How does a CV look like of a respected Sound Engineer

[Gaston69]

To All,

I would like to apply for a job as sound engineer in a small theater and need to write a CV however would like to get some advice on what is important to mention in a CV.

Can you please advice?

Thanks,

Gaston

[NorseHorse]

This might not be the best place to ask, but there are plenty of references on the web for resume writing, albeit not necessarily geared towards AV work.

Make sure you list (resume basics):

Name
Address
Title or Reference # of the job you are applying for.
Education, Degrees Earned, Dates Attended, Thesis Title(s)
Previous Job Titles, Job Responsibilities or Achievements, Company Name, Locations, and Dates Works

Some more AV specific details:

Professional Certifications, Professional Memberships
A list of systems / boards that you are familiar with.
List of notable projects you have work on, and your responsibilities in them.

Try to focus on information and experience that is actually relevant to what you are applying for. Make it neat and organized. Don't go over one page in length. DO submit a cover letter that touches on why you are applying for the job and quickly notes what important experience you bring to the table.

Of course, if you have a nice recommendation from someone in the area, they might not even bother looking at your CV...

[Gaston69]

Originally Posted by NorseHorse

This might not be the best place to ask, but there are plenty of references on the web for resume writing, albeit not necessarily geared towards AV work.

Make sure you list (resume basics):

Name
Address
Title or Reference # of the job you are applying for.
Education, Degrees Earned, Dates Attended, Thesis Title(s)
Previous Job Titles, Job Responsibilities or Achievements, Company Name, Locations, and Dates Works

Some more AV specific details:

Professional Certifications, Professional Memberships
A list of systems / boards that you are familiar with.
List of notable projects you have work on, and your responsibilities in them.

Try to focus on information and experience that is actually relevant to what you are applying for. Make it neat and organized. Don't go over one page in length. DO submit a cover letter that touches on why you are applying for the job and quickly notes what important experience you bring to the table.

Of course, if you have a nice recommendation from someone in the area, they might not even bother looking at your CV...

Sounds like very good advice, appreciate it.

[mpdonahue]

To be honest, we never actually look at the Resume or CV. The cover letter is far more important. NEVER write a generic cover letter. I always tell people that you should let the person reading the cover letter that you know who they are, that you know what they do, that you know of projects that they've done. Then you can tell them how how your specific knowledge and skills can benefit them.
Finally, very few people that work in this business end up using a CV beyond their first job. A reel/discography is much more telling and the only way you'll ever get anybody to listen to it is to write a great cover letter.....

Good luck.
All the best,
-mark

[boojum]

FWIW - I worked as a headhunter for a while. If you still want to write a CV keep it to one page unless you won the Nobel Prize, invented the wheel or light. As a general rule, no one ever reads past page one. The point is to pique their interest, not tell them your life story. Your final line is, "References on request." Check your references first that they will give you a great recommendation, not just a reference. If you do not ask you might never know if they hate you. It happens.

Cheers

[bishopthomas]

Originally Posted by mpdonahue

Finally, very few people that work in this business end up using a CV beyond their first job. A reel/discography is much more telling.....

I don't agree with this at all. For recording, yes, but not for a live engineer at a theatre.

[jnorman]

i hire a lot of people, ranging from young scientists to PhD's, in the environmental field. i pay very little attention to resumes, other than what their degree is, and what their current job is. other than that, the resume is still a nice addition to an application effort.

i agree with the above about the cover letter - it tells me how well they can write and organize thoughts, ideas, and information. the most important thing about a cover letter is to keep it SHORT (no more than one page) and right to the point. DO NOT tell them how good you are, etc - tell them what you can do for their company/organization.

the second most important thing is: people who are busy (and who isnt?) will respond best to a short bullet list of appropriate information, accomplishments, or past jobs. use this technique both in your resume and in your cover letter - it will be the first (and perhaps only) thing they look at on either item. bullet lists get attention.

to summarize:
MINIMIZE any narrative - nobody reads it.
USE BULLET LISTS of important experience and accomplishments.

[rumleymusic]

Textbook advice here. List your overall accomplishments and leave out specifics, no one cares. I agree that the cover letter is more important, I just glance over resumes to see the education and previous job locations. But most important is the followup. Don't just send a resume and leave it. Follow up with a personal email or better yet a phone call to make sure they have it in their hands and will read it. Good communication is the most impressive thing about a job applicant.

[boojum]

^^^^^^ Follow up is so important. Establish that positive connection.

[bishopthomas]

Originally Posted by jnorman

the second most important thing is: people who are busy (and who isnt?) will respond best to a short bullet list of appropriate information, accomplishments, or past jobs. use this technique both in your resume and in your cover letter - it will be the first (and perhaps only) thing they look at on either item. bullet lists get attention.

to summarize:
MINIMIZE any narrative - nobody reads it.
USE BULLET LISTS of important experience and accomplishments.

Interesting. I always thought the bullet list seemed unprofessional and too much of an "outline style." In searching for employment recently I have found that not many people actually read my resume. I typically get questions that make me want to respond, "Did you even read my resume? You're holding the answer in front of you." Of course I play along and pretend like they're just trying to make conversation. Sometimes they are, but often it is obvious that they haven't even looked at my resume. Maybe it's because my resume is too wordy. It's only a page, but maybe I should condense it.

As employers, who is for a bullet list and who would rather see complete thoughts on paper?

[bishopthomas]

Originally Posted by rumleymusic

But most important is the followup. Don't just send a resume and leave it. Follow up with a personal email or better yet a phone call to make sure they have it in their hands and will read it. Good communication is the most impressive thing about a job applicant.

I couldn't agree more. The few jobs I've landed by sending a resume had little to do with my resume and more to do with my persistence. An email or phone call is good, but nothing beats showing up in person. It puts a face and voice to a name on a resume and creates more of a personal relationship. It's harder to say no to someone when they're standing in front of you or you can remember seeing their face and shaking their hand.

[jnorman]

i dont necessarily agree with the follow up idea, but it probably depends significantly on what kind of job you are trying to obtain (ie, government jobs are very different from large private corporation jobs are very different from small individually-owned and operated small business jobs and services - and who, exactly, you are dealing with (HR department, hiring mgr, direct supervisor, potential colleagues, etc).

it is better, of course, for the company or organization to immediately acknowledge job applications for open positions, and most do that. but for most advertised positions (ie, company is openly calling for applicants for a specific job), it is awkward at best, and completely off-putting at worst, for the applicant to call about an application unless there is some reason to believe it was never received.

OTOH, if you are cold-calling looking to sell yourself, a different approach would likely be be applicable.

[Tom McC]

Adding to the good general advice of the other posters:

In your cover letter, particularly for an open sollicitation for a non-advertised position, try to show that you have done some analysis of their organization; have identified some possible gaps/needs/shortcomings (that they may even be unaware of); propose yourself as having the very skill set to meet that perceived need; and offer to come elaborate in an exploratory meeting.

In the CV part, merely listing previous positions held doesn't suffice - you need to accentuate key achievements made while holding that position. For example:

"2001-2005: Boy Scout Troup Leader" could be improved to:
"2001-2005: Boy Scout Troup Leader
- drove membership increase of 30%
- raised funds for new clubhouse and exchange visit to Europe"

[RobAnderson]

I recently had to serve on a search committee at the college where I teach and had to go through the CV's of many candidates. This is what I would have told most of them in person.

Bullet points rock - both in the resume and cover letter. The layout of the cover letter and resume should be clear, neat, and well organized so that I can find what I need at a glance.

Use the cover letter to hook me and then show me your stuff in the resume. Be succinct in both.

Don't think you have to include every single job you ever had and/or every band you ever worked with. Give me the highlights, the impressive and/or relevant stuff, and figure out a way to show me how experienced you are without giving me information overload.

If you are going to do more than one page, then give each page a purpose - don't just run on endlessly. Have a fabulous demo CD or DVD available at the interview.

I don't care if you know how to use a copier or fax machine. I don't really care what your hobbies are. Nothing personal - just show me that you have experience that is relevant to the task at hand. We can talk about your hobbies later.

[Plush]

There is never a reason to short yourself by offering a less than excellent CV.
You have received very good advice here on how to put one together. Always include a CD of your reel--a summary of your work.

A good CV is required, for example, for teaching positions and positions in broadcast.

If presenting or using a CV is looked down upon by some members of the craft that is simply their own problem, not yours.

Any "problem" can usually be categorized as the person feeling resentment over "achievement" issues.

[Remoteness]

Some very good suggestions were found in this thread.

If I ever find the need to put together a CV for myself, I will indeed look for this thread for advice!

[Gaston69]

I want to thank all of you the advise given, in the meantime I completed my CV and had my interview yesterday.

Will keep you posted on the outcome of that interview, for now I just keep my fingers crossed.

Gaston