DIY Resume Editing

You may recall that a few weeks back, a reader named Kim wrote in to ask about resume formatting services for actors.

Hi. I read your column on resumes and I was wondering if you had any referrals for places to have mine done. I have always done it myself but would like someone else to do it (someone who knows about acting and nice layouts).

Thanks,
Kim

And, since I didn’t have any suggestions, I asked you fine folks to help out. I got a couple of handy replies from DIY-actors to share with you. Read on!

Hi there,

I had a suggestion for Kim about resumes. I could sit and edit my resume all day if I wanted to because there’s so many different formats and ideas people have that they like. So far I have found that it’s best if I gather some professionals that I trust (teachers, colleagues, etc.) and have them look it over and see if it works. It has to represent you well and you have to feel comfortable with it, so asking people you know who know the business has, in my experience, been a great start.

Thanks again for your great columns! Can’t wait to read more!
Emily Louick

And…

Bonnie,

I’ve actually designed my own resume. Since I have a graphic design degree I wanted to communicate that part of me in it. I’ve attached a sample of what it looks like.

Enjoy the journey,

Robert Keniston

Click here to see a PDF of Robert’s awesome resume. I actually really love this layout and the personal touches are fantastic. Very good overall branding that goes with Robert’s primary castability too.

Remember, all the way down to the choice of font you use, you are getting an opportunity to show us your brand, to help us understand the vibe you give off when you enter the room. Take advantage of that!

Now, as for services, I Googled “actor resume formatting” and “actor resume formatting services” (with and without quotation marks) and found loads of free samples (some great, some embarrassingly bad. Dear GAWD, please never use the word principle to describe the size of the role). Nothing that made me jump up and down with excitement over the prospect of suggesting that anyone hand over money for “professional formatting.”

Since resume-writing is something you’re going to be doing for a long time (y’know, ’til you have that team of people whose job it is to do that sort of thing for you), I recommend the DIY approach recommended by the readers above, along with that oh-so-important “get a pro to proofread it” tip. You want to come across professional, but with enough of your own personality showing through that we do start to understand you better, just by looking at your resume. Remember: Your resume is not just a list of credits. It’s a marketing tool. Show us how to cast you. Teach us who you are. Proofread! Twice!


Bonnie Gillespie is living her dreams by helping others figure out how to live theirs. Wanna work with Bon? Start here. Thanks!


Originally published by Actors Access at http://more.showfax.com/columns/avoice/archives/001088.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.

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