Take These 3 Things Off Your Resume – Now.

Your resume is second only to your headshot: casting agents first want to see if you look the part, then when they flip over your headshot they need to be able to determine from your resume if you are qualified to come in for the audition.  The actor’s resume is the platform by which you present your qualifications, experience, and training and is also the way for a casting agent to determine just how professional you are.  Whenever I start coaching an actor, I always ask them to bring a copy of their headshot and resume so that I can get an idea of what I’m working with and to see if they’ve done their homework.  I’ve seen many different resumes and there are some things that should never be on that document.  Here are the 3 things I see the most that you need to take off your resume – now.

Extra Work

Just a few days ago I was interacting with some of you on a Facebook group and I came across the question: Can I have extra work on my resume?  NO!!  Sorry, that was harsh … but hell to the no, you cannot put extra work on your resume.  There was one actor who said he was proud to display his extra work on his resume then promptly got chewed out by a casting agent, so he removed “most” of the extra work.  Guys … take ALL of it off.  Extra work doesn’t require an audition, experience, or even pay.  It’s massively unprofessional to have extra work on your resume.

Your Address

Having your address on your resume used to be considered standard but in the age of Google maps, not only is it not professional, it’s completely unsafe.  There are a lot of creeps out there who are “casting a gig” who really have bad intentions.  Always think of your safety first.  Stop reading this and go take your addres off your resume now (then come back)

Reviews

This is something that drives casting directors insane.  I know it feels good to boast about a performance you did by placing a direct quote from a magazine or newspaper article.  But casting directors hate having to read through your resume that’s crammed with reviews of how amazing you are.  Just show up and kill it in the room and your performance will speak for itself.