What is a C.V?

The first of an ongoing series of posts I hope, this is the first awesome story I found with relation to the PPD module, and a great example of what a creative C.V can do for your career!

How Creative Should a Designer’s CV Be?

Written by Tara: Freelance Designer on Wednesday, 2 of May , 2007 at 5:37 pm

I was flicking through one of my old design scrap books earlier today and came across an old image entitled Dave on the Dole. The image was of a magazine style curriculum vitae belonging to an out of work Lancashire Designer, Dave Towers. To try and get himself noticed he had created, designed and printed his CV on found paper such as P45s (a form you get in the UK when you leave a job). The image was shown inCreative Review Magazine so it certainly got him some publicity, I wonder if it got him a job? Dave if you’re out there let us know (and I hope you don’t mind me showing your old CV).
This got me thinking: What does it take to get a designer noticed for a design job, especially a graduate with no proven design experience? I cringe to look back to when I had just left college (all those years ago) and made myself a pop up CV with my face on it  . Mind you I think it got me a couple of interviews, even if it was just out of amusement. A friend of mine from college who really struggled to get his first job started to make individual brochure CVs targeted at the individual company he was writing to. This eventually landed him a job (would he have got it otherwise - who knows, but initially it got him an interview).
Another unusual curriculum vitae - a man screen printed his resume on to a t-shirt and wore it at a tradeshow, while handing out copies of his resume. This resulted in 5 interviews and 3 job offers, you can read about it at www.ideasitefor business.com.
Now everything is online, perhaps an online CV is the way to go, or does this just get lost in the crowd?
So what is the answer, I’m not sure, how creative do you think a designers CV should be? What are the most creative resumes or CVs you have heard of?

http://www.graphicdesignblog.co.uk/how-creative-should-a-designers-cv-be/
The rest of the article can be found here


The post was followed up by a comment from Dave, which reads...

Hello I’m Dave on the Dole, or at least I was. I got loads of interest from that CV. The Face magazine were the first people to give me freelance work and it sort of snowballed from there. It opened so many doors. I’d travel down from Liverpool on the overnight National Express and get in a phone box and ring up any designer or agency who I thought was good. Because they’d seen the article I usually got to see them that day. I love a novelty CV but its got to be a true reflection of who you are.
I’m now really really posh and head of design and typography at Lowe London, doing things like this
http://www.dandad.org/awards2007/entry.asp?entry_id=28092

So he went from being on the dole, to working with D&AD. How inspiring.
I also love the fact that his C.V was printed on found stock, I've seen this done before and have wanted to find my own reason to use it ever since! 

What is professional / industrial experience?

ex⋅pe⋅ri⋅ence

1.	a particular instance of personally encountering or undergoing something: My encounter with the bear in the woods was a frightening experience.

2.	the process or fact of personally observing, encountering, or undergoing something: business experience.

3.	the observing, encountering, or undergoing of things generally as they occur in the course of time: to learn from experience; the range of human experience.

4.	knowledge or practical wisdom gained from what one has observed, encountered, or undergone: a man of experience.

5.	Philosophy. the totality of the cognitions given by perception; all that is perceived, understood, and remembered. dictionary.com                 In my own personal opinion, experience is: A learning aid. It builds confidence in yourself, and your practice. A chance to sample before you commit.

Why is professional / industrial experience important as part of PPD?

• It proves a stepping stone between education and work.
• It helps build a C.V
• It will help you decide what kind of job you're looking for,
• and equally what jobs you are not!

"Voluntary work or work experience are two of the best ways to improve your CV and gain hands-on experience of the ‘real world’."

http://www.realworldmagazine.com/work-experience

WORK EXPERIENCE SURVIVAL GUIDE.

A guide aimed at all graduates sturggling to find work after they graduate.

How do you gain professional / industrial experience and what form does it take?

• Contacting existing professionals.
• Work placements. (Paid or unpaid!)
• Observing what is already out there, and how other companies work.
• Research.
• Getting out and doing it!

What should you aim to gain from professional / industrial experience?

• A better understanding of what is out there,
• and better understanding of where I sit within this.
• A more expansive contact list.
• Confidence.
• Development as an individual.

"It is a competitive climate for graduates and you need to stand out from the crowd."

http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/aa/careers/wkexperience/why.htm