Animation Relaxation 

Week 8 : 

Cathy Moore Employability and Careers Adviser

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https://uk.linkedin.com/in/cathy-moore-6455883b

Cathy was my careers teacher back in St. Mary's and i had a chat with her one day when i was leaving University for lunch and caught up with her. The last time i saw her was several years ago at my when leaving St. Mary's Grammar School after receiving my A-Level results.i She was under the impression i was still going to attend Queens University to do computer science but i ended changing my mind and decided to go to Belfast Met to do a free course in foundation art. She therefore was surprised to see me and asked about how i was and what i was up to and i said i was in the course and she was surprised as she didn't recognise me in the class until i brought it up. 

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The lecture was about employment and how to sell yourself and promote yourself in the world and in the industry to gain recognition and to get you foot in the door in companies with helpful pointers and tips to aid you in the process. She also gave us information on how to find and get help if and when we require it. This made me think about my achievements and the desirable skills and qualities i posses and the different reasons why someone would hire me in the industry and why they would choose me over someone else. What makes me ? Cathy continued to show us the ten skills needed on any Cv in general and not a Animation specific field.

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Ten things to have or mention in your CV that employers want to see:

1. Commercial Business 

2. Communication

3. Teamwork

4. Negotiation and persuasion

5. Problem solving 

6. Leadership

7. Organisation

8. Perseverance and motivation

9. Working under Pressure

10. Confidence

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Cathy then went on to talk about the animation industry and the skills that employers want to see from us  in both our work in the form of show reels , portfolios and CV's :

• Creativity 

• Artistic Talent

• Storytelling

• Attention to detail

• Adaptability 

• Ability to work under pressure

• Ability to meet deadlines

 

This didn't vary much from my ordinary CV i created back in school and then developed and updated it over the years when applying for jobs, except this was animation orientated and needed to have more thought and time invested in to it to make it more artistic and creativity with the design, formatting logo and fonts that all need to be clear and work together. 

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Personal Branding:

Create your own brand name or a logo/ identity to make your self stand out and easy to identify and it helps to creates a good reputation and rapport with companies make sure they are elegant and memorable and use them on your work and make business cards for networking and trying to find jobs. Branding can change the perception people have of you.

Think about your posture and your mannerisms and the dress code is it formal or informal when going for meetings or to interviews , don't overdress and be on time.

Stand straight and don't slouch or lounge around show that you are keen interested and driven while giving them your full attention .

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Network outside University. Meet people and get your face known go to Toody-Threedy and network and get to know people in the industry and talk with people don't be intimidated or afraid they were once where you are now.When showcasing your skills provide evidence of where these skills came from how it was done , why and where and  along with how they were applied to certain things.

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Professional Communication: Contact companies and ask for feedback on your work or showreels. Find out what they are wanting to see or go and visit studios or other animators in the industry and meet up for coffee and ask for their opinion on your stuff or to talk about the industry or any changes or new updates you should learn along with the best and most efficient methods that companies are using that you would bring into your workflow. and chat and get to know them create a professional repartee with them.

 

Teamwork skills and freelancing can develop your work to new levels by apply yourself to try to get involved in shared projects or activities inside and outside university. Try to become an active member of the community both locally in the industry and globally like working for companies and projects or on freelance work. Get involved yourself in competitions and events or create your and manage your own clubs employers love to see this. Try to create an online presence like becoming a Youtuber or by creating an art page or a page for your work on Instagram or Facebook or or maintaining an active blog or website for your work log and cultivate a fan base and talk to people if they ask questions be reachable and grounded don't let your ego control you.

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Create a new CV for each different job role you are applying in any area you specialise in and choose what information and skills you have that you think they will want to on your Cv and sell your self but don't lie. Make sure everything is relevant and serves a purpose don't have any pointless crap.

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Helpful links to use later in the year:

Skwigly

Volunteer now

Recruit.ulster.ac.uk

Linkin

Behance

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Reflection :

This lecture was perfectly timed as i was starting to plan out my CV and began to looking at potential companies for using for writing my cover letter. The information i learnt helped me to make some much needed decisions that lead to my final outcomes which i am happy with and i think they look better for it than my earlier designs. It helped me to tailor my Cv specifically for my chosen specialism : it also helped me to streamline my CV so that it was direct and meaningful. It also made me think about the style i would use and what type of branding or image / impression i want to leave and use it so that it stands out and so people will know it's me.

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