🎼 Universal Requirements.

<aside> 💡 For the sake of simplicity, the terms of 'Resume' and 'CV' are to be considered interchangeable.

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Although formatting and content recommendations will vary from situation to situation, some elements should feature on all CVs.

Contact Essentials.

• Your first and last name (and your preferred pronouns, if you so desire).
• Your e-mail address, which should be rendered as highlightable text.
• Your phone number, ideally including international calling code.
• Your portfolio or website URL, which should be both highlightable, as well as, ideally, a clickable link.

<aside> ⚠️ Note that if you host your CV in a publicly-accessible space, such as on your website, you should consider publishing a bespoke version that does not include your phone number and/or e-mail as to avoid unscrupulous individuals, or bots from scraping your document to harvest your personal information.

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Length & Layout Guidelines.

Things have changed a lot since we have almost entirely moved from the paper to digital age, and some of the rules that might have once applied are no longer as important.

The most common example is the widespread obsession in having a CV fit on a single page. What is far more important than the number of pages is an effective layout with a strong hierarchy, allowing easy digestion of the content on the page(s). Furthermore, in an industry where it is not uncommon to change studio every couple years, for many people, keeping all of their experience on a single page simply won't be possible without making major concessions in more important areas of presentation.

As with everything though, moderation is key, and whilst you shouldn't worry about having a 2-page CV, if you find yourself reaching 3 pages or above, it might be worth reconsidering your formatting and/or content.

Another formatting aspect to keep in mind, is that if you feel it would benefit your presentation, there is no reason to prevent yourself from deviating from the standard 'Portrait' orientation, and moving towards a 'Landscape' orientation more suited for desktop consumption.

<aside> 💡 Unlike the Cover Letter Assembly, it is not absolutely essential for you to create bespoke CVs for each employer. However, in special circumstances, it can be to your benefit to further customise your CV to better represent your relevance to the role and/or company.

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Displaying Your Portrait.

A very common question from job-seekers revolves around the hesitation in including a photograph of themselves as part of their CV.

The general consenus on this is that including a photograph of yourself is disrecommended as it may introduce unwanted biases into the review process. There have even been Diversity & Inclusion initiatives in certain workplaces that have gone as far as to remove candidate names prior to application reviews in order to reduce these effects (this is not something you have to worry about or action on your end though).

With that said, it is entirely your choice if you wish to include your photograph. It really comes whether you think there is a higher chance that it will benefit, or penalise you.