Professional

High standard of Computer Literacy

  • Experience with a wide range of PC programs, from Office to Photoshop to SQL Database Management Tools.
  • Experienced in the Java and PHP programming languages.
  • Strong self-taught typing speed.
  • The ability to quickly get used to a new computer system and effectively use it to perform a variety of tasks.
  • I have a large interest in and am an advanced user of Microsoft Excel and wish to further my knowledge of its advanced features. I have created spreadsheets ranging from personal accounts, to one that aids the day to day tasks of the office manager of an American Physical Therapy company, to heavily mathematical theory spreadsheets for an online videogame.
  • Advanced user of Microsoft Word, where I am able to combine my ability to write with my Graphic Design skills to create good looking and well-written documents.

High standard of Literacy & Numeracy

  • Through an English teacher and a Maths teacher with a passion for their subjects I have become well practiced in both areas. I take pride in both my ability to write to a high quality and in many styles depending on the situation, from clear help documentation to formal dissertation, and in my passion for Mathematics and strong grasp of numbers.
  • I frequently perform calculations to give myself a greater overall understanding of a problem or as a means of comparison and somewhat enjoy doing so.
  • I have been asked to proof-read work for friends on numerous occasions to ensure accuracy or to assist in debugging, and I often lend my grasp on numbers to aid friends.
  • One of my University modules was in Philosophy, which expanded on my existing abilities to both critically think and write impartially on a wide range of subjects.

Graphic Design

  • My passion, most notable works include the designs for a Website, Forum and various promotional material for a national Alopecia Charity, a Business Card Design for a special interest Web Personality, featured on their Website, a redesign of an American and English based Application Streaming company and a number of websites for small business.
  • Advanced user of XHTML, CSS and Adobe Photoshop.
  • I enjoy anything to do with design, from photo retouching to website design and original drawings.

Self-Motivation

  • I often find a degree of self-motivation is present while doing work through my nature to improve my performance and I frequently try to break targets or personal records, whatever they may be. Because of this, I can prove hard-working for long periods of time, and I can be professional while remaining friendly.
  • When targets are not required and the subject is on-going I always strive to improve upon what is already there, whether it is my own work or that of another. For example, this website has undergone multiple complete revisions and one name change in an effort to improve.

Flexible

  • I have the ability to acquire new skills quickly, given training, and I am willing to put in time and effort above and beyond when required.
  • I can effectively settle into a new work environment and focus on the job at hand.
  • The ability to properly pace myself. This ability has allowed me to cope with a variety of deadline schedules successfully.
  • I have a high degree of punctuality, proven throughout my education. I follow the philosophy that being somewhat early is preferable to being slightly late.

Attention to Detail

  • I regularly research facts that I am unsure of, be it for personal interest or to assist others and as a result am well practiced in quickly finding the information I require from a number of sources.
  • I make sure everything from small details to large sections of a project are above and beyond satisfactory before moving on and take pride in everything I do.

Willingness to Learn

  • I am willing to do whatever it takes to prove my commitment and enthusiasm and to learn how to perform and excel in a position.


Qualifications

The University of Sheffield (2007)

BSc | Computer Science (2.1), covering modules from Database Design and Client Driven System Development to AI and Mathematics.

Wardle High Sixth Form (2004)

A-Level | (B) Physics, Business Studies, (C) Mathematics.

Wardle High School (2002 & 2001)

GCSE | (A*) Information Technology, Design & Technology - Food Technology, (A) Science (Double Award)x2, (B) Business Studies, English Language, Mathematics, Statistics, French, German, (C) English Literature.


Personal

As a graduate of the University of Sheffield with strong qualifications throughout my education history, I have the ability to provide a hard working, self-motivated, committed, articulate and friendly member of a company. I am as viable a team player as I am a solo worker and I am flexible enough to adopt new working practices and routines.

Through everything I do, I always pay a great deal of attention to detail, and I believe it is the details that not only make the difference, but are the most fun. In this vein, if something is not to the best of my ability, it is not finished. While I am always keen to improve upon my skills, and learn new skills, I have always found particular enjoyment in working with computers, and because of this I have vast experience with them for both work and pleasure.

As an enthusiastic and quick learner, I am always keen to apply the practices I have learnt in order to be successful in my education to a real world environment and look forward to testing and extending my abilities.

My hobbies include travel—primarily to North America—experiencing the differences in culture and routine and I believe the months I have spent abroad make me a more rounded person. I took up snowboarding for a short time on a dry ski slope, which led to a week-long Ski holiday in Romania. I also tried out Quad Bike riding in Scotland, all of which I very much enjoy.

I am an avid cinema goer and enjoy watching films whenever I am able, my favourite being King Kong (2005), partly because of its score and its early 20th Century visual feel. Classical music is another of my passions, especially film scores and pieces I can relax to.

I have always had a great love for animals of all kinds, except spiders, and would relish the opportunity to some-day work with them. The passion and interest spreads so far that I could literally watch Nature Documentaries for hours on end and it would be a dream job to spend even a week travelling with David Attenborough.

Finally, graphic design and photography are two of my greatest interests. I often carry my camera and enjoy both taking and editing photos. My graphic design spans the entire spectrum, from original drawings to photo and video editing, creating logos and document design.

It is my intention, be it as or as part of my job, or on my own time, to always be using my skills in Graphic Design to make the world a more colourful place, one item at a time.

Finally, there are many fields in which I would be interested in working, from IT to Animal Care and beyond and I believe my well rounded interests and strong education would allow me to find a career in multiple areas.


Work History

04/09 – Present
Title: Web Designer | Company: ISSL
Responsibilities: To design and build sites from scratch using my knowledge and experience, as well as build sites designed by others and to amend existing sites. I also take it upon myself to clean up re-used code to be more manageable in future. Sites are built using XHTML, CSS, Javascript, ASP, and AllintaCMS.

09/08 – 01/09
Title: Web Designer | Company: net66
Responsibilities: As the company graphic designer, I was responsible for creating website designs based on the client’s requirements, from cleanup and layout managing to full web presence from scratch. Tasks include Photoshop designs, as well as PHP and CSS design from scratch to bring those designs into reality.
Reason for Leaving: The company ceased trading.


Voluntary Work

2007-2008
Graphic Design | Charity: Alopecia Awareness
Work: Both the original and second edition (yet to be implemented) designs for the national Alopecia charity Alopecia Awareness, as well as various promotional material including themed headers, banners and phpBB forum theme with over 3,000 members.
Experience Gained: This was one of my first graphic design projects (as can be seen by the first edition design) and taught me about client interaction, applying common sense rules to streamline future amendments and that design is about the client’s needs, rather than personal taste.

03/07/08-04/07/08
Title: Accounts Assistant | Company: Property Northwest - Bury
Responsibilities: The opportunity arose after offering a company my services free of charge for a short period to show them my capabilities. After learning much of what I needed for my time there in the first day, I spent Thursday and Friday of one week acting almost as the sole accountant for the small business.
     Both the office manager and my trainer – who had previously been an accountant – were very impressed with my performance and were looking forward to seeing me return on the following Monday. However, the company was shortly moving premises, making the commute more difficult, as well as downsizing their operation. A combination of both meant I did not pursue the position further.
Experience Gained: A small subsection of the daily routine of an accountant, while I only learnt what I needed for those two days, I was pleased with how quickly I picked it up. As such I am confident I could transfer that ability into other positions and combine it with my skills to perform the tasks required.

2006
Graphic Design Work: Technical Drawings for the layout of the University of Sheffield Library, converted from scratch to Corel Draw format. Experience Gained: This work let me prove to myself that I can both learn the basics of Corel Draw (or similar software) quickly, and produce technical drawings to pixel precise specifications, something which I actually enjoy. As well as various graphic design and spreadsheet projects for friends and family.


Referees

Please contact me for referee contact details.

Siobhan North (The University of Sheffield, Deputy Head - Department of Computer Science)