Headshot/Resume Help

<p>Do colleges prefer for the resume and headshot to be separate, or is it okay if the resume is printed on the back? And if they do have to be separate, is there a certain kind of paper the resume should be on, or is normal printer paper okay?</p>

<p>Keep them together any way that is convenient (printed on the back is fantastic.) Beyond that, you won’t be judged based on any of this information.</p>

<p>I’ve been working with my son on his artistic resume since he was 17. My advice is both for college and professional. It is not a good idea to print your resume on the back of your headshot simply because things change and it’s tricky to update. So, as old school as it sounds–and I complain often–it’s best to do a separate resume, cut to size of headhsot (8 x 10) and stapled to the back of the headshot top and bottom. Those who review headshots tend to pull the resume off the headshot–so make sure you have a label on the back of your headshot with contact info: your name, phone contact and email. No personal info like home address, please! This is standard for pro resumes as well as college. Hope that helps!</p>

<p>One of the best hints I ever got was to have Kinko’s cut a ream of paper to 8 x 10 – perfect size for resumes on the back of headshots, no sloppy trimming.</p>

<p>I think BvilleLady is right. I had a stack of head shots printed in the fall just before my first auditions. I am glad I did not print my resume on the back. I have changed it a little since then and I just got the lead in a fantastic show unlike any others I have done. I would not have been able to list this new credit if my resume was already printed on the reverse (or I would have been trying to cover up what I already paid for with the new info). </p>

<p>I print my resume on nice thick white paper then trim it to 8 x10. I spray Super 77 by 3M (buy it at art stores - spray adhesive artists use to mount projects) on the back of my resume and “glue” it to the back of my head shot. It sticks really well and then you don’t have staples poking out or lumpy glue marks.</p>

<p>That’s a good tip Merlehay - just adjusted the settings on our printer and tried printing onto 8 x 10 paper and it worked really well. Thank you.</p>

<p>It’s so important to remember that your resume will change. Frequently. So the resume you submit to your college(s) of choice are just the first of your artistic efforts. Once you get that resume up, you will be (should be) dipping in and tweaking it often. You will add things, reconsider items and have lots of fun and frustration moving things around. It’s a vital marketing tool for you as an aspiring professional actor and will follow you throughout your college career and beyond. Believe me, better to get it started now and stay on it than to try to come at it later. It can be a nightmare to try and reconstruct, deconstruct, etc.</p>

<p>As always, best wishes and break legs!</p>

<p>I can so relate to the beauty of your adhesive, luvzthe8r! I tried using a double sided tape on my son’s headshot so as not to mar his pricey (but fabulous!) headshots. He came back to me later to say it would be best to use staples – top to bottom only. Seems casting folks really do like to flip the headshot over, read the resume and then pull it off to make notes. Of course, this in professional audition situation, but hey, it’s the biz. The college process in only one step away from it. So, it’s good pre-preparation for those days in “the room” to give the auditor what they want. They want your great, realistic face in front of them in a headshot and in the audition. They want to flip the h/s over and see your stuff. They may want to make critical notes.</p>

<p>So, think about it. Resume = auditor’s note pad. What do you want them to see on that notepad? Do you want to make that notepad auditor friendly? Than, make it easy!</p>

<p>Over the years, my kids have used every option listed, but when it comes to college auditions, each program asks for something different - do what they ask. Some prefer them unattached or stapled, not printed or adhered, because they use them to make copies for all the auditors. Read the specifications for each program - sometimes their system takes precedence over professional convention. This is not something you can do in a big batch, it is program specific just like every other part of the MT audition…</p>

<p>Note: If you do want to print directly on your headshot, just format your resume to 8x10 and print (practice to be sure it’s right side up) - it’s easier than spray adhesive and you can print as you go.</p>

<p>How many set of resume and headshots do we have to prepare - would it be 1 set for each school or based on the number of adjudicator per college? One college requires 3 sets - would this be a good assumption across all colleges? Unfortunately, there are no details in the college websites.</p>

<p>I think it’s always good advice to check with the particular college to discover specifically what they require by way of headshot and resume. My son applied to only one school ED (two years ago). The college required applicants to upload their headshot and resume to their website. Even so, he carried his hardcopy h/s into the audition. (You should always carry a copy of your headshot with you when you are in the vicinity of an audition!) When he offered it to them, they thanked him and returned it, saying they already had it in front of them. Sooo, you never know. PS Returning the headshot was appreciated too. No paper waste!</p>

<p>Bumping this thread up, because I think it’s pertinent now for our seniors.</p>

<p>My question is for the resume-- Dates or no dates? List things chronologically, or “most impressive” roles/accomplishments first?</p>

<p>On a professional actor resume you would list roles in order of “impressiveness.” No dates.</p>

<p>Some schools may have different requirements, but would in that case likely list on their website.</p>

<p>So much depends on the purpose of sending the resume. When my son was applying for small local acting jobs for teenagers, we formatted his resume to include the names of the directors, knowing that probably someone looking at the resume already knew so-and-so and would be likely to phone up and say “What about this kid who was in your last show, was he easy to work with?” </p>

<p>You have to adjust the resume for the story you want to tell. In the case of my son, we listed dates, because usually we wanted to show that he had been acting in shows for quite a few years, and that the same directors were using him again and again (because he was easy to work with, a very important thing for a kid actor).</p>

<p>We had music-oriented versions that mentioned All State Chorus, which would not have been included on an acting-oriented resume.</p>

<p>Now that he is in college, I am leaving this to him. I hope he will let me look at it, though. I can spot a typo at ten yards.</p>

<p>Here is a vote for printing the resume on the back of the headshot. We just received my D’s headshots and had them printed on heavy photo paper made especially for being able to print the resume on the back through your own inkjet printer at home. We did this for an audition my D had last night and it worked beautifully; just had to format her resume to 8 x 10.</p>

<p>Is there a ‘sample resume’ anywhere? That might be helpful… :)</p>

<p>I’d be happy to PM my D’s. it’s been “approved” by her MTCA coach for colleges.</p>

<p>That’s a great idea, LoveMyMTGirl! I just posted on another thread about not printing your r</p>

<p>For D’s first big college auditions as a junior, I printed them myself. There was a black and white shot on the back of the resume but then I put a small color shot of a different pose on the front top corner so that they would always have her picture before them.</p>

<p>Thanks, Merlehay! That would be awesome! We have a resume but I don’t think it’s right for college auditions. Probably just need to do some tweaking to make it right but it would be great to get a look at an “approved” resume. You’re the best.</p>