Actors! Your resumé is just as important, if not more important, than your headshot. It seems that many of you are formatting your resumé incorrectly. A lot of the casting websites will do it for you, but most importantly, you need a version that you can send out yourself on a moment's notice. A poorly formatted resume says that you aren't serious about your career. I'm going to tell you the correct way so that you can present yourself as a professional, especially if you are sending this resume out to agents and casting directors.

YOUR NAME AND CONTACT INFO: Your name goes at the top, in the center (in big letters), followed by UNION STATUS, your EMAIL, your CELL PHONE (if you don't have an agent), and your WEBSITE (if you have one, and you should). Following this you could have your STATS (height, weight, eyes, hair color), but that's not necessary. If you do it, put it in small 9 point font all the way on the left side.

FORMATTING: Make sure there are 3 columns. Each column should be JUSTIFIED LEFT, which means they line up on the left side. Keep the font to an 11 or 12. Use 1 inch margins on all sides. If you are stapling to your headshot, it should be sized to 8 x 10.

CATEGORIES: List the categories in the following order. If you don't have credits in one of the categories, leave it off your resumé.

FILM. List the name of the film, the type of role (PRINCIPAL- not "principle," SUPPORTING, LEAD), and don't put EXTRA WORK or FEATURED or the name of the character on there. In the last column name the production company and director. If it's a student film, say the name of the school.

TV. List the TV show, the type of role (CO-STAR, GUEST STAR, RECURRING, SERIES REGULAR). If it's a web series or short, put that in parentheses next to the name of the project. Again, no extra work or featured here. In the right column list the network or production company.

THEATRE. List the show, the role you played, and then the location of the theatre. If you have a lot of New York theatre, create a new resume category that says NEW YORK THEATRE, and put the rest under the category REGIONAL THEATRE.

COMMERCIALS. If you book a lot of commercials, don't list them. Just say "Commercials available upon request."

TRAINING. Keep it simple and be honest. List the type of training, the teacher (or studio), and location.

SKILLS. This is mainly used for commercial auditions or for conversation pieces. List any languages you speak fluently first, and any special skills (burping on cue, impersonations, unique sports, etc.).

FOR EMAILING: Save the resumé as a PDF, as it's much better to send over email, and the formatting won't get messed up when someone opens it.

DON'T Put your resume on more than one page.

DON'T Lie on your resume. It's a small world and people will find out.

DON'T Add a bunch of pictures and line breaks on it. Keep it simple.

DON'T Use a color other than black.

DON'T Try to be funny.

DON'T put your home address, or your social media info.

Hope this helps!

MN Acting Studio is currently offering online acting classes as part of its course selection, as our NYC acting studio is temporarily closed. Find out more about the classes we offer, or sign up for a coaching session, to help keep you focused and hone your craft.

HOW TO FORMAT YOUR RESUME