As part of this task, it was suggested that we take our current CV and rewrite as a profile - improving on its quality. Now my first thought, what is the difference between a CV and a profile?
I found the above table on http://www.mployability.net which I felt explained it really well!
When you set out to write either a cv or a personal profile, there are many things you really need consider - these to primarily draw the employers attention never mind get the job!
What makes a good CV/profile? Think about:
- Layout
- Information
- Image
- Font
- Colour
- Wording
- Paper
- Opening/closing statement
- Referee
A brief profile about me:
Hello. My name is Megan and i am a professional performer from South Yorkshire. I've been privileged enough to train at the renowned Laine Theatre Arts where I was awarded a full scholarship and obtained a Trinity diploma in dance. Since completing my training, I have gone on to work professionally in the West End as well as on UK and International Tours. I consider myself extremely lucky to work in an industry I am so passionate about and have taken it upon myself to continue personal development over in America. I have experience in a broad range of dance styles as well as in acting, singing and aerial skills; and although the majority of my expertise lies in Musical Theatre, I have also featured in TV commercials and appearances. Teaching is something I would definitely like to do more of in the future as I have found it extremely rewarding and fulfilling up to now. I do feel it is something I naturally excel in. Thank you for your time, please see my CV for more specific information.
Hello. My name is Megan and i am a professional performer from South Yorkshire. I've been privileged enough to train at the renowned Laine Theatre Arts where I was awarded a full scholarship and obtained a Trinity diploma in dance. Since completing my training, I have gone on to work professionally in the West End as well as on UK and International Tours. I consider myself extremely lucky to work in an industry I am so passionate about and have taken it upon myself to continue personal development over in America. I have experience in a broad range of dance styles as well as in acting, singing and aerial skills; and although the majority of my expertise lies in Musical Theatre, I have also featured in TV commercials and appearances. Teaching is something I would definitely like to do more of in the future as I have found it extremely rewarding and fulfilling up to now. I do feel it is something I naturally excel in. Thank you for your time, please see my CV for more specific information.
This is a first draft of my performing CV:
(Please note I have purposely not included contact details)
In addition to my CV, it is essential as a dancer to have head shots and body shots that clearly display your true image. The picture below is my head shot from 2012. Theses must be kept up to date, particularly when you are younger and still experimenting and finding your image. The collage of head shots below are my most recent from 2015. As you can see, my hair colour has changed to a more natural blonde and the shape of my face has changed slightly. I also wear much less make up in general.
The image below is a photograph from a shoot I did for BMG & Sony, this through Topps Casting. It is a great shot for my portfolio of pictures used in modelling or television castings.
What other things can we as dancers have to compliment our CV's and profiles?
- Showreel: YouTube, apps such as iMovie
- Head shots, photos (as mentioned above)
- Voice clips
- Website
- Cover letter: agents, studies, jobs
Please click on the link or view the video below to see a show reel that I have made on iMovie and uploaded to YouTube
Other than having and sending a hard copy, where can we as dancers specifically upload or share our profile/CV to enhance our chances of employment?
Normally, post training, a dancer would aim to get an agent who is someone that sources the auditions on your behalf and arranges meeting for you. Now back in the day, audition advertisements were posted in newspapers like 'The Stage' or around local studios. These were for what we call 'open calls'. Nowadays, in a land that's dictated by the internet, casting directors will post their requirements via a site called 'spotlight' and it is through membership to that which allows you to apply for these posts. An agent has your profile information and is responsible for submitting you to appropriate breakdowns. There are many benefits to this as your profile can be seen at the click of a button by various amazing casting directors. It also means that all the auditions are in one place therefore easier to find. To have someone acting on your behalf is great as it minimises your workload as well as minimising the huge amount of contact and sifting through CV's for the casting directors. It provides a confident and generally, these professionals are very knowledgable providing valuable advice for career development and audition techniques. Receiving a casting via this method tends to mean there are less people in the audition room with you which is another benefit in terms of getting the most out of the audition situation and being seen - it's what we call a 'private call' I.e. Invitation only. You should have a professional relationship with your agent but I believe it is additionally important to feel like you can talk to them on a more personal level if needs be; yes they are technically working for you but they can also guide you and assist with any problems you may have in regards to auditioning or even in the workplace.
Unfortunately, if you don't have an agent, it does mean that it can be quite difficult sometimes to get auditions as some or now 'private' only. However, there are sites that you can register to independently for which you pay a monthly fee to receive emails of the latest auditions. As well as spotlight you have 'Dancers Pro' and 'Talent Cast' to name a couple. On a general professional level, you can create profiles on LinkedIn and Google+. These are two sites that I have recently added to my branches of web based communication technologies and am yet to fully figure out in terms of how they work. From the little I have experienced, they can find links and contacts within similar industries and contacts to your own in order to expand your network. You can post your CV as well as contact information, and send messages via the site. Stay tuned for my progress regarding these!
View my LinkedIn profile here: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/megan-louch-48a735114
No comments:
Post a Comment