Creating your Resume

1. Creating your Resume Jeff McLaughlin Asst. Prof. of Scenic/Lighting Design and Technical Direction

2. Purpose of the Resume • Score an interview • Purpose is not • History of past • Form of self-expression • Personal Statement

3. Know your audience • Showcase your skills and how you would be an excellent fit into their organization • Know what they are looking for and what they do • Find out what their current projects are and ask about them in an interview to show that you are informed

4. Know your audience • Focus on the employer’s needs, not your needs • What would make you the perfect employee for this organization

5. Cuteness • Do not use your resume to show off you immense cuteness or incredible sense of humor

6. Honesty • Do Not Lie! The theatre community is very small • Don’t • No • You will be found out

7. Efficiency and Conciseness • Do not be wordy • Showcase your skills and accomplishments • Do not list shows that you did in high school

8. Accuracy • Use spell check • Use correct terminology • I.e. Rehearsal not Play practice • Be consistent • I.e. Formatting or terminology

9. Length • For the average college student a one page resume should be sufficient • As you become more experienced you should develop multiple resumes • A concise one page resume • A longer resume that lists everything you have done • Resumes tailored towards specific jobs i.e.. I have a design, T.D., design/T.D., C.V.

10. The Modular Resume • Consider breaking up your resume into modular units that can be interchanged • You may swap out your shop experience for stage management experience for an acting resume

11. Appearance • Chose and easily readable font • Make sure your printer is clean and does not leave any streaks or marks • Hand written resumes are looked down upon

12. Paper • Be considerate of the interviewer • Do not use obnoxiously bright paper • Choose a paper that will be pleasant and easy to read such as an ivory or granite

13. Formatting • The possibilities are endless, but there are some standards

14. Formatting • Average resume looked at for 10-20 seconds • Top half of first page count the most • Your name should be slightly larger than everything else on the page and should be found on the top

15. Formatting Continued • Following your name we should see your contact information • Address (school and permanent) • Telephone number • E-mail • Website

16. Formatting Continued • Format • Easy to read • Showcase your experience or skills

17. Formatting Continued • Break up your resume into sections • Acting, Design, Technical Direction, Stage Management • Then organize these groups by importance to you • Or format by venue or company • List your jobs in order by date within subgroups

18. Formatting Continued • Consider adding supervisors or directors with each production • 12/03 Actor, The Runaway Orchestra, The Seem- To-Be-Players and The Lawrence Arts Center, Directed by Ric Averil

19. Formatting Continued • Consider the following formatting options • Chronological • Specialty • Alphabetical • Venue • Company • Importance

20. Formatting Continued • Special interests or skills can often be useful • Stick to interests or skill that reinforce your skills as an artist

21. Formatting Continued • Educational Background • Once you graduate from college you most likely will not need to include your high school information • 1999-2002 M.F.A. Scenic Design, University of Missouri—Kansas City • B.A. Theatre and Speech Communications, Magna Cum Laude, Baker University, Baldwin City, KS 1999

22. Additions • You may be asked to provide… • List of theatre courses completed • Design or artistic philosophy • List of references • Letters of recommendation • Official Transcripts

23. References • Work to increase your reference possibilities • Always get permission before listing someone as a reference • Keep your references informed • Where you are applying • Recent career updates

24. References Continued • The best references • Have good reputations • Are articulate and experienced writers • Well known • Know your work well • Have a reputation of supporting good employees • Variety is also useful

25. Maintenance • Update after every show! • Keep at hand!

26. Theatre resume vs. Traditional Resume • Traditional resumes use Objective section • Objective: Obtain a position at “AAA” company where “BBB” and “CCC” are needed. • Theatre artists tend to put this statement in their cover letter

27. Theatre resume vs. Traditional Resume • Traditional resumes list duties on for each job • Theatre jobs or positions are more or less uniform from one theatre to the next so the list of duties are usually omitted

28. Theatre resume vs. Traditional Resume • Traditional resumes make assertions about your skills as an employee and then provides evidence of those skills • Theatre artists tend to put these assertions in their cover letter

29. Cover Letter • This is your letter of application • Personalize the letter • Avoid “To whom it may concern,” • Use a similar format for your resume so it is easy to tell they go together • Tells the reader • Who you are and what you are applying for • Why you are the best candidate for the job • Why you want to work there • That you will contact them to follow up • Your contact information