What makes a good CV?
- TAR
- Jul 1
- 6 min read
As a 3rd AD (and having worked as a 1st AD on short films, splinter units and drone units), recruiting crew has become a regular part of my job. I've hired contracted PAs, daily PAs, Lock-off PAs, Set PAs, Crowd PAs, Crowd 3rd ADs, additional 3rd ADs and even people to replace other members of the team.That means I've looked through a lot of CVs.
Some stand out immediately for the right reasons. Others make it really difficult to find the information I'm looking for. So I thought I'd share exactly what I like to see when a CV lands in my inbox. Remember though, this is only one person's opinion, but it's based on several years of employing people within the Assistant Director department.
Keep it clear
This is probably the biggest piece of advice I can give. Your CV shouldn't feel like a puzzle. I don't want to have to search for your phone number or work out what role you're actually applying for. I want to be able to glance at it and find everything I need.
Once you've finished your CV, go through it with a fine-tooth comb. Then go through it again every few months and keep it updated. A CV shouldn't be something you write once and never look at again. And please don't send me your CV and say 'this one is old - haven't had time to update it'. Not a good look.
Don't be afraid to have more than one CV
When you're starting out, you'll probably only have one version. Mine included university experience, retail work and other jobs I'd done before getting into the industry. That's completely normal.
As you gain more film and TV experience though, start phasing those jobs out. Eventually your industry credits become the most important part of your CV and the older experience naturally becomes less relevant.There's nothing wrong with tailoring your CV depending on where you're at in your career.
If you are applying for work as a PA within the Assistant Director department I would encourage leaving the short films you've written, directed and produced off. Keep these for your Writer/Director/Producer CV. All of those roles are brilliant and its great that you are going after your dream but there aren't relevant to the AD job you are currently after. If you do feel the need to include them I would pop a note in the personal interests section which I'll talk about later in the post.
What should be at the top?
I want the important information straight away. That includes:
Your name.
The department and role you're applying for (Assistant Director Department, Production Assistant, Set PA etc.).
Where you're based.
Your phone number.
Your email address.
Whether you have a car and a driving license.
A link to your IMDb page if you have one.
If you're genuinely based in more than one location, include both. Just make sure you're being truthful. If your CV says you're based in London and Edinburgh, I'm going to assume you can work from either location without it becoming a logistical issue. That's something you need to have worked out before accepting a job.
Leave out the unnecessary information
I don't need your date of birth or your full home address.
Personally, I think both are unnecessary.
I also don't need your age. It doesn't determine whether you're right for the job. As long as you're legally able to work and can show me you're capable of doing the role, that's what matters. I've worked with plenty of people who've completely changed careers and joined the industry later in life. Some of them have become fantastic crew members.
Include a short personal statement
After your contact details, I'd add a short summary about your experience.
Think of it as a mini cover letter. This doesn't need to be long—four or five sentences or a few bullet points is more than enough. I find that this is a cleaner and clear way of showcasing your skills as opposed to going into detail for each production you've been on.
Highlight the things that make you stand out. Maybe you've:
worked with over 200 background artists,
worked both on set and at base,
worked abroad,
worked with children,
worked with high-profile cast,
or have experience across multiple departments.
These are the sorts of things that immediately tell me where your experience lies.
Lay your experience out properly
This is where I spend most of my time. Keep it clean and easy to follow. For each production I'd include:
Production title.
Production company.
Director.
Your role.
Whether you were contracted or working as a daily.
The key people you worked under.
If you're a PA, I'd like to see the 1st AD, 2nd AD and 3rd AD. If you're a 3rd AD, I'd probably want to see the Production Manager, 1st AD and 2nd AD. If you're working in Crowd, I'd include your Crowd 2nd AD as well, because that's the person directly managing you.
Seeing who you've worked with helps me understand your experience much more quickly.
Tell me if you were contracted or a daily
There's absolutely nothing wrong with daily work. We've all done it. But I do think your CV should make it clear whether you were contracted or brought in for a couple of days.
Someone who completed a four-month contract will naturally have had a different level of involvement than someone who covered two shoot days. Both experiences are valuable - I just want to know which one it was.
Separate TV and Film
If you've built up credits across both, I'd separate them into different sections. It makes everything much easier to read. Maybe you've got loads of TV credits as a 3rd AD but only recently stepped up to 3rding on films. In that case I'd probably keep your stronger TV section first, even if your most recent job happened to be a film. Think about what best represents your experience.
Keep your CV to a maximum of two pages
When you're first starting out you'll naturally include everything. As your career develops, you'll need to be more selective. Prioritise contracted work and start removing older work experience that no longer adds value. A two-page CV is more than enough.
Within those two pages I'd include:
Contact details.
Personal statement.
Industry experience.
Education.
References.
Education doesn't need to be complicated
Keep this section brief. Where you went to school. Any qualifications you'd like to include. University, if you attended. I don't think ADs are hiring you because of your GCSE results, but education still demonstrates commitment and transferable skills.
Don't forget the human side
One thing I actually quite like seeing is a very short section about you. Just one or two sentences showcasing your hobbies and personal interests.
Maybe you enjoy hiking.
Maybe you bake.
Maybe you spend your weekends walking your dog.
It doesn't need to be anything groundbreaking. It just reminds the person reading your CV that there's an actual human behind it. I've definitely spotted shared interests on CVs before and they've become easy conversation starters during an interview. The goal isn't to become best friends, but getting along with the people you work with matters.
Keep evolving your CV
Your CV should grow with your career. Mine looked completely different when I first started.
It included work experience I'd arranged through university and jobs I'd had before joining the industry. As I built up more contracted film and television credits, those naturally replaced the older experience.
The email that goes along with your CV
I just want to touch on this briefly because I think it's often overlooked.
Please take pride in yourself and your career. The email you send alongside your CV should be well written, addressed properly and, perhaps most importantly, sent at an appropriate time.
As you move up in your career, you'll start to realise just how valuable your time outside of work is. More responsibility often means a heavier workload, and those (all be it short) evenings and weekends become the only chance people have to switch off. I'm not saying you'll never get a reply outside of working hours, but I would encourage you to be mindful of when you're sending emails and texts. If it can wait until Monday morning, let it wait until Monday morning.
It's a small thing, but first impressions matter, and professionalism starts long before you step onto set.
Final thoughts
Your CV is often your first impression so make it easy to read and keep it updated.
And remember, the person reading it might have hundreds to get through. If they can quickly understand who you are, what you've done and why you'd be a good addition to the team, you're already giving yourself a much better chance.
If you fancy having a chat about your CV, I offer free CV workshops over Zoom. We'll go through your CV together, talk about your experience and I'll offer advice on how you can improve it and tailor it to where you are in your career.
TAR
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