Writing a good artist CV

Things to include on your CV:

1.    Personal Information
This should include name, address and current phone and email contacts plus website address as relevant. If you have a regular typeface or even logo make sure you use it consistently. If not, you could choose a different typeface to help your name stand out. Put a footer on all additional pages that has your name and contact phone number on it.

2.    Work experience
Put your most recent work first - people want to know what you are doing at the moment and need to find this information quickly. Don’t revisit Saturday jobs unless it was a position of responsibility or is relevant for the job you are applying for. It is better to see stints of voluntary or unpaid work than someone padding out with irrelevant jobs. As you lay out information include Dates; Name of Employer and duties. Don’t include salary details at this stage.

3.    Education & training
Again choose a simple layout that mirrors your work experience layout - so the CV is easy to look at and follows a format: Dates; School/College/University; Course/Qualification. Put your formal qualifications in order of the most recent first. It is your choice whether you separate out additional training that you may have attended. If your formal qualifications are thin but you have a lot of experience then supplementary training that you have attended can help this section. Ensure that the one day first aid course, the child protection training or the workshop tools safety course is on there - they add to the picture and show a commitment to continued professional development.

4.    Membership of any professional bodies; Awards
Include the information after your training section - it again helps to build your profile.

5.    Personal statement / further information
The tone should be professional and can be built around a few solid facts (clean driving licence / 5 years experience of projects / your career highlights / interests outside of work) Avoid clichés and be honest. Don’t regurgitate the front panel of an exhibition that you once produced that examined your work in detail - it will be out of context here and has the potential to sound pompous. Imagine the open interview question - ‘tell me a little bit about yourself?’ What are the things that don’t come across in the facts and figures? Try and encapsulate in this short statement.

An example from a personal statement:
‘Over the last five years I have trained in the art of theatre. I believe in the need for everyone to express and be heard, individually and / or as a community, whether by script, song or visual effect, indoors or out in the street. I recognise the interdisciplinary nature of teamwork crucial to staging a successful, professional event and endeavour to seek honest, positive and open team dynamics within the creative process.’

6.    References & testimonies
Include up-to-date contact details of people who will provide a reference for you with email or phone numbers. Also short quotes from feedback you have gathered from previous work looks good. If you have not been recommended by someone else this is the next best thing.

Presentation
Stick to 2 sides of A4. Even the most basic word processing package offers the opportunity to insert images theses days. If relevant to your work use 2 carefully chosen images that illustrate your work. If you have a selection to choose from design a balanced page putting blocks of text into columns. Be careful not to obscure the text and make the page too busy.

Tailor your CV
A very important detail, most tenders / employers will be looking for different qualities. For example some will be commissioning you for your own work and some will be interested in your ability to lead workshops and participatory work. Before sending off your CV check that it contains all the detail required and highlights the strengths that make you the person for that particular job. It might mean playing with the format - but can mean the difference between shortlist and also ran. If the post is the job of your dreams, consider a total overhaul – go to town. At the very least ensure that your covering letter highlights this experience and enthusiasm.

Making the application
The vast majority of posts have a formal application process - however if it is a CV / letter check out what the employer has asked you to submit.