Archinect
anchor

Opinions on my CV?

diddy92

Hi I'm an interior design graduate and just looking for some feedback on my CV.

Could I ask people's opinions on my CV please. Anything - positives or ways to make it better. Any comments are much appreciated. 

 

Its in the link below or if preferred I can upload a picture

http://www.behance.net/gallery/CV/9456949

Thanks  

:)

 
Jun 28, 13 9:00 am
Anob

I like how you kept it simple and organized, but my eyes hurt. I would change the color. Its hard to read and keep track of what I'm reading. Choose something darker.

My opinion.

Jun 28, 13 9:31 am  · 
 · 
won and done williams

A bit perplexed.

It seems like it is simultaneously trying to be a CV and work samples, and not doing either very effectively. If it is meant to be simply a CV, I would be more subtle. Instead of the chunky typeface, I would look to typography that is more polished and professional; perhaps retain some of the symbols, which are fun and effective, if that is who you are as a designer, but in general, try to stay as professional as possible in a CV. In your work samples, on the other hand, you can really let your personality as a designer come out. Be as bold and playful as you want to be.

(Also, just a personal thing, but hate, hate, HATE forced justification.)

Jun 28, 13 9:59 am  · 
 · 
OneLostArchitect

You draw a lot of attention to your contact information, when really you should be drawing attention to what you are capable of. 

Jun 28, 13 10:09 am  · 
 · 
diddy92

Thanks so much for the pointers :D

I'm editing my CV right now

Jun 28, 13 11:11 am  · 
 · 
Bandit3

Are you a licensed Interior Designer?  If not, than I could see some professionals frowning on that since technically you can not call yourself an ID unless you're actually licensed...it is what separates designers from decorators.  I also agree that the colors and quirkiness of the font can be a bit more clean and legible if you want to be taken more seriously.  Hope this helps.

Jun 28, 13 12:06 pm  · 
 · 
diddy92

I will be licensed from 16th July, that's my graduation date.

Thanks for the advice :) 

Jun 28, 13 12:18 pm  · 
 · 
x-jla


Licensed interior designer? Lol. Gotta love protectionism. That is a complete sham. Any time it's been challenged the court has ruled that you cannot protect the title of designer. Call yourself what ever you want. Don't be bullied by these fake ass "professionals" 


Jun 28, 13 1:15 pm  · 
 · 
Bandit3

Well technically you're not considered an ID until after you pass your ID exams, not just graduating with the degree (The 3 E's: education, experience, examination).  And jila-x, believe it or not but there has been an on-going debate on this matter of "title" and I believe it is quite relevant.  If you think those who put the time and money into their education, experience and passing professional exams are not entitled to care about their title, than this could be said about many professions out there.  The reason for so many "fake ass professionals" out there, like you put it, is a result of this grey zone of entitlement.  Also, believe it or not, but there are certain states that have specific laws against irresponsibly using these titles and you can actually be sued for these actions.  So, yes, in a care-free who gives a crap attitude world, we may be able to say and do w/e we want, but clearly that is not the case.

Jun 28, 13 2:54 pm  · 
 · 
snail


I like your CV. I like how you tried to give it personality beyond just being generic/corporate, and I don't think that the green color and blocky font headings are too over-the-top. I agree that the justification looks bad and that you don't need to combine it with work samples; with images that small you aren't really gaining anything by including them. The listing of your skills as a collage looks a little funny.


Jun 28, 13 3:41 pm  · 
 · 
Wilma Buttfit

You've gotten some good feedback so far, I would like to add that your paragraph under employment history needs some work! Show some action, responsibilities. Employers want to know that you are dependable, professional and hardworking. All I see there is that you are probably sweet and inexperienced, which may be true and isn't bad but it won't get you a job. Your text has a "...and stuff" read to it. WHAT life and work skills? WHAT gallery?

Jun 28, 13 6:32 pm  · 
 · 
Wilma Buttfit

I didn't even bother to read the text in the turquoise circle. Too hard to read. But I started to read it and I think there is a sentence fragment in there. 

Is the photo of the it at the bottom part of the it all? Not sure what you are going for there if that is the case. 

Jun 28, 13 6:39 pm  · 
 · 
x-jla

Well technically you're not considered an ID until after you pass your ID exams, not just graduating with the degree (The 3 E's: education, experience, examination).

28 states require a license to call yourself a "registered" or "certified" ID, but you can call yourself an ID all day long. 

If you think those who put the time and money into their education, experience and passing professional exams are not entitled to care about their title, than this could be said about many professions out there.

Sooo what about musicians and artists?  Should they need a license too? They put in lots of time and money....Those people who "put the time in" as you say, are not entitled to title protectionism just because "its not fair booohooo"  lol.  Title protection is only legit if there is a real public danger.  And even then, the amount of time, money, and education must not be excessive or unnecessary. 

So, yes, in a care-free who gives a crap attitude world, we may be able to say and do w/e we want, but clearly that is not the case.

I wont even respond to this.  Just think about how stupid that statement sounds and then get back to us. 

Title protection, in most cases, is nothing more than a way for useless people to make money off of others who just want to utilize a skill, art, or trade...nothing more.  The moron who conjured up the idea to require interior designers to be licensed should be covered in elmers glue and glitter and expelled from society for being completely useless.

Jun 28, 13 8:33 pm  · 
 · 
Bandit3

Clearly @jla-x y you're making it very difficult to even converse with you about this because you're overtly set in your ways.  You're making unaware comparisons between musicians and artists with people in the design realm like Architecture and ID...you mentioned they put in time and money (this can be said about anything), and yet you fail to mention the one key element, which is an actual examination that gives you the license. 

Then, you go on to say "title protection is only legit if there is a real public danger".....yes correct, thanks for agreeing with me?  ID entails that you know proper fire codes and regulations within the interior logic of a building, which then leads to safer and well thought out spaces. If a decorator was to simply furnish a space purely on aesthetic with no education or experience with codes, and god forbid somehow this is passed...then a fire breaks out and people are trapped in a space b/c of poor planning, well there's your lawsuit. 

I don't think anyone has any issue with people wanting to utilize their skills and art or w/e they want, however, how does being a licensed interior designer hinder anyone else?  Please tell me what the inverse effect is that is hurting so many decorators out there from not being licensed?  If you want to decorate, decorate.  If you want to be an ID, go get licensed.

My last question would be, do you think Architects shouldn't care about their right to entitlement as well?  I'm an Architecture student, and I believe sustaining the correct titles for our profession is vital to remaining relevant in society.  The significance and power within our own profession is slowly dying every year because our profession is losing it's identity.  We don't go to at least 6-7+ years of schooling and take ARE exams and work our ass off to not care about our title, that is plain ridiculous.  Dentists and lawyers go to the same amount of school time and have their right to entitlement, so should we. 

Jun 29, 13 3:05 am  · 
 · 
x-jla


Dentists are a little different from interior designers.  They put needles in people's mouths, interior designers put pillows on people's couches. 



I am not an ID and have no desire to be, but if I did, I'm certain that I would pose no danger to anyone. Here's the proof, the 23 states that do not require a license have absolutely no problems.



just because you spend money on a degree does not give you the right to keep others down who took an alternate route.  Unless a real danger exists, and real problems persist, regulation for the sole purpose of protectionism is not only wrong, it is unconstitutional.  Sure, they justify this kinda crap with hypothetical nonsense, but in reality it is only for the economic benefit of the licensed and the ones who sell the means to get licensed.  



This destroys entrepreneurship, and creates unnecessary barriers to entry as well as economic hardship.  Laws and regs are not there to make things "fair"  or to increase the value of a title. That is not how it works. Laws and regs are only there to protect the public. 




Jun 29, 13 4:15 am  · 
 · 
x-jla


Why is this concept so difficult for some people to understand?   


Jun 29, 13 4:22 am  · 
 · 
x-jla


And as for that last question.....you do not have a right to entitlement just because you went to school or took a test. Lol. Where in the law does it say that if you go to school you are granted an exclusive right.  Wtf.  Stop being a pussy and gain your prestige by the merit of your work. Stop looking for some state agency to grant you prestige.  That shit is whack.  



Jun 29, 13 4:34 am  · 
 · 
x-jla


Sorry for being so harsh but this topic boils my shit.  Nothing personal. 


Jun 29, 13 4:37 am  · 
 · 
diddy92

Thanks for the advice again :)

Sorry but I have to agree with BYK3. There is a difference between an interior designer & an interior decorator. An interior designer does NOT 'put pillows on people's couches' as you have described, and this personally really annoys me that that is all people think we do, thats the job of an interior decorator. Interior design is a bit more like interior architecture. We still have to know and meet regulations, we design staircases, lighting, furniture & ensure a space works in layout. I'm a commercial interior designer, designing shops, museums, exhibitions, restaurants.....anything you can think of. That certainly isn't putting a cushion here & there.

Employers expect us to have a degree in the field to get a job, whereas an interior decorator doesn't need anything, as it's no different to decorating your own house.

Jun 29, 13 7:51 am  · 
 · 

A good decorator is a rare talent who can make the interiors beautifully livable and exciting. Stop putting decorators down. Interior designers complain about architects putting them down and then turn around do the same to decorators.

The art of Décor was there for centuries and has its own fascinating vocabulary. Yes, anybody can throw a pillow (my dog does it beautifully) but usually it is easy to tell who's talented at it. Real decorators, like other design professionals, sell their talent and taste. They have a great eye for quality and vulgarity. If you think decorating is putting a cushion here and there I would say you are a poor designer, and, as an architect, I don't like to collaborate with people like you.

I think a person who is talented and knows how to design with the space and people deserves respect, regardless of their professional designation. I have seen a lot of poseurs with all kinds of diplomas, licences and certificates.

Jun 29, 13 10:53 am  · 
 · 
Bandit3

@orhan I don't think anyone here meant to put down decorators.  Apologies if it came off condescending.  I too know some great decorators that have a much better sense for mood and decor than a lot of other professionals, but I don't think that is our argument.  We're just saying that those who put the time and investment into their education, experience, and examination, have the right to stand by their title in a respectful manner.  Just because someone is licensed doesn't mean they're any better or worse than other professionals, but there is definitely something to be said for the time and effort that person invested in order to become licensed- if it was so easy and everyone could do it, everyone would do it.  Having a license doesn't put you personally, socially, or morally over anyone else, but it does give you the title that you are allowed to be proud of and can separate yourself from those who have yet to achieve it.

Jun 29, 13 2:04 pm  · 
 · 
x-jla


I disagree that it is right or even beneficial to license a profession such as interior design or even architecture. The license does not guarantee competence. If any thing, it promotes conformity and rewards mediocracy.  Take chefs for example....food born illness affects and kills more people every year then arch and ID combined by far. The title if chef is not protected.  Does everyone claim to be a chef? No.  The title is gained by the skills of the person. No one cares how these skills were gained.  Because of this freedom, there are numerous opportunities for entrepreneurship. Young people can invest in their own startups rather than be forced to acquire debt to gain some license.  Has the title of chef been hurt? No. If anything, it has been elevated in recent years because of the fact that the profession broke away from the elitist ivy tower mentality and permeated into the masses through mostly small ventures and pop culture.  Also...the degree of diversity this allows for is amazing to me. Why would we want to block that. I like the idea of diverse backgrounds and inclusion. Diverse people with diverse and unconventional "educations" leads to diverse work.  It always bothers me that such a creative profession always try's to copy other professions.  Architecture and ID and landscape arch are not comparable to dentistry or law. 



Jun 29, 13 5:06 pm  · 
 · 
threadkilla

"I'm an Architecture student, and I believe sustaining the correct titles for our profession is vital to remaining relevant in society."

oh boy... title protectionism and narrow specialization have done more damage to architects' social standing than just about anything else that happened in the last three-five decades. Those two things have fostered a corporate design culture that eschews the kind of innovative large-scale thinking that allowed architects to participate in massive post-war housing (and other) reconstruction efforts in the 20th century - because the architect in the 21st century is not expected to be a generalist capable of synthesizing social, political, economic, physical, spatial, and aesthetic concerns into a design solution; instead the architect is a team leader with a fancy title and a rubber stamp, and the work is cut up between countless specialist consultants. The architect isn't required to think of sustainability in a holistic relationship to building systems - the office has a LEED person, and is consulting an envelope engineer...


We (as a proffession) have abdicated enormous amounts of responsibility (for fear of liability) and thus lost the knowledge base existed in generalist practices, while holding on to "the title" and the rigged bureaucratic system that administers "entitlement" as if it's an effective shield from reality. The reality is that no one knows what the fuck an architect actually does, because everyone sees that other "specialists" do all the work of making things stand up and actually work.

jla-x - respec

Jun 30, 13 1:54 pm  · 
 · 
threadkilla

it's the fox and the hedgehog thing..

Jun 30, 13 2:00 pm  · 
 · 
OP17

The foxes migrated to Asia, while hedgehogs hibernated in North America.

Jul 1, 13 2:48 am  · 
 · 
OP17

diddy92, judging from your work, it appears your cv is trying to emulate the style of a "guerrilla" resume.  This may be fine for some niche-market interiors firm, but it might not be suitable for more corporate firms like Gensler.  I'd try to broaden the medium for your work and pick your battles when appropriate.  In other words, it might be a good idea to create variations of your cv rather than just depend on one version and hope for the best.

IMHO, use b/w for your graphics and try to avoid color; the minute your cv gets either sent via email or uploaded on the server, an HR person will proceed to print it out in b/w.  For example, your teal fonts and graphics may not look as good in b/w as they do in color.  In addition, your employer may find it hard to read, and may ignore you completely.

Jul 1, 13 3:00 am  · 
 · 
bindunarayan

I guess you have received some real good suggestions to make your Curriculum Vitae even more compelling to all the potential employers/clients. I have got only 1 suggestion for you, just change the color used to help all the details to appear to more clearly. 

Jul 1, 13 3:24 am  · 
 · 
RossR911

Pleased to see your CV. Never before seen kind of and can say it is an eye catching resume. Your CV reflects your designing skills that will make you stand out of the crowd and highlights you at best. But still I'd suggest to consult CV writers to add feathers in your hat.

Jul 13, 13 2:01 am  · 
 · 
gruen
Cripes do you guys have any actual experience in the field or are you students imagining what it's like? Because my experience is that architects are important and respected in the community and in the building process. And getting the license is no joke.
Jul 13, 13 8:40 am  · 
 · 

Block this user


Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?

Archinect


This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.

  • ×Search in: