Five Things NOT to Include on Your Resume

As actors, our resumes are important. And let’s be honest, all of us want to have an impressive one. Many young actors have a fear around “not having enough credits.” Heck, sometimes veteran actors have the same fear. And in an industry where we all want to stand out, it’s easy to think you can do that with your resume. However, your resume is actually one of the most important ways you need to blend in rather than stand out. I know that sounds against everything you might think, but it is true. Here are five things NOT to include on your resume:

1. Do NOT use fancy colored paper or fonts. In our quest to stand out, it might feel like a fancy, colored paper will do the trick. But in truth, it just screams unprofessional. Resumes should be on white paper with black ink in a legible font. I promise you that your bright pink paper or fancy font is going to make you stand out for the wrong reason.

2. Do NOT include reviews, announcements, comments or long links. Also in your need to make sure they know how great you are, it’s easy to think that including a recent review or attaching a postcard from the show you’re in right now will help your cause. It doesn’t. And for heaven’s sake, don’t include a long link to somewhere they can access your other info. Yes, you may include your website, but make it an easy link. (BTW… if you haven’t already reserved your name as a domain, do it right now.)

3. Do NOT add credits you didn't really do. Lying on your resume is the number one way you can sabotage yourself. Never lie on your resume. Never pad your resume. Never say you played the role if you were only an understudy. (Of course, include it, but be honest that you were an understudy by putting “u/s” next to it.) I guarantee lying will come back to bite you 100% of the time.

4. Do NOT put every credit you’ve ever done. I know you want to show how many times you’ve gotten cast. But there comes a time when those credits you did when you were 20 (and now you’re 40) are not helping you. Even if you think your best credits were back then, take them off. A clean resume that is easy to see who you play now is the only thing necessary for the people looking at it. Consider it a sample of what you have done, not the whole five-course meal.

5. Do NOT puff up your special skills. If you put that you can play the piano, you darn well better be able to sit down that minute and play something, because they might indeed ask. If you can kinda, sorta do an Irish accent, don’t include it on your list of dialects. Be concise with the accents you are truly proficient at, and never say “all common dialects” or “all standard accents.” Be specific. RP is very different from Cockney and Geordie. Know what you can do.

So, take a look at your resume. Make sure it showcases who you are, the roles you can play, and, most importantly, that you are a professional.

Leslie Becker is a Broadway actress, Billboard artist and best-selling author of The Organized Actor^®. Since 1994, her teachings have empowered thousands of actors to be strong individuals so the highs and lows of the industry are balanced by a strong belief in themselves. As an actress, she has appeared in 10 Broadway and National Tour productions, and she has starred in over 50 regional shows. She offers free tips for actors at www.OrganizedActor.com.