Leslie-Anne Huff has had recurring roles on 10 Things I Hate About You and Days of Our Lives and has guest-starred on CSI:NY and Suite Life on Deck.  She currently writes and performs on TheSketchComedyShow.com. Leslie-Anne is also the director of the non-profit, Hand And Heart. She is currently hosting a Tweet-A-Thon to raise funds for victims of Typhoon Ondoy. Visit: www.youtube.com/WhatWouldAbeDo.

We all know that an actor’s headshot is the number one tool she has for getting a foot in the door. There are many resources that explain what makes a good headshot: the “do’s and don’ts” of headshots, recommended photographers, and so on and so forth.

But what about the second most important tool – an actor’s resume? It’s rare to find a helpful, honest take on what makes a good resume (except for, of course, great credits). In the many casting director workshops I’ve taken and in working as a casting intern, I’ve picked up some resume tips that have been exponentially useful from the people who look at resumes for a living.

YOUR NAME:
It is the most important thing on your resume and yet so many actors seem to put little or no thought into how they print it. A casting director once looked at my resume and asked me, “Now, why would you allow your agent’s logo to be larger than your name? They work for you.”

Whether consciously or subconsciously, I would say that we actors tend to give our agents too much power. It’s our resume, our career. We can also fall into the trap of shying away from boldness, of trying to stand out too much because we’ve been reminded so many times that to do so seems desperate and that we’re “just another actor.” So we make out names appear small and unspectacular.

Take back your resume! Make sure your name is the biggest, boldest thing on it. After all, we all want to “make a name for ourselves,” so why not start with one of the few things we have control over, our resumes?

FONT:
About 90% of actor resumes I’ve seen have extremely tiny font. Perhaps this is a way to fit in as many credits as possible, or perhaps it stems from the hope that this will create the illusion of many credits. However, we must remember that casting directors actually want to see what you’ve done. In addition, they don’t spend very much time looking at any given resume. So, if they have to pull out the magnifying glass, it’s likely they’ll move on to the next, easier-to-read resume without giving your wonderful credits the time of day.

Use font that is not only large enough, but is also easy on the eyes. One trick is to hold a copy of your resume at about arms-length and be honest with yourself about how easy and/or aesthetically pleasing it is to look at.

CREDITS:
Whether you’ve got a ton of great credits or you’re just starting out, these tips will help you develop a resume that puts your best foot forward.

Types of roles:
In television, the type of role you play will be made very clear to you in your contract. For TV credits on your resume, you should always specify whether you were “Series Regular,” “Recurring,” “Guest Star” and “Co-Star.” It is slightly less clear when it comes to film, but according to Sherie Hernandez, casting associate with Brett/Greenstein Casting (whose projects include Melrose Place, 10 Things I Hate About You ,  and Rita Rocks), the correct terms are “Lead” or “Principal” and “Supporting.” When asked about specific character names on resumes, she says, “It’s more helpful to see what kind of role it is than role name.  Unless it’s a play.” Also, remember that “featured” translates to “extra” in casting speak, so if you have a speaking part in something, be sure to use one of the above phrases. Here is an example of a resume that exemplifies all of these points so far: (http://www.colleenfoy.com/Resume.html)

Limit what you include
I recently asked Sherie what the one tip she would give actors about their resumes. She says, “Don’t put really random credits just to fill up a resume!”

Actors tend to want to put everything they’ve ever done since high school theater on their resume. However, a casting director once told me that padding your resume with a bunch of theater credits doesn’t necessarily impress anybody unless they’re from notable theaters. I’m not saying that theater’s not important or even that casting directors don’t care about theater credits (because I know for a fact that’s not true). But, I’d say be choosy about which credits you include. Be honest with yourself about what seems notable or recognizable. You want to include something that would make a casting person go, “Oh, I know that improv school,” or “I’ve heard of that theater before.” Those are the things that they are looking for.

At the same time, be sure to include a few credits you are proud of, even if they don’t necessarily fit the “notable” profile above. If it means something to you, it should be on there. You never know, it might happen to be someone’s favorite play or a theater from their home state and a great talking point.

Directors:
Someone out there has been telling actors to include the directors name on all the projects they work on. Perhaps these names will indicate some kind of credibility or recognition. However, according to Sherie, it depends on what type of project. She advises, “I think TV projects should list studio/network or just network… always helpful to put director’s name on film projects.”

I would recommend that if you worked with a renowned director, you should find a way to highlight this. Also, if a project has something else remarkable particular about it, for example your short was selected to be in a notable film festival, make a notation on your resume. Here is an example of a resume that does this well:(http://elaineloh.com/EL-Resume.html)

Be honest!
It goes without saying (although most people, including myself, will tell you anyway) that you should absolutely be honest about your credits. Aside from the obvious ethical reasons, you never know who’s reading your resume and knows better (and might call you out on it).

Being honest can work to your advantage, however, by allowing you to be creative. I see a lot of actors include student films under their “film” credits. The problem with this is, they mostly likely won’t mean anything to casting person because s/he probably won’t know the film or the director. As a casting director once told me, “You’re not fooling anybody.” That’s why I suggest creating a section for “Student Films” or “Short Films.” Be sure to list the schools you did these projects with, as a good film school can give the credit some credibility, so to speak. Creating a section like this says, “I may not have a big studio film on my resume (yet), but I have experience on a set, I’m honest, and I’m serious about my work.”

Other creative sections you can include:

“Improv/Sketch Comedy” – including these credits in a separate section from “Theater” credits can emphasize your comedic ability and works especially well for commercials and actors interested in comedic roles.

“Web/New Media” – I’m sure you already know what a growing part of the industry the Internet is. If you’ve done a web-series or YouTube spoof, you can include it here. This can bulk up your resume if you need it and show that you’re savvy.

ADJUST FOR EMPHASIS
Just as I suggested you hold your resume at arms-length to gauge the boldness of your name, the same can be useful for other parts of your resume you’d like to emphasize. Use formatting (larger font sizes, bolds, and italics) to draw the casting director’s eye to the things you want them to notice most about your body of work. If you completed a program at one of LA’s premier improv schools, for example, that is something you would definitely want to make sure they don’t gloss over. Practice the arms-length technique to test which credits your eyes are attracted to first and go from there. You can see these techniques used in my resume: (http://leslie-annehuff.com/resume)

Also, adjust your resume to cater to the casting director you are meeting. If you are auditioning for film, it’s best to have your film credits at the top of the page. If you are meeting a casting director that you know works on various web-series in addition to TV, be sure that your web/new media credits are prominent. This takes a little extra time, but is worth it when it makes you seem like your work is in line with their work.

LAST TIDBITS:
Don’t list commercials (a simple “Commercials: Available upon request” will do).  Commercial work is almost completely irrelevant to TV and film casting directors. Sometimes,your commercial work can work against you by attaching you to a product that may somehow be in conflict with a project.  And be sure the things in your “Special Skills” section are really things you can do because, at some point, you will probably get called upon to talk about them and maybe even do them (gasp!).

Finally, I’ll say: Make your resume something you’re proud to hand over to a casting director, whether you’re just starting out in the crazy business or if you’ve got tons of credits. Your resume should reflect you, creatively and truthfully.  Hopefully these tips will help you land more wonderful roles to add to your now wonderful resume.