CV Writing

In our weekly sessions we have been looking at writing a creative CV. This is a CV geared towards jobs in the creative industry and is very different from a CV you would submit to an admin position.

For me it's a difficult thing to do as I've never written a normal CV before let alone a creative piece. Using the booklets provided and some online resources I have thrown a creative CV together with a hope of receiving feedback in the upcoming sessions.

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Matthew Smith | Curriculum Vitae

I am currently a second year student at the University of Salford studying towards a BA in photography. I have excellent technical skills in both photography and image editing, alongside some graphic design and videography experience. My drive to learn new things and innovate constantly pushes my photographic practice. Previous work experience has enabled me to work as part of a wider team and also undertake briefs alone when needed.

Education:

2012 - 2015 Salford University

Photography BA (Hons)

2010 - 2012 Priestley College, Warrington

BTEC Interactive Media & Photography (D*D*D*)

2005 - 2010 St Chads High School, Runcorn

12 GCSE’s – 3A’s 9B’s including math’s and English

Employment

2010 – 2014        Merchandise Sales - K&M Leisure, Runcorn

In my position at K&M Leisure, I have been working with the general public at Manchester United football matches in a commission based sales role. After my first year, I was promoted to managing my own merchandise plot in which I had to maintain stock levels and handle large amounts of money.

2013 – 2014        Assistant photographer - Tate Studio

In my position, I was called upon to photograph weddings, corporate events and also assist in the production of corporate videos alongside other photographers. After capturing images I used my expertise in software such as Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop to deliver the highest quality work to clients.

2013 – 2014         Photographer - Sportfive, Wilmslow

As a photographer for Sportfive, I had to use my skills and established knowledge of sports photography to capture images at Barclays Premier League football matches throughout the 2013/2014 season, whilst also maintaining a professional attitude when on location photographing teams such as Manchester City & Liverpool FC.

Summer 2013     Event photographer - NASS festival (Vision Nine)

I was selected to be part of the media team at NASS (Action Sports & Music Festival) working to tight deadlines to have photographs uploaded to social media minutes after competitions finished and also working as part of the wider media team alongside filmmakers, graphic designers and reporters.

Technical Skills

I am well versed in several industry standard software packages such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Illustrator & Adobe Premier Pro. I have been working in a studio environment throughout my time as an undergraduate and I am able to set up and use range of equipment such as flash heads, light modifiers & backdrops. I have been using Canon DSLRs for the past 5 years and I am very confident with digital photography. With previous experience as an event photographer, I can work in a fast paced, pressured environment with ease and deliver high quality work on time.

Skills

·         I have good time management and organisation skills having worked to tight deadlines in my previous roles and having to organise and edit several thousand images ready for delivery to clients within hours of shooting.

·         I am able to work as part of a team and alongside other photographers and creatives.

·         As an individual I am very confident with problem solving both creative and technical challenges.

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After sitting down and talking through my CV with fiona and a few friends from the course I'm confident that I'm on the right track. I've tried to keep it very minimal and have left out jobs I felt didn't offer anything. I'm hoping that by only including relevant experience potential employers will see my talents and varied skills.

I now have a strong basis for a creative CV that I can change and adapt for various creative job rolls. The next step for me is to find some positions and see what is required for them!