CV Tutorial

The workshop today has shown the important rules to follow in order to create a successful CV. It must be professional, but it is as just important to make that CV stand out in order to the employer to acknowledge the individual.

These are some rules to contemplate:


1.   When writing a CV, it is important to know that a universal CV does not exist - Every CV must be tailored to a specific job application.

2.   How to make an impacting CV - Consider what an employer values in an employee. for instance explain how sales have been met and how they have been achieved.

3.   Highlight keywords from a description of the job applied for. Translate these words and apply them to the CV.

4.   Take into consideration the level applied to a skill included in the CV. For example, it is acceptable to assess skills as beginner level. This will inform the employer that the employer is able assess their skill appropriately and honestly.

5.   As a Creative, it would be necessary to add their Pinterest or Instagram account in the CV to indicate their interests within and outside the creative industry. Despite this, the account must be professional!

6.   A designer, for example, must take their career seriously, despite their level - Whether it is at a graduate or professional level. Describing oneself as a "practicing designer" is acceptable for someone who is at a learning level.

7.   Employees have little time to read through all CV applications, unfortunately this means they can be very subjective to certain imagery or layout. To avoid penalisation, it would be safer to add a link to that image in the CV.

8.   There is no need for the individual to write their address on the CV, as this uses valuable space.

9.   Depending on the amount of experience the individual has had, it can be put before their qualification on the CV - It is important to advertise the most impressive to the employer first.

10.  It is not necessary for the individual to include all their GCSE's. All that is needed, is to state the amount of GCSE's gained, plus the grades for English, maths and science (separate the grades for double or triple subjects).

11.  The individual should start with their most recent job.

12.  Separate paid work with voluntary work to show willingness to learn and gain experience.

13.  Highlight beneficial "office" skills such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, etc. It is also good for the individual to state how they can operate a blog.

14.  It is not always necessary to put names of references in the CV and can state "available on request". However stating the names of references indicates to the employer that the individual is trustworthy.

15.  A CV should be no more than 2 sides of A4. If the individual has a lot of experience, it is more likely that 2 sides of A4 would be filled.

16.  A biography or profile can be separate from a CV - It is a paragraph about oneself and what position they would like to be in.

Here is a link to my CV with my biography included. Please not that my contact information is fake, as this blog is public.

Link to CV

"Disobedient Objects"

Disobedient Objects

Art and design has been used for many different reasons, whether it is symbolic or ritualistic, used to entertain or to portray an idea. Overall, art and design is used to express a concept – expressed by a person or a whole consensus.

‘Disobedient Objects’ shows us how art and design is used to express solidarity during objection against political action. The exhibition displayed pieces; some hastily made, in a reaction to a cause – A cause to protest against something that has upset the balance of society’s idea of morality and ethics.

‘I Wish My Boyfriend Was As Dirty As Your Policies’

‘I Wish My Boyfriend Was As Dirty As You Policies’ Coral Stoakes

A humorous protest poster by Coral Stoakes, names and shames the government policies that have impeded the futures of potential university students. Is it just an amusing message? Yes… at face value, but you soon realise the sarcastic undertones and the mockery used to shame the government.

‘…I thought I would fight fire with fire and sexualise the government’s policies in order to expose how absurd they were.’

http://saveourplacards.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/i-wish-my-boyfriend.html

Stoakes message was clear that she wanted to provoke a reaction and in some way belittle the government and its policy. Even though many signs and posters were made for this protest, this one is successful at expressing disapproval, by standing out with a simple satirical message.

‘Burmese One Kyat Banknote’

The reaction to Burma’s ruthless dictatorship has been expressed in this hidden watermark. The hidden picture in the Kyat banknote is pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of General Aung San. Astonishing bravery from the artist who rendered this, as any image of Aung San Suu Kyi is forbidden and can result in imprisonment. There is a clear sense of fear of the junta, due to the way the message is represented – in secret – how many are in circulation and what will happen if they are found? The concept of the Burmese population having this hidden image in their notes gives the illusion of solidarity (whether they know not). The junta would have to arrest everyone who had one and that’s just ridiculous – which is what this artist is trying to portray… “your dictatorship is a joke” San Suu Kyi should be a celebrated woman for what she stands for and what she has endured over her lifetime. She fights for the freedom of her people, like how Charlie Hebdo fight for freedom of speech.

'Burmese One Kyat Banknote' Artist Unknown

Conclusion

The ‘reactions’ displayed in the room emitted an energy, which frankly was quite refreshing, since most exhibitions are quite self-absorbed. It has the ability to viewers riled up and inspired, thus able to respect the bravery and commitment these protesters and activist went through. Although this exhibition showed how protest and activist work within the last 30 years, it did not represent how new technology has aided their designs. It could be argued that Twitter is a technology from this era, but its sort of the lazy way. The “hand crafted’ aspect of these pieces give the protest relatability, rather than a hashtag from a random person on their phone. It would be interesting to see more of how protesters and activists were able to utilise this era’s technology in a creative way.

"Disobedient Objects" reviews

Reading reviews may grant a better understanding of an exhibition, making the experience more enjoyable and beneficial to oneself... 

From the information gathered, "Disobedient Objects" is supposedly about how 21st technology allow activists to express themselves in new ways. The main points within the exhibition is about social change, solidarity, direct action and the act of speaking out and expressing ones views on the establishment.

Some reviewers have mentioned that some of the contents displayed in the exhibition includes practical reaction to the their views, whilst some are utopian and unrealistic.

The objects are said to be made for that particular moment, spontaneous - at the same time, the objects are displayed in their sometimes tattered state. This depicts that this is a very "in-the-moment" exhibition that engaged the viewers into feeling connected to the work displayed. Some displays are considered as "motivated works", which displays bring a certain energy, as they are made with strong consequences in mind and the creators know they are putting themselves in harms way. It almost sounds as if some protesters appreciate the thrill of standing up for what they think is right and knowing that they are making a stand.

Other reviews believe that the artist's/activist's work mock the the authorities, whilst others utilise social media to convey and interpret their message further. The work is debated to have the widest audience, for everyone to see - Maybe in order to state their views, or to display how they have mocked the governments actions.

Some reviewers believe that 21st century technology has not been involved enough: 

'...judging by this show, nothing technologically innovative looks particularly effective in a street protest.'

http://mybeautifulair.com/2014/08/07/accion-urgente-exhibit-in-proa-foundation/   

A question that would conclude this discussion is: How does Disobedient Objects change the way we view the objects when it is put into a museum/ how does the museum change when these objects are displayed? This is something to consider when viewing the exhibition for oneself.