Help organizing my resume

salsa88

Member
I was wondering if anyone could give me a few tips on organizing my resume. I want your opinions and how it looks, organization and what i can do to make it better. I have attached my resume so please review and let me know what changes I should make.
Thank you,
** RESUME UPDATED **
 
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I don't know how everyone else feels, but I've been told in the past that your personal address might not be a safe thing to have floating around on a resume.
 
I don't know how everyone else feels, but I've been told in the past that your personal address might not be a safe thing to have floating around on a resume.
As demonstrated several times before if given a full legal name and state almost any internet literate person can track you down in about an hour.
 
As demonstrated several times before if given a full legal name and state almost any internet literate person can track you down in about an hour.

Name, address and number has been removed from the attachment.
 
From the looks of it, most of your stuff is local crew type things, don't list the individual shows you have pushed cases on, just list where you work and what you do for them (overhire, head electrician, etc...). Also, if you are a working on a show that you are involved in putting up from scatch, not a touring show, tell us what you were for that show. Also, if it is educational or professional experience. I would also list all the stuff you do in one section, get rid of the 2006 and 2007 headings. You don't need to tell us what ETC means, if you are reading it and you know what it means, great, if someone is reading and doesn't know what it means they won't care anyway. You can just say you have conventional lighting experience. Listing automated lights is nice if you know how to crack that certain fixture open and work on it. As far as consoles go, the Expression and the Insight run the same software, you just need to list "expression consoles", once again the people that will know will know and the people that won't know don't care.

Can you graduate from high school with an emphasis in technical theatre? If you are currently in college, tell us what college and what you degree path/graduation date is. You are at the stage were you should not have a resume longer then one page, more then one page just gets lost. People are not concerned with what shows you have worked on, they care about what you did on those shows. I always include a "duties entailed" after each of my entries, basically saying, here is where I worked and here is what I did.
 
I'll echo what's been said above. You really don't need to list every show you've worked - I would list major theatrical shows you've worked and one or two representative concerts. Emphasize more what you DID at those shows and what your responsibilities were.

Also, a big one: you absolutely need to cut your resume down to one page. There's a lot of white space on there, and if you selectively prune things you can definitely get it to one page. Most HR people will toss resumes that are two pages if they are hiring for entry level positions.

Just say "Conventional Fixtures," and expand on moving fixtures a bit (did you just use them, or can you maintain one)?

You might add a section on other skills, and list things that you know - like VectorWorks/LightWright, etc (if you know them).

Finally, you might want an objective section at the top that lists in one sentence what your goal is.

I've attached my resume for reference.
 

Attachments

  • Resume.doc
    29 KB · Views: 53
Agree with everything above. Very nice layout, mbenonis. Pretty much the standard, if there is anything such as that in our industry. salsa88, take note.
 
Another general note:

Name the file something other than resume.doc or resume.pdf.

When someone gets dozens of email responses to job listings, having a dozen attachements with the same name gets boring.....fast.

Make sure you know how to spell things. I can't tell you how many times I've seen resumes with creative spelling like:

Varylite
Verilight
Very Light
Tekno Beam
Leako
Franel

If you don't care enough to check the spelling, then how can I assume that you'll safety the light you just hung? Attention to detail is key.

Also (this is pet peeve of mine), list when you graduated college. The listing of a degree without a date says to me "this person is worried about seeming young." I'd rather the person's resume speak for itself. If you don't have a lot of professional work, but graduated only six months ago then the reader will understand.

My $.02

--Sean
 
...If you don't care enough to check the spelling, then how can I assume that you'll safety the light you just hung? Attention to detail is key...
That's but a small portion of the point I am trying to make every time I play spelling/grammar police. One's resume and one's postings reflect whom they are--present them in the best way possible. Being able to write a coherent memo to another dept. or one's boss is a valuable skill. It might just mean the difference between getting or not getting the funding for that new Ion or those twenty new SourceFours™.
 
Another general note:
Name the file something other than resume.doc or resume.pdf.

Never ever send a .doc file. You could be using a non-standard font which will not display unless the person has that font. Alway, always, always send it as a PDF. Google CutePDF writer if you don't know how to make a PDF.
 
-Follow Mike's resume as a template.

-Cut it down to one page. Many potential employers WILL NOT read more than one page. I've heard of one guy who would tear off and throw away anything beyond page one.

-You are young and inexperienced. There's nothing wrong with that. You can't hide the fact you graduated from high school last year. But take heart, it's not a big deal. You've had way more experience than many people your age that's great. However at the same time, if I'm looking at what you've written I'm going to really question how a high school student is working on all these shows. I'm going to be suspicious that either you are making up the shows or that you didn't really do anything important for them. Instead of listing big name shows and causing that suspicion as others have said tell us what you did. For example:

Work Experience:
"2005-2007 Tuacahn Amphitheater
Lighting and Stage crew for over 30 productions including: Theater productions, dance groups and national touring music acts.
Duties included:
hanging lights
loading in and loading out
running follow spot... "

Also I agree on the "Tech theater emphasis" for high school.
Instead Say
Education: 2003-2007 Tuacahn High School
3 years High School tech crew: running lights, sound, and set construction. Designed lights for three shows... etc...

As for techincal skills again cut back from the gear and be more specific as to what you can actually do:
-Hang, circuiting, and focusing of conventional lighting instruments
-experience programing VL_____ moving lights.
-Two years experience as follow spot operator
-Proficient programing Expression consoles.
-Basic wiring skills making cables and installing connectors.
-standard crew skills, moving set pieces, coiling cable, loading trucks, etc...

Yes if you follow these instructions it's going to cut your resume way down. But that's not bad. It's more important that you give an accurate portrayal of what you can do than fill it with fluff that doesn't tell us about your skills.

Finally what about your current education status?
"2007- Present attending ____ university where I will be pursuing a degree in..."

Finally, a common thing is to have a goal a the top of the resume. A simple one sentence statement that say what you are looking for and why. For example "Goal: Seeking employment in theater lighting to develop my skills while I pursue my education."
 
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Finally, a common thing is to have a goal a the top of the resume. A simple one sentence statement that say what you are looking for and why. For example "Goal: Seeking employment in theater lighting to develop my skills while I pursue my education."

I agree with everything you said....except for the "goal" part.

Now, maybe it's because I'm so tired of reading resume after resume built from a word template, but I think the goal line has limited merit.

If you're in a unique situation (looking for part-time work outside of your regular gig, or to earn some money/experience while in college, etc) then sure, explain that. But that really should go in the cover letter. I'd say that about half of the resumes I get do not have a goal statement. Of the rest, maybe 10% have a stated goal other than "want to (continue to) work in theatre."

If there is a very specific career path that one would like to follow that may not be evident from the job type, then maybe it makes sense. A resume that lists all electrician work sent in for an electrician position really doesn't need a "goal."



Other resume rants:

Write a cover letter. No, the three line email the resume is attached to does NOT count as a cover letter. Don't write a book, but a few short paragraphs about where you are (skill level, career, on earth) and why the job you're applying for would be a good match for all involved. Think of your cover letter as the sales pitch for a new computer, and the resume as the technical information on the side of the box.

Easy on the fonts--don't use more than two or three fonts on the page (and really, one font is usually a better choice). The biggest thing on the page should be your name. If you're sending a hard copy, you don't need to buy all sorts of parchment paper, etc. Just pick something not cheap feeling, and make sure it isn't too dark or too textured or have too much pattern to photocopy.

Get an "adult" email address. No, not THAT kind! Get an address with your NAME, not the sport you played in high school, or your favorite animal.

Examples....

No:
sftballchix
lxguy
furfuzz

Yes:
bjones
alex.smith
diana_parker

I know it might sound petty, but it's easier to remember. I've on several occasions been asked for people's emails for potential work. The ones that I can remember because they're easy always come to mind first. Also, it will help you appear more prepared for the professional world.


OK, back to my coffee...

--Sean
 
Good points Sean. I'm going to give you the rebuttal on using a Goal statement. It's something that's been added to the standard resume protocol in the last decade or so. It's definitely not expected or used 100%. I also agree that if you are applying for a specific job it's not necessary. However if you are just mailing your resume out to every rental shop in town hoping to get work coiling cable then I think it's a good idea. As you said a well written cover letter is critical... but cover letters get lost or removed. That one sentence at the top of the resume should summarize the cover letter so that your one sheet of information can stand on it's own.

Totally agree on the e-mail address thing. I see so many students with crazy e-mail addresses... not professional find an address to use that is your name. Have a really common name and can't get the address you want on yahoo... Go try some of the smaller free internet based e-mail sites like www.mail.com P.S. mail.com can give you an e-mail address "@techie.com"
 
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Thank you guys so much! I'm very impressed with all of you willing to help me out and GREAT advice gafftaper! I should have a revision up today!
 
I agree. My email address is now exactly what my user name is. I originally had my name but almost noone ever spelled my last name correctly. Another common issue is my name is Bryan and people would frequently spell it Brian. So I eventually changed to my initials and haven't had a problem since. This is also the reason why I don't tend to give out my school email address ([email protected]).

This summer, I'm going to look into setting up a merged email account from my website so one is Bryan and the other is [email protected]. That way, no matter what way they spell it, I'll get it. I just haven't had time to set mine up yet.
 
Re: Help organizing my resume *UPDATE*

I have updated my resume let me know how it looks. Keep in mind this is just the rough draft.
*Side notes*
I feel like its still missing something.. I've been asked in interviews about my rig setup, should I include a small description of how many conventional and moving lights?
Also I'm not sure how to word my college education. I'm only taking a Theater Technology II class from the college but will be working on my BA after the summer.
Thanks for all the help so far guys!
 
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Re: Help organizing my resume *UPDATE*

I have updated my resume let me know how it looks. Keep in mind this is just the rough draft.
*Side notes*
I feel like its still missing something.. I've been asked in interviews about my rig setup, should I include a small description of how many conventional and moving lights?
Also I'm not sure how to word my college education. I'm only taking a Theater Technology II class from the college but will be working on my BA after the summer.
Thanks for all the help so far guys!

Minor notes...

Put the relationship for your references. So, either list their job title, or how you know them. Also, you don't really need to put their zip codes. Location in the country is a good thing to include, and if their phone number is an office or cell phone. Time zones do become important when trying to call folks.

--Sean
 
Re: Help organizing my resume *UPDATE*

Minor notes...
Put the relationship for your references. So, either list their job title, or how you know them. Also, you don't really need to put their zip codes. Location in the country is a good thing to include, and if their phone number is an office or cell phone. Time zones do become important when trying to call folks.
--Sean

Noted and updated.
Thanks,
 
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First things first - your entire resume (particularly for theatre) should fit on one page. Just like a head shot for actors, technicians do not want to have to go through tons of info to find what they want.

Second, you do not need to be quite so long winded about each of your entries. Get to the point - only include the most important info.

If it were me looking at your resume for the potential of hiring you I would want to see what professional work you have done first, then your education. As a general rule: make it as simple for an employer to find what they are looking for.

Try to make your resume as easy to read as possible. Using a sans serriff font will help. Your eyes and brain have to work particularly hard when you use a serriff font (one with the little flags on the letters to make them look pretty).

While bullets are convenient, you can over use them. Be aware of the your format and make it look as professional as possible. Adjusting margins and header/footer placement are ok. Don't be affraid to change them. Many people beleive that what they are taught in high school (1" margins all the time) is the only way to make things look good. This is simply not true.

The last thing that I would say is make the resume unique in some way. Make it reflect who you are and why your are the best candidate for the position you are seeking. Steer clear of pre-formatted resumes or templates as many people just plug their inof into them and they all look the same. An employer will look at a resume that is different longer than a cookie cutter version of their resume.

Good Luck! If you need any other tips or have any other concerns PM me!!
 

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