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Europass
Curriculum Vitae
   
       
Personal information      
Surname(s) / First name(s)     Hammer Kristian Juhana
Address(es)    
Vancouver, Washington 98685
USA
Telephone(s)     Mobile: +(1) 503 888 7478
Fax(es)    
Nationality     Finland and United States of America (Dual Citizen)
Date of birth     17 April
Gender     Male
Desired employment / Occupational field    
Web Developer / Lead Developer / Technical Lead / Architect / Consultant
Work experience      
Dates     12 September 2006 - Present
Occupation or position held     e-Commerce Developer
Main activities and responsibilities    
  • www.horticulturesource.com
  • LAMP architecture
  • Name and address of employer    
    Usisu, Inc.
    Vancouver, Washington
    USA
    Type of business or sector     Horticultural
           
    Dates     23 July 2005 - 30 August 2006
    Occupation or position held     Lead Developer / Technical Lead / Deployer
    Main activities and responsibilities    
  • 2005 to 2006 and 2007 Model Year Updates for all vehicles on www.nissanusa.com & www.infiniti.com.
  • Infiniti & Nissan site redesign, implementation and launches.
  • Numerous custom Tcl & JSP templates as well as XML and code changes / updates.
  • CMS Redesign & implementation from Vignette V6 to Serena Collage for Nissan & Infiniti - developed all asset types, their definitions as well as layouts, structured imports, etc.
  • Live (production) site deployments as well as code and data migration between staged environments.
  • Post deployment scripts to push files to Web Servers.
  • Established fully automated deployments to production environment.
  • Updates to existing V6 CMA, CDA, ADS, and Autonomy search engine troubleshooting.
  • Vignette V7 prototype for new CMA.
  • Google search appliance configuration for nissanusa.com and infiniti.com as well as robots.txt files.
  • Bug / Service Request fixes.
  • DB backups, archive scripts and scheduled tasks.
  • Setup tasks, workflow, Process, etc.
  • Architecture & project Documentation, how-to videos, etc.
  • Mentor to new Developers: Back End Developers (BED) & Front End Developers (FED).
  • Interaction with Directors, PMs, QA Managers, Developers, Creative, Account, Client, etc.
  • Vignette V7 & V6, VAP, ADS, Autonomy, IBM WebSphere, Serena Collage, Oracle, PL/SQL, SQL, Tcl, JSP, XML, CSS, Struts, Toad, Tora, Akamai, Google, Sybase, Nexus Components, Tomcat, CVS, XML, Bash scripts, batch files, Mecury TestDirector, Bugzilla, Sun Solaris, Wiki, WebEx, QuickArrow, Spring, iBATIS, DWR / AJAX, etc.
  • Name and address of employer    
    Nissan & Infiniti
    Long Beach, California
    USA
    Type of business or sector     Automotive
           
    Dates     02 February 2004 - 30 June 2005
    Occupation or position held     SEO & SEM Consultant
    Main activities and responsibilities    
  • Search engine marketing, optimized keywords & description meta tags, increased link popularity, etc.
  • Management of pay-per-click advertising.
  • Affiliate marketing: ad placement, creation of ads, management, etc.
  • Designed, constructed, setup, configured, tuned, coded, and maintained development and production Servers:
    - Custom Windows 2003 .NET Enterprise (from RC2) & Streaming Media Server.
    - Custom Linux (Slackware 10.1) Server: MySQL, BIND DNS, Apache HTTPD, mod_ssl, OpenSSL, JSPs w/ Jakarta Tomcat on Sun J2SE, PHP, Perl, ht://Dig WWW Search Engine, Nuke, sendmail SMTP, Qpopper POP3, Dovecot IMAP, IMAPS, SpamAssassin, SNMP, IPTables Firewall, Samba, ProFTP, Webmail, Mambo, Exponent, etc.
  • Name and address of employer    
    Usisu, Inc.
    Vancouver, Washington
    USA
    Type of business or sector     IT Consulting
           
    Dates     13 October 2003 - 01 February 2004
    Occupation or position held     Professional Services Consultant - Portal Product Specialist
    Main activities and responsibilities    
  • Implemented Production and Development Environments on Oracle and SQL Server.
  • Authored of custom Portlets in C#, JSP, and ASP utilizing EDK, .NET, BEA WebLogic, IBM WebSphere & Tomcat.
  • Setup and configured crawlers, authentication sources (LDAP, Active Directory, NT Domains), integration products, Communities, Sub portals, pages, and custom Web Services.
  • Produced Technical Documentation, Guides, Production Install Guides, and Status Reports.
  • Trained of clients on best practices and conducted Q&A sessions to familiarize them with the Portal.
  • Plumtree Portal 5.0.1 (.NET & Java) + Hotfixes (to 5.0.2), Web Services, Content, Collaboration, Search, & Studio Servers, Integration Products: PeopleSoft, IMAP, Exchange 2000 & Excel Portlet Suites, Siebel, Citrix, .NET / NT Domain / Web Crawlers, LDAP / Active Directory / NT Domain Authentication, Branding, EDK, ASP & JSP GDKs & Custom Portlets.
  • Name and address of employer    
    Plumtree
    San Francisco, California
    USA
    Type of business or sector     Portal Software
           
    Dates     15 of May 2003 - 31 July 2003
    Occupation or position held     Vignette V6 / MCM / J2EE / Tomcat / Oracle Implementation Consultant
    Main activities and responsibilities    
  • Staged development and production Server remote software installation and configuration including V6, Tomcat, MCM, etc. to a central CMS and Oracle RDBMS box as well as four geographically distant CDS and disseminated / aggregated cache and data.
  • Mentoring primary contractor off-site via VPN.
  • Vignette Content Suite V6 (6.0.5), MCM 3 (3.0.2), Apache Jakarta Tomcat 4 (4.1.24 / 4.0.6) (JSP), WebLogic, IIS 5, Oracle 8i (SQL), JRE 4, J2SDK, J2EE, Javadocs, JavaScript, ASP, Tcl, CSS, HTML, Windows 2000 Server.
  • Name and address of employer    
    Ballard
    Vancouver, British Columbia
    Canada
    Type of business or sector     Electric
           
    Dates     01 April 2003 - 14 of May 2003
    Occupation or position held     .NET / IIS / SQL Server Technical Consultant - Developer
    Main activities and responsibilities    
  • Significantly contributed to the public site as well as the content management application providing ability to maintain, update, and run queries for all members, including internal forum.
  • ASP.NET, ADO.NET, VBScript.NET, SQL, JavaScript, HTML, Windows NT Server w/ IIS.
  • Name and address of employer    
    Expression Latina
    Seattle, Washington
    USA
    Type of business or sector     Entertainment
           
    Dates     01 December 2002 - 30 March 2003
    Occupation or position held     E-Commerce Developer
    Main activities and responsibilities    
  • Implemented custom PHP & MySQL based osCommerce e-Commerce solution.
  • Name and address of employer    
    Usisu, Inc.
    Wilmington, Delaware
    USA
    Type of business or sector     IT Consulting
           
    Dates     01 September 2002 - 30 November 2002
    Occupation or position held     Java / JSP / Tomcat / Vignette V6 / SQL Server Consultant - Technical Lead, Architect & Lead Developer
    Main activities and responsibilities    
  • Installed and configured V6 software including MCM, JRE, Tomcat, etc.
  • Authored project wide V6 Implementation (including Coding) Standards Documentation.
  • Contributed significant content to Functional Specification and Detailed Design Documentation as well as Schema (Database Design).
  • Project Plan review, generation, and feasibility assessment.
  • Resource allocation, technical interviewing, and mentoring of Developers.
  • Developed 100% of all CDA & CMA code including Java Beans.
  • Vignette Content Suite V6 6.0.3, MCM 2.2.1 to 3.0.2, RMS, JRE 4.x, J2SDK, J2EE, Javadocs, Apache Jakarta Tomcat 4.0.4-6 (JSP), eWebEditPro, IIS 5.x, SQL Server 2000 (Stored Procedures, PL/SQL, SQL), JavaScript, CSS, HTML, Windows 2000 Server.
  • Name and address of employer    
    Mohawk
    Dalton, Georgia
    USA
    Type of business or sector     Flooring
           
    Dates     01 of May 2002 - 30 August 2002
    Occupation or position held     Linux Implementation Consultant
    Main activities and responsibilities    
  • Implemented RedHat 9 – 7.2 Server: MySQL, PostgreSQL, Compiere CRM/ERP, LDAP, Double Choco Latte Work Order and Project Tracking/Management tool, DNS, DotGNU Webservices, Apache HTTPD, JSPs w/ Jakarta Tomcat on Sun J2SE, XSP ASPX (ASP .NET) w/ Mono, PHP, Perl, Python, Tcl, ht://Dig WWW Search Engine, Wiki (create and edit Web page content using any Web browser), Custom Snitz Forums, Custom osCommerce Stores/Catalogs, SSL HTTPS Secured Server, Kerberos 5, MD5, Nagios AKA NetSaint, Multi Router Traffic Grapher, phpGroupWare, Nuke Portal, Mailman, sendmail, POP3, IMAP, IMAPS, SMTP, SpamAssassin, Telnet, SSH, FTP, SNMP, Samba, etc.
  • Name and address of employer    
    Usisu, Inc.
    Portland, Oregon
    USA
    Type of business or sector     IT Consulting
           
    Dates     18 April 2002 - 25 April 2002
    Occupation or position held     ColdFusion / Oracle / Fusebox Consultant
    Main activities and responsibilities    
  • Enterprise scale load balanced ColdFusion site with Fusebox on Oracle.
  • Fusedocs, Nested Circuits & Layouts, Core (FBX_) Files, Exit Fuseactions (XFAs).
  • Training: Cold Fusion and Fusebox Best Practices development standards, Fusebox Spec., Fusebox Whitepaper, Oracle Developers Guide for Cold Fusion (with Fusebox).
  • ColdFusion, Fusebox 3, ColdFusion Studio, Oracle, PL/SQL, Stored Procedures, SQL, HTML, CSS.
  • Name and address of employer    
    Xerox
    Wilsonville, Oregon
    USA
    Type of business or sector     Document Services and Computer Peripherals
           
    Dates     01 December 2001 - 30 March 2002
    Occupation or position held     Web Developer
    Main activities and responsibilities    
  • Full-lifecycle production of corporate Web presence: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SSI & custom ray traced graphics & PhotoShop work.
  • Windows 2000 Server, and Windows XP: Macromedia ColdFusion MX & RedSky with JRun (CFM/CFML and JSP pages), Vignette StoryServer 5.6.x AKA V/5 and V6 with Tcl, ASP, and JSP templates, MCM, and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET with Platform & Framework SDK all on IIS with SQL Server 2000.
  • Name and address of employer    
    Usisu, Inc.
    Wilmington, Delaware
    USA
    Type of business or sector     IT Consulting
           
    Dates     29 of May 2001 - 29 November 2001
    Occupation or position held     Vignette V6 / WebLogic / WebSphere / JSP / Oracle Consultant - Architect & Designer
    Main activities and responsibilities    
  • Authored we.tv website (37 million potential viewers) & content management application Functional Specifications, Requirements, Database or Schema Design including ER-Diagrams, and Detailed Design / Technical Design.
  • Participated in client facing Discovery meetings and gathered business requirements.
  • Generated timeline and complexity analysis.
  • Implemented development standards, code reviews, and trained Developers.
  • Vignette Content Suite V6 (or StoryServer 5.6) Tcl & JSP with WebLogic (JRockit) / WebSphere, Oracle, Sun Solaris, etc. based Content Management Application (CMA) & Content Delivery Application (CDA).
  • Name and address of employer    
    WE – Women’s Entertainment
    Long Island, New York
    USA
    Type of business or sector     Television
           
    Dates     01 December 2000 - 28 of May 2001
    Occupation or position held     Vignette V/5 & SQL Server Consultant - Architect & Lead Developer
    Main activities and responsibilities    
  • Senior most outsourced Vignette V/5 Consultant for Europe's largest Consulting firm.
  • Introduced Vignette V/5 Implementation Standards, Architecture, and Code Reviews.
  • Contributed 80% of reusable CDA / CMA code base and the candidate and recruiter tiers of Jobline's new multimillion dollar multilingual multinational Monster owned job Web site.
  • Authored technical design documents and conducted subsequent design walkthroughs, unit test plan documents, and unit testing.
  • Supported Cap Gemini's development staff (3 groups of 7+ Developers each) – executed code reviews (formal line-by-line White Box Fagan inspections), introduced Software Engineering standards, produced reusable code, answered technical development questions, etc.
  • Reported to Technical Leads & Senior Project Manager with work status, issues, resolutions, etc.
  • Directly interacted with QA department providing technical information about individual modules and assisted with test plans, test data sets, tier- and site-wide testing, and fixed bugs faster than anyone.
  • Vignette V/5 (StoryServer 5.5) CDA & CMA, Tcl, Microsoft SQL Server 7, PL/SQL, SQL, Stored Procedures, JavaScript, DynAPI, HTML, DHTML, CSS, XML.
  • Name and address of employer    
    Cap Gemini / Jobline (Monster)Culemborg
    The Netherlands
    Type of business or sector     HR / Recruitment
           
    Dates     08 of May 2000 - 30 November 2000
    Occupation or position held     Vignette V/5 & Oracle Consultant - Lead Developer & Architect
    Main activities and responsibilities    
  • Lead Consultant in the Performance and Scalability Analysis of Highwired.com's Vignette StoryServer implementation scrutinized Infrastructure, Architecture, Scalability, Performance, & Platform w/ tuning, configuration, infrastructure, and specific code recommendations increasing the speed of the high load content management application.
  • Assisted in the install and configuration of StoryServer and upgrade to V/5 on Solaris.
  • Lead in the analysis, design, development / implementation, testing (entire cycle including unit testing), and Documentation (full cycle) of RSN.com's multimillion dollar re-launch site.
  • Reported to the VP, Senior Engagement Manager, and Technical Leads.
  • Supported of Wheelhouse’s development staff – conducted peer reviews, mentored, etc.
  • Assisted with QA effort: provided technical details about individual modules, test plans, data sets, fixes, and performed unit testing.
  • Vignette V / Series, Vignette V/5, Platform 5.5, Vignette VAF and PowerPack, Vignette StoryServer, Vignette Syndication Server, Tcl, PHP, HTML, Oracle 8i, PL/SQL, SQL, Stored Procedures, JavaScript, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS2), XML.
  • Name and address of employer    
    Wheelhouse
    Burlington, Massachusetts
    USA
    
    RSN
    Portland, Maine
    USA
    
    Highwired
    Boston, Massachusetts
    USA 
    Type of business or sector     Resorts and Education
           
    Dates     01 of May 2000 - 07 of May 2000
    Occupation or position held     ColdFusion / StoryServer / Oracle Consultant - Lead Developer
    Main activities and responsibilities    
  • Lead Developer guiding a team of Developers in the analysis, design, implementation (hand coded), testing, and Documentation of a full life cycle streamed video Web application / site under extremely time constrained conditions (just one week).
  • Provided status updates to Technical Lead.
  • Allaire (now Macromedia) ColdFusion (CFML), HTML, DHTML, JavaScript, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS2), SMIL (Apple QuickTime video feeds), ASX (MS Media Player video feeds), Oracle 8i, PL/SQL, SQL, Stored Procedures, Vignette StoryServer, Tcl, etc.
  • Name and address of employer    
    CGI / DEN.net
    Santa Monica, California
    USA
    Type of business or sector     Entertainment
           
    Dates     23 April 2000 - 30 April 2000
    Occupation or position held     JSP / ColdFusion Consultant - Lead Developer
    Main activities and responsibilities    
  • Lead in the development effort of ColdFusion, JSP, HTML, Oracle 8i, SQL based training applications.
  • Name and address of employer    
    KnowledgeNet
    Scottsdale, Arizona
    USA
    Type of business or sector     Training
           
    Dates     01 February 2000 - 15 April 2000
    Occupation or position held     Vignette StoryServer Developer - Internet Application Developer
    Main activities and responsibilities    
  • Analyzed, designed, implemented, tested, and documented portions of Vignette driven Portal.
  • Worked with in-bound syndicated data from BigCharts.com.
  • Analyzed and converted major preexisting PHP based Web site to Vignette StoryServer.
  • Administrated Netscape Enterprise Server as well as Sun Solaris administration on a Sun Enterprise platform.
  • Vignette StoryServer, Tcl, Oracle 8i, PL/SQL, SQL, SQL Loader, Stored Procedures, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS2), HTML, etc.
  • Name and address of employer    
    SalesLogix / Interact
    Scottsdale, Arizona
    USA
    Type of business or sector     Software
           
    Dates     23 August 1999 - 30 January 2000
    Occupation or position held     ASP Internet Software Engineer
    Main activities and responsibilities    
  • Designed, developed, tested, implemented, and documented Internet / Intranet applications using leading Internet programming technology, e.g. Active Server Pages (ASP), SourceSafe, JavaScript, VBScript, SQL, CSS, HTML, DHTML, etc.
  • Name and address of employer    
    USWeb/CKS
    Phoenix, Arizona
    USA
    Type of business or sector     Web Design
           
    Dates     20 June 1998 - 18 August 1999
    Occupation or position held     ASP / ColdFusion Web Developer (Software Tools) & Test Engineer
    Main activities and responsibilities    
  • Resource allocation, timeline generation, and management of daily production of design, implementation, testing, and maintenance of Intel's Network Test Engineering's Test Case Database Application which was used exclusively by the Software Test Engineers to track test projects, test cases, and related test results and documents.
  • Received Recognition Award for thoroughness, and accuracy having tested Intel's Device View SNMP network management software including all Year 2000 (Y2K) compatibility testing and Documentation in record time.
  • ColdFusion, ASP, SQL, ActiveX, JavaScript, HTML, DHTML, CSS1, Merant PVCS Tracker, as well as hooks to external and internal test management and bug reporting applications.
  • Name and address of employer    
    Intel
    Hillsboro, Oregon
    USA
    Type of business or sector     Semiconductors
           
    Dates     14 September 1994 - 18 June 1998
    Occupation or position held     Programmer, ColdFusion Webmaster, Network Administrator & Support
    Main activities and responsibilities    
  • Responsible for numerous custom programs written in Pascal, C, C++, Visual Basic, Web applications using ColdFusion, custom tags, Oracle, PL/SQL, SQL, HTML, DHTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
  • Development and maintenance of the University's 120+ user Novell NetWare network, Web site, Intranet, and support.
  • Mentored new Network Admin., Support, Webmaster, and Programmer student employees.
  • Name and address of employer    
    Western Oregon University
    Monmouth, Oregon
    USA
    Type of business or sector     University
           
    Education and training      
    Dates     23 June 1994 - 18 June 1998
    Title of qualification awarded     Joint Bachelors of Science (BS) in Computer Science / Mathematics
    Principal subjects / occupational skills covered     Computational Theory, Theory of Programming Languages, Software Engineering, and Mathematics
  • Graduated with Cum Laude honors and was the youngest gradate.
  • Received special recognition from the Computer Science Division at the WOU Liberal Arts and Sciences Recognition Night.
  • Received Phi Kappa Phi Academic Excellence Award in Computer Science.
  • Three time participant: ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest (C / C++).
  • Lectured on Tessellation with OpenGL, Computational Theory, Discrete Mathematics, Java and JavaScript, Recursion, OCX's, and GNUPlot.
  • Completed independent studies for credit on ColdFusion, UNIX Administration & VRML Authoring, and Linux & X Windows System Installation, Configuration, and Administration.
  • Developed and maintained the Computer Science Division's Web site: ColdFusion, Access, and HTML.
  • Name and type of organisation providing education and training    
    Western Oregon University
    Level in national or international classification     Nationally accredited
           
    Personal skills and competences      
    Mother tongue(s)     Finnish and English
    Social skills and competences    
    Excellent verbal and written communication skills.  Conduct self with proper etiquette and manners. 
    Organisational skills and competences     Ability to manage resources as well as handle multiple projects simultaneously while delivering quality results ahead of schedule.
    Technical skills and competences    

    Enterprise Applications

  • Apache 1+, BEA WebLogic 7+, Bugzilla, Crystal Reports, CVS, Delphi 2, DNS, Exchange, Flash, IBM WebSphere 2+, IIS 4+, JRun, Linux 1+, Macromedia ColdFusion 1+, Mambo, Merant PVCS Tracker, Mercury TestDirector, Mono, Netscape Enterprise & FastTrack Servers, Open Source software, Office, osCommerce, Plumtree Portal 4+ (BEA AquaLogic), Query Analyzer, Serena Collage, SMTP (Sendmail), Sun Java (J2EE) JSP 1+, Solaris, Toad, Tomcat, Tora, UNIX, Vignette Content Suite V7 to StoryServer, Visual Studio .NET – 1.5x, Visual SourceSafe, Windows 3+, X Windows.

    Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS)

  • Oracle 7+, SQL Server 7+, Sybase, MySQL, etc.

    Pertinent Programming Languages

  • ActionScript, ASP, ASP.NET (ASPX, XPS), ASX, Basic, Bash script, C#, C++, C, ColdFusion (CFML), CSS, Delphi, Flash, HTML, Java, JavaScript (DHTML), JSP, JScript, JScript.NET, Lex, LISP, .NET, Nexus Component tags, OpenGL, Perl, PHP, PL/SQL, POVray, QBasic, SMIL, SOAP, SQL, Tcl, Visual Basic, VBScript, VBScript.NET, VRML, WML, WSDL, XHTML, XLST, XML, Yacc.

  • Computer skills and competences    
    PC, Apple Mac to IIe, Sun, Sequent, Commodore Amiga, etc.
    Artistic skills and competences    
    Drawing, watercolor, painting, sculpture, pottery, graphic design, PhotoShop, ray tracing, etc.
    Other skills and competences    
    Mentor to junior project resources. 
    Driving licence    
    Arizona State
    USA
    Additional information     On top of a BS in Computer Science / Math, over a dozen years of experience (since CGI and Cello) internationally leading and mentoring teams of Developers as well as working independently on the full lifecycle analysis, design, implementation, testing, deployment, maintenance, search engine optimization and marketing, performance and scalability tuning of enterprise scale dynamic database driven personalized Web applications, sites, pages, portals, e-commerce solutions, their content management systems and their software, hardware, and network infrastructures. Utilize Software Engineering methodology, practices, and MVC (Model View Controller) design paradigm in development. Most notably actively beta test for Microsoft - Windows 2003 .NET Enterprise Server, have utilized every version of Vignette’s Content Management System since StoryServer and with multiple application Servers (BEA WebLogic, IBM WebSphere, Jakarta Tomcat, IIS), Macromedia’s ColdFusion since it was Allaire ColdFusion 1, Plumtree Enterprise Portal 4x, Serena Collage 4.6 – 5.1, strong RDBMS DBA skills, and GNU / Linux / UNIX Systems since 1994.
    Annexes    
    References when requested.

    European levels - Self Assessment Grid
      U n d e r s t a n d i n g S p e a k i n g W r i t i n g
      Listening Reading Spoken Interaction Spoken Production Writing
    A1 I can understand familiar words and very basic phrases concerning myself, my family and immediate concrete surroundings when people speak slowly and clearly. I can understand familiar names, words and very simple sentences, for example on notices and posters or in catalogues. I can interact in a simple way provided the other person is prepared to repeat or rephrase things at a slower rate of speech and help me formulate what I'm trying to say. I can ask and answer simple questions in areas of immediate need or on very familiar topics. I can use simple phrases and sentences to describe where I live and people I know. I can write a short, simple postcard, for example sending holiday greetings. I can fill in forms with personal details, for example entering my name, nationality and address on a hotel registration form.
    A2 I can understand phrases and the highest frequency vocabulary related to areas of most immediate personal relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local area, employment). I can catch the main point in short, clear, simple messages and announcements. I can read very short, simple texts. I can find specific, predictable information in simple everyday material such as advertisements, prospectuses, menus and timetables and I can understand short simple personal letters. I can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar topics and activities. I can handle very short social exchanges, even though I can't usually understand enough to keep the conversation going myself. I can use a series of phrases and sentences to describe in simple terms my family and other people, living conditions, my educational background and my present or most recent job. I can write short, simple notes and messages. I can write a very simple personal letter, for example thanking someone for something.
    B1 I can understand the main points of clear standard speech on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. I can understand the main point of many radio or TV programmes on current affairs or topics of personal or professional interest when the delivery is relatively slow and clear. I can understand texts that consist mainly of high frequency everyday or job-related language. I can understand the description of events, feelings and wishes in personal letters. I can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. I can enter unprepared into conversation on topics that are familiar, of personal interest or pertinent to everyday life (e.g. family, hobbies, work, travel and current events). I can connect phrases in a simple way in order to describe experiences and events, my dreams, hopes and ambitions. I can briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans. I can narrate a story or relate the plot of a book or film and describe my reactions. I can write simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. I can write personal letters describing experiences and impressions.
    B2 I can understand extended speech and lectures and follow even complex lines of argument provided the topic is reasonably familiar. I can understand most TV news and current affairs programmes. I can understand the majority of films in standard dialect. I can read articles and reports concerned with contemporary problems in which the writers adopt particular attitudes or viewpoints. I can understand contemporary literary prose. I can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible. I can take an active part in discussion in familiar contexts, accounting for and sustaining my views. I can present clear, detailed descriptions on a wide range of subjects related to my field of interest. I can explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options. I can write clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects related to my interests. I can write an essay or report, passing on information or giving reasons in support of or against a particular point of view. I can write letters highlighting the personal significance of events and experiences.
    C1 I can understand extended speech even when it is not clearly structured and when relationships are only implied and not signalled explicitly. I can understand television programmes and films without too much effort. I can understand long and complex factual and literary texts, appreciating distinctions of style. I can understand specialised articles and longer technical instructions, even when they do not relate to my field. I can express myself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. I can use language flexibly and effectively for social and professional purposes. I can formulate ideas and opinions with precision and relate my contribution skilfully to those of other speakers. I can present clear, detailed descriptions of complex subjects integrating sub-themes, developing particular points and rounding off with an appropriate conclusion. I can express myself in clear, well-structured text, expressing points of view at some length. I can write about complex subjects in a letter, an essay or a report, underlining what I consider to be the salient issues. I can select a style appropriate to the reader in mind.
    C2 I have no difficulty in understanding any kind of spoken language, whether live or broadcast, even when delivered at fast native speed, provided. I have some time to get familiar with the accent. I can read with ease virtually all forms of the written language, including abstract, structurally or linguistically complex texts such as manuals, specialised articles and literary works. I can take part effortlessly in any conversation or discussion and have a good familiarity with idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms. I can express myself fluently and convey finer shades of meaning precisely. If I do have a problem I can backtrack and restructure around the difficulty so smoothly that other people are hardly aware of it. I can present a clear, smoothly-flowing description or argument in a style appropriate to the context and with an effective logical structure which helps the recipient to notice and remember significant points. I can write clear, smoothly-flowing text in an appropriate style. I can write complex letters, reports or articles which present a case with an effective logical structure which helps the recipient to notice and remember significant points. I can write summaries and reviews of professional or literary works.