Animator CV, template, skills, 2024, animation, best, 3d, online

Winning an interview and getting that highly prized animator position requires a well written and designed CV.

A curriculum vitae will be first thing an employer sees about you, and if you want it to make a good initial impression, it needs to as good as it can be.

Any Animator CV you submit to an employer must prominently display your ability to produce original and aesthetically pleasing animations. Do this is by highlighting you track record of bringing storylines to life through the latest computer-generated software. Also ensure that it reflects your knowledge of creating captivating storyboards and assisting in the editing process.

This page provides expert tips and examples to help you effectively showcase your artistic and drawing skills. Follow the advice on this page to put together a CV that will ensure you stand out from the competition and get the job you deserve.

Set your own career in motion by checking out the CV examples below and following our step-by-step guide.

Page overview:

Animator CV example
Guide to writing an animator CV
CV layout
Personal summary
Work experience
Skills to include in your CV
Education section
Hobbies and interests

Animator CV template

Maxine Curry
Address
Phone: 0123 456 7890
Email: info@dayjob.com

PERSONAL SUMMARY

A naturally creative Animator who has a track record of producing images that appear to come to life on screen. Maxine can create compelling, nuanced and versatile animations that look great and fulfil gameplay requirements. She can put together concepts for different audiences and produce exciting promotional animation videos that give life to existing characters and storylines. Through her career she has built up a strong portfolio of work that clearly showcases her artistic ability. In her current role, she is a dedicated team player who is involved in creating cutting edge gambling video games. On a personal level, she works well under pressure and can easily adapt in a rapidly changing, fast-paced creative environment. Right now, she is looking for a suitable position with a company where she can gain further practical experience.

CAREER HISTORY

ANIMATOR – Start Date – Present
Employers name – Location
Responsible for working closely with Video Designers, Developers and Artworkers to create animations for a wide range of clients.

Duties;

Creating natural looking animations for humans and animals,
Coming up with innovative ideas and concepts in brainstorming sessions.
Supporting the Lead Animator in any ad hoc tasks and duties.
Providing technical support on the animation tools to the whole team.
Involved in the design, integration and validation of animation assets.
Liaising with clients to get a good idea of what they want.
Presenting designs to customers for their evaluation and approval.
Working to production deadlines to and meet a clients’ commercial requirements.
Creating storyboards that depict the script and narrative.
Using animation principles such as posing, weight and timing to bring characters to life.
Working effectively with other design and production staff.
Building up accurate, detailed frame-by-frame visuals.

JOB TITLE – Start Date – End Date
Employers name – Location

KEY SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

Professional

Have knowledge of the Adobe Suit, Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.
Experience of 3D modelling, animating, rigging and compositing.
Excellent understanding of animation principals and character acting.
Willing to give and receive constructive feedback to improve own and others work.
Ability to work with others and to take direction.
Bring characters to life.
Can anticipate, communicate and troubleshoot technical issues.
Experience of working in 2D and 3D model-making animation.
Familiar with technical computer packages.

Personal

Keen to learn new industry-specific skills.
Passion for games and game production.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

Moving images
Motion graphics
Animation software
3D software
Graphic designs
Illustrations
Motion capture
Generating ideas
Building models
Rigging lighting

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

University name – Degree details Study Dates
College name – Qualifications Study Dates
School name – Subjects / Grades Study Dates

REFERENCES

Available on request.

Guide to writing an Animator CV

Vastly increase your chances of getting noticed by writing a compelling CV that’s targeted at the job you are applying for. That’s the only way you’ll get selected.

When applying for an animation position like this you must emphasise your knowledge of media production, attention to detail and ability to work well with your hands. Stress your track record of coming up with impressive computer-generated animations that will enhance storytelling and engage audiences.

In addition to this you’ve got to show that you are a team player who can work as part of a multidisciplinary group on projects made up of specialists from other areas.

Guide overview:

CV layout
Personal summary
Animator work experience
Skills to include in your CV
Education
Hobbies and interests

CV Layout

Hiring Managers have short attention spans and little time to waste. They want to quickly find what they’re looking for in a CV. This means they often only spend just a few seconds scanning each CV.

All this means you’ve got to quickly give them what they want. A proven way to quickly do this is by having a CV layout that is organised and clearly laid out. This allows them to rapidly search it and pick out relevant points about you.

Below is a breakdown of the main sections you need to include in a CV and the order they should be in. Follow the structure to ensure that each of your categories is correctly listed.

Key sections of an animator CV

1. Contact details

This is where to place your most recent postal address, email, phone, and LinkedIn profile. It’s a small part of your CV, but a crucial one that allows recruiters to contact you to arrange interviews.

2. Personal Summary

As the first thing a recruiter’s is likely to read, this is a good chance to connect with them and give a good account of yourself. In a short introductory paragraph of no more than 200 words explain your most relevant experiences, skills and potential.

3. Work experience

Many hiring manager’s head straight to this section as it contains all the juicy bits about your past work experience. Use it to prove your ability and professional credentials by listing details of your career history to date.

4. Skills

Employers evaluate candidates by the relevant hard and soft skills they possess. They are seen as being instrumental in showing a prospective employer that you have what it takes to perform tasks and solve problems.

5. Education

In this section give a short summary of your academic achievements, certifications, training courses and industry qualifications.

6. Interest and hobbies

Show the reader what you do outside of work and in your spare time. Written properly it can give them an idea of you as a person. Use it to paint a picture of you as an individual who is a sociable team player. This section is optional, and you should only include it if you have space.

Experienced applicants with long career do not need to have one.

7. References

Just have a short line saying ‘Available on request.’

The 3 main CV format to choose from

As a job seeker you have three layouts to select from. The one to choose depends on where you are in your career, how much information you want to put into your CV and the role you are applying from.

Chronological format– ideal from most job seekers with experience behind them.

Functional format – suitable for school leavers, graduates and people with little real life work experience.

Combination / Hybrid format – as the name suggests a merger of the chronological and functional CVs.

Use a format that gets you past the ATS

Which every format you choose, make its one primed to get you past the dreaded ATS (Applicant Tracking System). The best way to do this is to:

Use commonly used conservative fonts like Times New Roman and Calibri.
Include keywords that the recruiter has used in their job description to describe the competencies they want a candidate to have.

CV Length

In a CV size matters, the shorter the better. That’s because employers are time constrained and do not want to read an autobiography. They just need a concise document that lists your most relevant and strongest points.

Your CV should not be longer than two pages. But getting the balance between too long or too short is not easy. The best way to curtailing its length is to only include information which is relevant to the vacancy.

Tips on how to keep your CV short:

Brevity

Find ways to write what you want to say concisely by making every word a sentence and every sentence a paragraph. Do this by eliminating unnecessary phrases and using clear and straightforward language when writing sentences.

Avoid repetition

Try not to repeat yourself. Too many people attempt to highlight a specific skill set through constant repetition.

Concentrate on recent roles

Write more about your current of most recent roles than those you did 10 years ago. Employers are interested in the present, not the past.

Personal Summary

This acts as an introduction to your CV and because it sits at the top of your CV, is the first part of it that’s read.

When writing your personal summary it try to align what you have with what the employer wants. In a few short lines, explain who you are and what can do for the employer. Don’t waste time and get straight to the point, by telling them why you’re the best person for the job.

Focus on your artistic achievements and ability to work with creative professionals such as storytellers, designers and voice actors.

Examples:

“A highly capable Animator who has extensive experience of using three-dimensional (3D) or computer-generated images to create stunning animations. (Your name) can bring drawings and computer generated characters to life on screen. As per your requirements she possesses a superb imagination that allows her to visualise storyboards and script ideas.”

List your animator work experience

This is a core part of a CV and one which recruiter’s will zoom in on. That’s because it will tell them if you’re experienced enough for the role.

In it show the duties you performed in your previous roles and what you achieved there. By doing this you can go some way to convincing them that you can bring the same level of performance to their operations.

Experienced animators with long careers should use a chronological format, whilst graduates should go for a functional layout.

Example:

Employers name – Location

ANIMATOR January 2022 – Present

Responsible for creating original and aesthetically pleasing designs and solutions for a wide range of clients.

Duties:

Using the latest specialist computer generation software such as Maya and Flash to produce images of the highest quality.
Working with creators, art leads and designers to plan, layout and execute a specific vision they have.
Collaborating with colleagues in the execution of mocap shoots whilst being mindful of technical constraints.
Liaising with the Art Director and Animation Leadership team to come up with creative ideas and set quality standards.

Animator skills

Below are examples of competencies which show that you can bring scripts and storylines to life through visually captivating computer-generated animations.

In your CV show you can:

Liaise with a talented team of colleagues and industry leading professionals on projects.
Work on time-sensitive projects, which must be completed by a specific date.
Use the latest motion capture methods to create expressions and lifelike movements.
Give professional presentations and designs to customers for their review and evaluation.
Negotiate prices and contracts with new and existing clients.
Promote the business to clients in a tactful manner.

Areas to focus on when writing an animator CV:

Have experience of the animation techniques and CGI software needed to create models, illustrations, and special effects.
Mention your knowledge of the fine arts.
Your ability to read scripts and storylines to understand a client’s animation requirements.

Hard skills

These describe the practical ability to carry out a specific task or duty. Nearly always industry specific, they are gained through on the job training, apprenticeships, hands-on experience, or continued education funded by an employer.

They are a great way to show you have a thorough understanding of the principles of animation.

List of animation skills:

2-D animation

3-D animation

Adobe After Effects

Adobe Animator

Gameplay design

Handkey animation

Human character animation

Keyframing

Maya

Motion capture

Motion graphics

Rigging

Storyboarding

Soft skills

These are transferable competencies that are more about your personality rather than your hard technical competencies. They can be used to show your ability to get along with colleagues, solve problems and come up with ideas in brainstorming sessions.

Personal skills

Able to effortlessly work with people from different countries, social backgrounds, and cultures.
Possess a continuous learning mindset.
Ability to self-manage multiple workloads without the need for supervision.
Committed to staying current with latest technologies being used in the field.
Punctual, always on time and never letting colleagues down by being late.

Education

This academic part of your CV tells the recruiter what you’ve achieved in the field of education.

It reinforces the impression that you are so passionate about animation and creative technologies, that you’ve taken the time to learn about it.

Although widely viewed as an unappreciated part of a CV, it’s power to help jobseekers (particularly less experienced ones) win interviews should not be underestimated.

Why include it

If in the recruitment process, you’re up against equally experienced candidates, then a better academic record can be the deciding factor in beating them. Additionally, it can also be used to include those keywords and phrases that can help you to pass any Applicant Tracking Software.

Tell the truth

Many technical jobs like this, require applicants to have specific qualifications such as a university degree or industry certifications and accreditations.

Never be tempted to lie about your credentials to meet these requirements. You can very easily be found out.

Hobbies and interests

If you have any room left at the end of your CV, then rather than leaving a blank white space, fill it up with your hobbies.

These are a great way of telling them what you do in your spare time outside of work. They’re also good for showing the hiring manager that you’re human. If by chance you have the same one as the recruiter, then it can be an excellent way to break the ice in an interview.

Hobbies to avoid

Do not mention any dangerous, time-consuming, or controversial hobbies. Employers are not keen on employing staff who could be injured or need lots of time off for unusual activities like parachuting or artic expeditions etc.

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