How to Get Your Resume "Industry-Ready"
If you’re just breaking into the industry, a critical element in landing your first (or second) Hollywood job is your resume. Before a Hollywood Exec sees your face or hears your voice, chances are they will see your resume in their inbox (I know an executive who once had 1,800 resumes in his inbox for an assistant position - and the job wasn’t even advertised!)
So, how do you make your resume stand out from thousands? You turn it into an “industry-ready” resume: a tight sales document that’s specifically geared toward landing a job in show business.
I have 6 tips for you to help you create an industry-ready resume that decision makers won’t be able to ignore:
1. Answer the only question that matters
The single most important question for a Hollywood higher-up looking to hire for an entry level position isn’t, “How talented is this person?” It’s, “Will they make my life easier?” Someone looking for an assistant or a PA doesn’t need a person with an award-worthy screenplay, they need someone with great organizational skills and the ability to always get their lunch order right. But the great news is, if you do manage to get hired and make their life easier, they could become interested in your career goals down the line. Which could equal mentorship, maybe friendship, and even potentially help you get your dream Hollywood job (after, of course, you’ve proven you’re an incredible employee).
2. Look like you’re already a success
In Hollywood if you want the opportunity to become successful, you have to first be perceived as a success. Which means in order to be an attractive candidate for a job, you have to have already succeeded at something interesting. Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean you have to have won international film awards or graduated from Harvard to get an entry-level job. Get creative! Have you ever won a scholarship? Organized a fundraiser? Finished a marathon? Use the ‘Awards and Achievements’ section of your resume to highlight any previous accomplishments.
3. Create a personal connection
Most of us (whether it’s conscious or not) want to work with like-minded people. If a decision-maker relates to an interest or organization on your resume, you’ll have an immediate advantage over other applicants. That being said, unless you’re a psychic, there is no way to know for sure what a reader will relate to. So, stack the deck. Include a diverse list of things in your “Interests” and/or “Organizations” section. The wider variety of things a reader has to relate to, the better chance you have of making that all important personal connection.
4. Make it a quick and easy read
Unless you have a few Ph.D.’s, your resume should only be one page, typed in a simple font (think Times or Arial, in 11 point at the smallest), have LOTS of white space, and be divided into easy to read sections. Also, get right to the point. Use simple language and short sentences that only convey relevant information to an entry-level job. A decision maker will only take about seven-seconds to scan a resume (I know that’s not fair, but it’s true). If they can glean everything they need to know in that seven-seconds, you’ll have a better chance of being considered.
5. Edit your resume sections
Here are some examples of the ‘easy-to-read’ sections you can include in your resume - only use the ones that are relevant to you.
Objective line (optional): There are pros and cons to including an objective line on your resume. If you do, it needs to be a concise, carefully crafted, persuasive sentence that’s specific to each job you’re applying for (which means, yes, you need to craft a new one each time). It should also focus on what you can do for the potential employer (not the other way around).
Highlights (optional): If your highlights section is truly impressive it can be the thing that pushes your resume to the top of the pile.
Work Experience/Related Work Experience/Internships: If you haven’t worked in the entertainment industry before use this section to focus on job-tasks that relate to entry-level show business jobs. Like answering phones, customer relations, problem solving, working under pressure, etc.
Awards/Scholarships/Organizations: This is where you make yourself look like a success and drop in some points that might create a personal connection with the reader.
Related Skills: This section is important because it shows whether you could actually “hit the ground running” if you were hired today. Include any computer skills you have and any foreign languages you’re fluent in.
Education: Keep it simple: name of the school, degree you got, field you studied. That’s it. Inside tip: Put your education at the BOTTOM of the resume, not the top
Interests and Pursuits (optional): The other place to make a personal connection. Be careful of cliches. Everybody likes to read, travel, play video games, and go to movies. These interests are too vague to make you stand out. So, how could you ‘tweak’ them or get more specific? Instead of ‘avid reader’ narrow it down and say, ‘collect first edition comic books.’
6. Additional tips
Misspelling and typos are the kiss of death. Never lie. Don’t include every student film you ever worked on. Only include your GPA if it’s stellar. Always save your resume as a PDF and title the document ‘Last Name. Resume.’
If you want more tips on creating a dynamic Industry-ready resume (including samples of actual resumes that helped their authors get Hollywood jobs), check out my book, Hollywood Game Plan on Amazon or at Michael Wiese Productions (MWP). You might also be interested in checking out my in-depth video course:Carole Kirschner’s Hollywood Boot Camp.
What resume tips or tricks do you follow to make yourself stand out from the crowd? Let me know @CaroleKirsch!
And once you get that interview, you’ll be able to present your best self when you can tell your story in 60 seconds. Check out my free e-book to help you craft it.