Here is my view on resumes, and it is based on what I was taught at school. At Ithaca every tech/design major goes through a departmental review process at the end of each semester, and part of that is having a resume and portfolio. So this is what I was taught.
For a resume you should include a
header of sorts that lists your name and what you do. This is a section that can be tailored to the job you are applying for. If you are looking at an LD position, put
lighting designer, if you are looking at a master carp position, put that.
Next you should include your
current and permanent contact information. So if you are say a student now, list your school
address and phone and list your home
address and phone. If your
current an permanent
address are the same then just list one.
Next up should be your work experience. You should list your most recent jobs (
theatre related), or the jobs you have had that are pertinent to the job you are applying for. Each listing should include: the position you held, the company you worked for, your supervisor's name (name dropping is not a bad thing here), the show/season/project you worked on, and when it was. After you list your
theatre related jobs, if you have other jobs that may be relevant you can list them, some people do this under a separate
header for non
theatre related work. You also shouldn't inundate your resume with work experience, 10-12 past jobs are plenty. If you are in college, especially freshmen and sophomores, you should try to get your high school jobs off your resume as soon as you have enough other jobs. For people just coming out of college, it is OK to list a bunch of jobs from college, people realize that you have been in school and generally only have summer jobs and an internship or two.
After your work experience list your education. Tell what degrees you have and where and when you got them.
Next list special skills and certifications. This is where you should put things like what lighting or sound consoles and software you know. List if you know how to weld. Are you
CPR certified? Put a hobby or two like photography. Put that you have a
driver's license. I met an actress once who listed a special skill that was being able to do a dead-on accurate imitation of a baby crying, and as it turned out, we needed that sound
effect for one of our shows. So, even if it seems odd, if you have a skill that could be useful, list it, but don't list anything that you can't do, because you may be called upon to do it.
Lastly, and this is often a topic of debate, references. Some places don't want them, some places do. Some people say you shouldn't list them, some people say you should. It can't hurt you to list references, but if you are going to, then pick wisely. Fist off, make sure you ask your references if they mind you listing them. List professional references, don't put your best friend or your brother. List people who will give an accurate picture of you, your strengths, your weaknesses, your personality. Keep your references
current, if you graduated from college 10 years ago, your college professor may not be the best reference anymore.
In general you should try to fit this all on one
page. Only if you really have to should you go to more than one, but if you do, they should appear balanced.
The big partner to the resume is your
cover letter. Your
cover letter should introduce you as a person. This is the place to give a little background on yourself, tell why you are interested in the position you are applying for. Tell why you think that you would make a good addition to wherever you are applying, and tell what you hope to get out of it. This is also a place where you can tell potential employers when and how is best to contact you further. Your
cover letter should put a "
face" to the list of things you have done.
Hopefully this works for others, it worked for me. Attached below are examples of my
cover letter and resume from when I was applying for jobs after graduation. I have taken out
address and phone info in places.