Avoid the “Generic” CV

A CV is a tool in your job search, it is there to highlight your strengths and promote specific experience. The crucial element here is specific. While it is a good idea to have a basic outline ready when updating your CV for a current job search, it is never a good idea to rely on it. Making sure to tailor your CV for each and every job you apply for is essential, at any stage of your career. “Generic” CVs show, and employers/recruiters can recognise them easily. Researching the company or role you are applying for not only shows a level of pre-established interest, but it also helps your CV stand-out when there are consistent cross-parallels between your CV and the role requirements.

Choose the Correct Format

Formatting may seem like the most basic starting point when updating or creating a new CV, but there are different styles which aid different fields of work. Reverse chronological can be the most ideal way to breakdown your career while still highlighting your most recent and relevant experience, but don’t be afraid to change it up. Bringing out your specific skills and placing them immediately at the top can ensure full consideration for any skill-specific roles (software, achievements, etc).

Don’t be Afraid to Cut Content

While it is essential to cover all revenant experience when applying for specific jobs, it is equally important to know what doesn’t need to be included. This is increasingly important the further along your career you are. Listing every individual piece of experience from the beginning of your career can lead to a overly-long and information heavy document. A good CV, regardless of the amount of experience you have, should be easily digestible and simple to understand.

What to Include in Role Descriptions

Explaining the contents of your roles is the most basic way to highlight your experience. But again, how to get that information across can make the difference. Breaking down your role into main responsibilities, teams sizes and key accomplishments can quickly get across all relevant information. Role descriptions really only need to be two or three sentences long – additional information becomes superfluous and takes away much needed space elsewhere.  

Demonstrate Key Results

When you showcase the roles you have worked in and the responsibility you have, emphasising the impact you had on the company through specific and proven results can help make your CV standout. This can be through examples of deadlines reached before schedule, KPIs hit, SEO growth, or anything relevant to the role you are applying for. Breaking these down (don’t be afraid to bullet point them), can immediately show the potential employer or recruiter why you are the right candidate for the role.

It’s that time of year again, a time when we look back across the spectrum of cinema over the previous 12 months and select the best and the boldest. That seemingly simple task is often anything but, especially this year. Awards nominations have been announced, won, lost and questioned. With each passing year the demand (and rightfully so) has increased for more diverse representation. It is clear we have come a long way in some respects, but there is still a long road ahead of us.

Skip to the bottom of the article for a full list of Oscar nominations.

As always, it was the Golden Globes that kicked off the he awards season, celebrating a wide array of talent. But perhaps not wide enough, many quickly noticed the lack of female directors, actors and overall talent from the line-up. There were notable exceptions, Awkwafina was the only person of colour to take home a major award. Yet, Bong Joon-Ho was bested by Sam Mendes in the Best Director category and across the board the awards were overwhelmingly white.

Things looked similar when the BAFTAs announced their line-up, with many on social media calling them out for a lack of representation. The BAFTAs have moved quickly to hold back the tide, announcing that they would re-think their nominations strategy in time for next years ceremony. This wasn’t exactly the reaction they were looking for leading up to the big night on February 2nd. The quick response has gone a long way to help, but eyes are now firmly on them from across the industry for next year.

Now, the OSCARs have announced their line-up, and the landscape looks to be similar to that of the BAFTAs. With omissions such as Greta Gerwig (Best Director for Little Women), Uncut Gems nowhere to be seen across the board, and performances from Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Lopez (lead, Dolemite is my Name and supporting, Hustlers) absent.    

Over the last few years, Hollywood has committed itself to continued diversity and inclusion, following the OSCAR nominations in 2015 that led to #oscarssowhite trending on twitter. It is clear that despite setbacks and wrong-footing, there is a great shift in the industry, and the next few years will see where that leads.

For now, this is still the season to celebrate film and talent. If the film, actor or artist you have been championing is not listed by any of the award bodies, then it is up to us as an audience to celebrate them and ensure their rightful placement in the years to come.

The OSCAR nominations list:

Best Picture:

“Ford v Ferrari” “The Irishman” “Jojo Rabbit” “Joker” “Little Women” “Marriage Story” “1917” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” “Parasite”

Lead Actor:

Antonio Banderas, “Pain and Glory” Leonardo DiCaprio, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” Adam Driver, “Marriage Story” Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker” Jonathan Pryce, “The Two Popes”

Lead Actress:

Cynthia Erivo, “Harriet” Scarlett Johansson, “Marriage Story” Saoirse Ronan, “Little Women” Charlize Theron, “Bombshell” Renee Zellweger, “Judy”

Supporting Actor:

Tom Hanks, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” Anthony Hopkins, “The Two Popes” Al Pacino, “The Irishman” Joe Pesci, “The Irishman” Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

Supporting Actress:

Kathy Bates, “Richard Jewell” Laura Dern, “Marriage Story” Scarlett Johansson, “Jojo Rabbit” Florence Pugh, “Little Women” Margot Robbie, “Bombshell”

Director:

Martin Scorsese, “The Irishman” Todd Phillips, “Joker” Sam Mendes, “1917” Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” Bong Joon Ho, “Parasite”

Animated Feature:

“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World,” Dean DeBlois “I Lost My Body,” Jeremy Clapin “Klaus,” Sergio Pablos “Missing Link,” Chris Butler “Toy Story 4,”  Josh Cooley

Animated Short:

“Dcera,” Daria Kashcheeva “Hair Love,” Matthew A. Cherry “Kitbull,” Rosana Sullivan “Memorable,” Bruno Collet “Sister,” Siqi Song

Adapted Screenplay:

“The Irishman,” Steven Zaillian “Jojo Rabbit,” Taika Waititi “Joker,” Todd Phillips, Scott Silver “Little Women,” Greta Gerwig “The Two Popes,” Anthony McCarten

Original Screenplay:

“Knives Out,” Rian Johnson “Marriage Story,” Noah Baumbach “1917,” Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Quentin Tarantino “Parasite,” Bong Joon-ho, Jin Won Han

Cinematography:

“The Irishman,” Rodrigo Prieto “Joker,” Lawrence Sher “The Lighthouse,” Jarin Blaschke “1917,” Roger Deakins “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Robert Richardson

Best Documentary Feature:

“American Factory,” Julia Rieichert, Steven Bognar “The Cave,” Feras Fayyad “The Edge of Democracy,” Petra Costa “For Sama,” Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts “Honeyland,” Tamara Kotevska, Ljubo Stefanov

Best Documentary Short Subject:

“In the Absence,” Yi Seung-Jun and Gary Byung-Seok Kam “Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone,” Carol Dysinger “Life Overtakes Me,” Kristine Samuelson and John Haptas “St. Louis Superman,” Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan “Walk Run Cha-Cha,” Laura Nix

Best Live Action Short Film:

“Brotherhood,” Meryam Joobeur “Nefta Football Club,” Yves Piat “The Neighbors’ Window,” Marshall Curry “Saria,” Bryan Buckley “A Sister,” Delphine Girard

Best International Feature Film:

“Corpus Christi,” Jan Komasa “Honeyland,” Tamara Kotevska, Ljubo Stefanov “Les Miserables,” Ladj Ly “Pain and Glory,” Pedro Almodovar “Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho

Film Editing:

“Ford v Ferrari,” Michael McCusker, Andrew Buckland “The Irishman,” Thelma Schoonmaker “Jojo Rabbit,” Tom Eagles “Joker,” Jeff Groth “Parasite,” Jinmo Yang

Sound Editing:

“Ford v Ferrari,” Don Sylvester “Joker,” Alan Robert Murray “1917,” Oliver Tarney, Rachel Tate “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Wylie Stateman “Star Wars: The Rise of SkyWalker,” Matthew Wood, David Acord

Sound Mixing:

“Ad Astra” “Ford v Ferrari” “Joker” “1917” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

Production Design:

“The Irishman,” Bob Shaw and Regina Graves “Jojo Rabbit,” Ra Vincent and Nora Sopkova “1917,” Dennis Gassner and Lee Sandales “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Barbara Ling and Nancy Haigh “Parasite,” Lee Ha-Jun and Cho Won Woo, Han Ga Ram, and Cho Hee

Original Score:

“Joker,” Hildur Guðnadóttir “Little Women,” Alexandre Desplat “Marriage Story,” Randy Newman “1917,” Thomas Newman “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” John Williams

Original Song:

“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” “Toy Story 4” “I’m Gonna Love Me Again,” “Rocketman” “I’m Standing With You,” “Breakthrough” “Into the Unknown,” “Frozen 2” “Stand Up,” “Harriet”

Makeup and Hair:

“Bombshell” “Joker” “Judy” “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” “1917”

Costume Design:

”The Irishman,” Sandy Powell, Christopher Peterson “Jojo Rabbit,” Mayes C. Rubeo “Joker,” Mark Bridges “Little Women,” Jacqueline Durran “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Arianne Phillips

Visual Effects:

“Avengers Endgame” “The Irishman” “1917” “The Lion King” “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”

A Look Forward at Cinema in 2020

  2020 will be a great year for cinema, this much seems clear. The catalogue of choice across traditional media  to streaming at home has never been richer or more varied. Last year, we saw an obvious winner at the box office, and indeed for some, in our homes – Disney. Dancing all the way to the bank with an $11.1bn haul, if revenues were a competition, Disney would have taken first prize, gone home, and watched a couple of films (courtesy of Disney+). It looks unlikely they will dominate to the same extent this year, but that doesn’t mean they won’t give it the old college try.

Regardless of who comes out on top this year, lets take a look at some of the most exciting, intriguing and most-anticipated films of the year.

No Time to Die (April 3rd)

Bond is back… again! After years of development struggles, director changes, casting questions and composer bailouts, we are finally getting the original superspy back on the big screen. This time James Bond (Daniel Craig) has retired and given up the 007 mantle, seeing a new operative take the moniker (Lashana Lynch). While we have heard this before, Daniel Craig has confirmed this will be his last performance as Bond. Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga (Beasts of No Nation, Maniac), this looks like the send off Daniel Craig’s Bond deserves.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (July 10th)

4 years ago (yes, really), we saw the release of Ghostbusters, a remake of the beloved 1984 original. Please ignore that. Now we are getting the threequel fans have been begging for since the first follow-up in 1989. Without the late Harold Ramis (Dr. Egon Spengler), the tone looks set to be very different from the 80s classics. Now we follow, supposedly, his children as they learn about their family’s past and become the next generation of Busters.

Top Gun 2 ( July 17th)

Over 30 years has passed since we last saw Tom Cruise suit up as the now iconic Maverick. Now a veteran test pilot, he is trying to avoid the advancement in rank that would ground him. Cruise is teaming back up with director Joseph Kosinski, who he previously worked with in 2013’s Oblivion. He will also he re-joining Christopher McQuarrie (Mission Impossible 5, 6 and soon 7), this time helping out with the screenplay. Hopefully this will be the return to form original fans crave and a chance to join the ride for newcomers.

Last Night in Soho (September 18th)

Edgar Wright’s latest, following his success with Baby Driver, The World’s End, Scott Pilgrim vs the World, etc. Now, Wright is moving away from his comedy roots with this psychological horror. The plot has been kept under wraps, but we do know it centres on a girl (Anya Taylor-Joy) who can mysteriously travel back to 60s London, where a sequence of chilling events unfold. Possibly the most intriguing film of the year, especially considering the talent behind it. Definitely one to watch.

Dune (December 18th)

55 years in the making, if you ignore David Lynch’s less than desirable attempt back in 1984 (to his own admission), Dune is the original template for modern science-fiction. Taking place thousands of years in the future, we follow Paul Atreides on a journey from young heir to a great House, to leader of nomadic tribes on Arrakis – Dune - Desert Planet. The cast boasts an impressive line-up including Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Stellan Skarsgård, Oscar Isaac, Charlotte Rampling, among others, led by director Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner: 2049, Arrival).