Author Topic: Resumes: Resume Formatting -What stands out?  (Read 15182 times)

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PSMKay

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Resume Formatting -What stands out?
« Reply #15 on: Jun 11, 2006, 05:58 pm »
I generally use CutePDF writer, which as of posting time is free with no watermarking.  LINK.  I tend to do a lot of printing to PDF and it works quite well. It may be the same one as mc suggested, can't tell without redownloading.

Sarah

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You Can "Print" a PDF
« Reply #16 on: Jun 11, 2006, 10:26 pm »
If you have MSOffice/Word 2003, you can choose to print to .pdf and create a .pdf document that way, as well. Choose File and then choose Print. Look at your drop down list of installed printers, and there should be an option for "Adobe PDF." Just choose that and you'll have a handy dandy .pdf in no time.

Mac Calder

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Resume Formatting -What stands out?
« Reply #17 on: Jun 11, 2006, 10:50 pm »
No, if Adobe PDF appears, that means that you have Adobe Acrobat. Office 2003 does not have the ability to create PDF's natively.

I think you will find that if you open any program and click print you will have the option to print to adobe PDF (The long and short of it is that PDF's are a virtual printout of a document, the PDF application installs itself as a printer on your computer).

megf

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Resume Formatting -What stands out?
« Reply #18 on: Jun 12, 2006, 02:06 am »
Moving back in the direction of layout formats (as opposed to software formats :-) ), I found the graphic design/desktop publishing class I took in high school really helpful. Just the basics of laying out text so it's easy to read, and setting it up to "move" the reader's eye across the page have helped me organize my resume so that it's clean and simple, but not at the expense of necessary info.

Most bookstores have nice desktop publishing handbooks - glancing at some of those guides might be useful.

PSMKay

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Resume Formatting -What stands out?
« Reply #19 on: Jun 12, 2006, 10:48 pm »
One thing that I would recommend is to go through the SMNet resume browser not from the perspective of a stage manager, but wearing a hiring hat.  Look at all of them as if everyone was applying to work for *you*.  Who would you choose, and what would make you choose them?  What situations would make you choose one over the other, and how did the formatting affect that choice?

I think you'll find that content prevails over format in nearly all situations.

I spent quite a bit of time working for a recruiter.  I saw hundreds and hundreds of resumes and spent lots of time rewriting resumes to promote our chosen candidates.  I'd agree with the points of whitespace and simplicity.  I'd also encourage you to remember that this is a sales document.  It's your audition.  The interview is the callback.  Your resume is an expression of your style as a stage manager.  If you bring tons of experience to the table, then devote the bulk of your page to listing the shows.  If your strength is in the diversity of the technical positions you've held, then focus on that.  If soft skills are your forte, then dwell more on the special skills are or on references.  If you've only done a few shows but you're a killer swiss army knife SM, then just list those shows with subdetails of all the various things you did underneath.  Don't forget the functional resume format, too.  It skips chronological order in favor of listing just the special skills that you've accumulated over the  course of your career.

amylee

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Resume Formatting -What stands out?
« Reply #20 on: Jun 14, 2006, 01:55 pm »
if you use (or can borrow) a macintosh computer, it will create a pdf file through the "print" command.
amy lee
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