An acting resume template is required by the experienced or inexperienced actor to land a role in the entertainment industry. It is of the utmost importance to start or develop your career.
Table of Contents
- 1 What basically an acting resume is?
- 2 Format and components of an acting resume:
- 3 How to create an acting resume?
- 4 If you have little or no experience then what to include in acting resume?
- 5 Things not to include in your acting resume:
- 6 Mistakes to avoid while making your acting resume:
- 7 Conclusion:
- 8 Faqs (Frequently Asked Questions)
What basically an acting resume is?
An acting resume is the most important document used by the actors in order to get roles in the theater, film, TV, or any other acting role. It has an actor’s headshot and details of the actor so it is quite different from professional resumes. Moreover, it also includes past training, past acting roles, agent’s contact information, the strong traits, skills, and awards that make the actor stand out.
Format and components of an acting resume:
The proper acting resume format can impress anyone. In this document, you are marketing yourself, it should be the best. A well-formatted resume indicates how serious you are about your craft. You should use legible fonts to make your document easy to read and understand. Additionally, to make sure that it is compatible with all types of devices, save it as a PDF file. Let us discuss below the most important components to include in your document;
- Your recent contact number
- Agent contact information
- The objective of your resume
- Your acting credits, education, training, and workshops
- Your special skills and awards
- Other additional references and your best headshot.
You should use standard paper size in order to create best possible layout. The size of your resume and headshot must be same because you have to attach it to the back of your resume.
How to create an acting resume?
Here are some tips on how to create an acting resume;
Your headshot along with your resume:
The best acting resume must contain the headshot that has been professionally photographed. The main objective of this photograph is to provide a good impression because it captures your personality. It must have a close-up of your face along with your upper body. You have to make sure that you only attach a professional headshot. Moreover, the first thing that the hiring agent look at the headshot so it should be best one.
Your contact information:
Almost all resumes start with contact details because it provides a way of reaching out to you right away. It also helps the hiring agent to select an actor from a specific area he is looking for. The contact information includes;
- Your full name
- Your permanent address
- Your primary and secondary contact numbers and professional email address
- Your IMDb (Internet Movie Database) profile.
Your personal details:
It’s important to include your appearance in your resume format. However, you are attaching your headshot but including your appearance is also necessary. If you make up statistics then this will backfire when you meet the hiring agent so don’t do this.
Never include inaccurate information. Your personal information includes your date of birth, race, eye and hair color, and weight and height. Just under the contact details include this information on the one line at the very top right.
Furthermore, you can also print your resume at the back of your headshot. If you also want to do this, then select a high-quality photo paper to avoid compromising your professionalism.
Acting experience:
In reverse chronological order, add your acting experience. It means that you have to place the most recent experience at the top. Depending on the kinds of media you acted in, write your experience into different sections. For example, if you have most recent experience in theater, write it at the top and then other experience like in television, film, etc.
Keep in mind that you have to limit the document to a single page. Therefore, if you have extensive experience includes the most relevant or the most recent. For each experience, write the title of the production, the name of the director, and the role you played.
Rewards and accolades:
Any rewards you have won include them in your resume. Also, provide the information like who gave the reward, what category you won in, and when you received the reward.
Any additional skills:
If you have any additional skills, mention them in your resume, especially those skills that are relevant for the role you are applying for. These skills grab the attention of hiring agent and increase your flexibility.
Mention your training and education:
Most importantly, mention your training and education you have taken because on these endeavors you have spent a lot of time, effort, and money. This information is significant if you aren’t a well-known actor yet. Additionally, this information shows the hiring agent that you have taken courses or training for acting.
If you have little or no experience then what to include in acting resume?
You can highlight your education and training if you don’t have any experience in acting. Provide explanation on what you have learned in the training. You can also include any set of skills that can make you stand out. Furthermore, you can also mention a second language you have and any reward for excellence.
Things not to include in your acting resume:
- Never include too many stats in it. Without getting into specific details, provide your director or agent an idea of who you are.
- In the hope of covering more acting roles, don’t be too unrealistic about your age.
- Never provide incomplete work history.
- Don’t include those languages that you aren’t fluent in.
- Don’t attach misleading headshots with your resume.
Mistakes to avoid while making your acting resume:
Here are the things that you must avoid on your acting resume;
- Do not send Microsoft Word formats always send your resume in a PDF format. This is because the MS Word format size and style changes on different computers. It might look perfect alignment on your computer but it may look all messed up on someone else’s computer. On the other hand, no matter where you send your resume, the PDF format always keeps the alignment perfect.
- You should make sure it is easy to read. Make use of professional fonts such as Times New Roman, Helvetica, Garamond, or Arial.
- Each heading should be bigger or have different style than the rest of the content so that they stand out.
- Your resume must be one page when printed. It must fit on the back of your 8″ X 10″ headshot. You can align it so that it fits perfectly on the back of your headshot. After that, staple it at all four corners. Take scissor to cut off the extra paper.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, an acting resume template is the most helpful tool in order to land a role in the entertainment industry. This document contains your acting classes, level of education, physical stats, and special skills you may possess. It is of the utmost importance for an inexperienced actor. In addition, if you don’t have any experience in acting then highlights your acting-related education or training in your resume.
Faqs (Frequently Asked Questions)
You should use an actor resume template that is specifically meant for acting resumes. It will help you in identifying the information to include in the document.
The heading of your resume is the first thing that hiring agents look. So, your heading must include your contact details, your personal information, and your manager’s or agent’s contact information. Use a larger fonts for your name to make it eye-catching. But, you may use standard fonts for the rest of the information on your header.
During writing a resume, the right balance between interest and readability is required to capture the interest of hiring agents. To give personality to your document, make use of different fonts and formatting.
Grace Harry is an experienced freelance writer with an experience for 12+ years. She got her Master’s in Financial Management degree from the University of Dennison in 2007. She worked at California State Bank to help clients with their credit, investments, and bank accounts. She likes to assist people in reaching their financial goals when it comes to financial planning.
