave it to the manager without any additional detail.
ReplyDeleteInteresting what you said about not even having to bring along your CV. They purely just went on your talent on the day- not what you had done before, or where you trained!