When is your resume too long?

Beat Takeshi

Beat Takeshi

Two-Hip Shakur
I just noticed that its getting to the point where I don't even want to read down anymore. Do you guys cut off from a date or just let it all ride?
 
What's a resume? Just kidding. I say the more the better, because even if a possible employer doesn't want to read it they may see the long list and just hire you outright. Although I guess it depends on what kind of resume, for someone in this industry more is always better because it shows you have worked on several pieces, but if you were, say, trying to get a job at some company and your resume is filled with other like-typed jobs, that may indicate that you don't keep jobs very well.

I hope that made sense, it is late afterall...
 
I dunno if it holds true for yours aram, but I cut off my software resume at two pages, which takes it back about 3-4 yrs and tell them if they want more, to ask for it. I've always gotten a lot of work...
 
I guarantee if your resume doesn't say the right words in the first page when its one among many then you've already cut your own head off. 2-3 pages max, the first page has to have a hook.
 
Most sound supervisors I know working a big facilities have a "onesheet". It's not exactly a resume but a single sheet that covers the highlights. That's what I use, and then I have a full resume that also includes non film work. But even on that I don't list everything. I was in theatre for a long time and worked on somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 different productions in one way or another and I have done a few hundred ad's. For theatre I only list individual shows if there was something very note worthy like an award or a really big name attached. For the ad's I give a total and the names of some of the big clients.
 
My resume is basically just a list of the shows I've done since about 1990. One page, credits on the front, references and professional associations on the back.

I have reached the point, though, where new credits require reformatting and sometimes dropping to a smaller font size.

Before long I might start making up custom resumes for specific interviews. Although the resumes seem to increasingly be a formality: most people who call me appear to get my name from either the local office or word of mouth, look me up on IMDB, and then decide to actually call. By the time I have the meeting, they already know what I have done...
 
I guess you have to tailor for different sectors,

saying that I've heard that typically you get about 10-20 seconds time frame to impress, its only if you grab the attention within that time that they will bother to read on....
 
Printing the resume on fluorescent hot-pink cardboard usually seems to grab their attention, for me...
 
Nothing says artistic, like tassels.

Adding smiley faces tells prospective employers that you are a people person.
 
As someone has a lot of experience calling people in on the basis of resumes --

I don't care what your name is nearly so much as what you have to offer. Don't make it huge. Use the space for more constructive purposes.

Your schooling is great, but I care more about what kind of work you've done. Make it easy for me to find -- i.e., put it on top. If you're looking for your first "real" job, I'll figure that out.

I do NOT care about your hobbies and likes and dislikes. nor the clubs you were in during school, UNLESS it's directly relevant to the job.

I don't want to see your picture (unless you're an actor, of course, and I'm looking for one).

Proofread it many times. Get at least two other people to do the same. There is little worse than saying "I have great attention to detail" and then misspelling a word in the same or next sentence.

In general, you need to show what you have to offer to the employer and what you can bring to the job that's being offered. Yeah, you're a well-rounded person, but, well, so? That should come out in the interview.

Of course, every employer is different, so find out what they want.
 
Actually, there's little worse than saying "I have great attention to detail" or other cliched phrases that don't really mean anything.

"I'm a real self-starter." -- Bummer, as I was hoping I'd have to ride your butt about surfing porn 5 hours a day.

"My biggest weakness is that I work too hard." -- No, your biggest weakness is thinking that line works. And your love of Zamfir.

"I have great attention to detail." -- Oh, so now you're saying you *do* surf porn five hours day. Which is it, Chachi?

"I'm very proactive." -- I already have clear skin, thanks anyway, Diddy.

"I’m a real team player." -- So you'll surf porn five hours a day and take credit for your teammates' work?

"My five-year plan is to be where you are today." -- Well, it took me 15 years to get here, Skippy, and I ain't letting some porn-addicted astringent steal my golden goose.
 
As an actor my resume's probably a little bit different. But from what talent agents have told me regarding MY resume (and I think this applies for y'all as well), is to just list your best/most known work. I've done (as of now) over 30 stage shows, and a dozen short films, but I can't squeeze that all onto one clear page. So I widdle it down. At this point I only list the lead or major supporting roles I've had, and no more than 1 show per theatre I work with. It's much clearer and equally more impressive. I COULD have 40-something credits in size 8 fonts with a random assortment of roles, or, I could have 20-something credits, size 10 or 12 font with a clear collection of notable parts.

Just sharing.
 
Rule of thumb is one page per degree... but that's corporate world... well, corporate world 20 years ago. Mine should be 3, but last year I sent one to Apple and it was 4. Probably the reason I didn't get the JOB!! Well, now that I think about it... I think there was another page for each 10 years experience?? Hmmm so NOW why didn't I get that job?

CaptM
 
David Jimerson said:
I do NOT care about your hobbies and likes and dislikes.
Click to expand...


so you're telling me it's a bad idea to list things i enjoy, such as: making mildly funny quips on message boards and using the internet to peruse photographs of scantily clad women? because that would totally cut out something like 80-85% of my resume.
 
JasonFox said:
Actually, there's little worse than saying "I have great attention to detail" or other cliched phrases that don't really mean anything.

"I'm a real self-starter." -- Bummer, as I was hoping I'd have to ride your butt about surfing porn 5 hours a day.

"My biggest weakness is that I work too hard." -- No, your biggest weakness is thinking that line works. And your love of Zamfir.

"I have great attention to detail." -- Oh, so now you're saying you *do* surf porn five hours day. Which is it, Chachi?

"I'm very proactive." -- I already have clear skin, thanks anyway, Diddy.

"I’m a real team player." -- So you'll surf porn five hours a day and take credit for your teammates' work?

"My five-year plan is to be where you are today." -- Well, it took me 15 years to get here, Skippy, and I ain't letting some porn-addicted astringent steal my golden goose.
Click to expand...

:D that made me smile!
 
David Jimerson said:
Proofread it many times. Get at least two other people to do the same. There is little worse than saying "I have great attention to detail" and then misspelling a word in the same or next sentence.
Click to expand...

This is worth emphasizing. When someone has come to meet with me regarding a job which I want them to see as important - because my department does not have any unimportant positions - and they present a resume with spelling errors, that's bad news. It tells me that even in the pursuit of something they presumably find important, they're sloppy. They're careless.

If they're a professional who also shows promising work, I can bring them on and watch them carefully. If they're looking for PA/runner/coordinator/etc, I'll pass.
 
2 pages max for any professional resume, that has been the rule that I have followed. Only focus on the most important highlights of your career. Its not quantity its quality as they always say.
 
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