by I have seen people shudder or sigh with dread at the mention of writing a resume, but the fact of the matter is that your resume is a celebration of you and your achievements. Writing a resume doesn’t have to be painful or scary, and once you have one, updating it is just adding points to your scorecard. Your resume should tell the reader what you have done before and thus what you are capable of doing in the future.
What goes on a resume? Your name, your contact info, your education, your experience, and your skills.
Aside: Theatrical resumes don’t always fit the mold set by career centers, job seeking websites, or the Microsoft Word resume template. For the purposes of this exercise, I am purposefully not showing example resumes. I don’t believe that one format is more successful than another, but I do believe that the way you organize information on a page can give additional insight into you as a person. So if you are using this guide to make a theatre resume from scratch, just get the information on the page first and then figure out how you want to arrange it. Let’s get to it!
Your Name This document is about you. Your name should be the most important and most prominent information on the page. This is the place to use a different typeface than the rest of your document, but don’t get crazy.
Your contact info If someone wants to give you a job, how should they get in touch with you? If you have more than one phone number or email address, pick the one that you will most reliably answer. Regarding email addresses, avoid school issued or work issued email addresses in favor of a personal email address that you will always control no matter your work or student status. It is also best if your email address reflects your name in some way. DO NOT include your physical mailing address on your resume. Not only are employers unlikely to contact you by mail in this day and age, it is also not a great idea to tell a large number of folks where you live. This is especially true for online resumes that can be seen by more than just safe, responsible HR personnel. I am sorry to say that including an address on your resume can lead to discrimination. A potential employer, especially in the early stages of the job search process, can make unfair or even unfounded assumptions about you as an applicant based on your address and the part of town you live in. So one phone number and one email address is plenty.
Your education Did you go to college or university? Did you complete a non-collegiate training program? Whatever formal education you have achieved should be listed. Longer programs like bachelor’s or master’s degree can be listed in progress with an anticipated completion date. Shorter programs, like certifications, can be listed after they are completed. High school experience may be listed within the first few years after high school, but upon completion of a degree program having a high school diploma completion is a given. If you choose to list dates (and you don’t have to) list the completion date instead of the entire range of time. If undergrad took seven years, that’s fine, but you don’t have to admit to it if you don’t want to.
Your experience What did you do? Where did you do it? Who asked you to do that? This is where you list your titles and your shows. This section can have a lot of flexibility. Early in your career you might list everything you have ever done (which is not bad). As your accomplishments become more numerous, you may start organizing by theatrical discipline or by producing organization. When you have too many accolades to fit on a page, you will have choose what to leave off. Include past experiences that show your talents in the type of job you want more of. By the time you have a dozen wardrobe and stitching credits on your resume it’s probably safe to leave off that one time you were a followspot operator. Especially if you are not pursuing more work as a followspot.
Your skills What can you do? What have you learned that is not apparent from the worked experience you have listed? The skill section is a good place to list skills you have that are expressly listed in a job posting. Can you weld? Write that down. Operate an industrial serger? That’s worth noting. Which lighting consoles can you operate? List them. The skills section is a good place to list any industry specific software you can use, any machines or equipment that are common in your area of interest, and if you have a driver’s license. The important thing is to be truthful. Don’t claim competency if you have done something once, but don’t leave off skills because you don’t consider yourself a master. Just ask yourself, if I list this skill and I am asked to do it unsupervised safely and effectively, can I succeed?
Regarding references. It is convenient for your potential employer to have your references listed on your resume, but it is not always a cold hard requirement. Don’t list your references on a resume that is posted on the open internet, this exposes your references’ contact info that they may have trusted you with. If you are crafting a resume for a specific job and the posting asks for a separate list of references, leave them off of your resume and fill the space with additional impressive skills and experience.
Crafting your resume can be quite a task, especially the first time or after a long gap in updates. But it is worth the time when preparing for a job hunt and it is worth the reminder that you have done some good work and acquired some useful skills, be proud of yourself and your experiences. Everyone has to start somewhere.
Check back here for the next step in building a theatrical resume.
