Author Topic: Resumes  (Read 6175 times)

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youngthespian

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Resumes
« on: Jul 29, 2006, 01:14 am »
does anyone have good ideas, on how to build your own resumé? I can't find other threads on this topic. I would like to update mine myself. But I would like to know how? Microsoft word? excel? what?

Thank you.
« Last Edit: Feb 11, 2008, 12:45 pm by PSMKay »

KC_SM_0807

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Re: resumes
« Reply #1 on: Jul 29, 2006, 01:29 am »
My resume is a Word Document, but it is also saved as a PDF so that I can send it via email.  This is so that the margins don't come up differently for the other person, and also because PDF is a more standard way to send a resume.  You start a resume with your name, address, phone number, email, and basic contact information of course.  Then it is important to list experience.  You can separate it by professional and academic work if you choose.  How you do this depends on the person.  I have mine done in chronological order, with the latest show being first on my list.  This is pretty standard. Some people don't like to have the year of the show on their resumes because it shows how much or how little they have done in one year.  It's a personal choice; mine has years.  For each show you need to put the name of the show, your title/position, the location, and the theatre company.  Most also have the Director listed as well.  Other things to put in a resume would include (but are not limited to) Education, Work Experience, Specific Skills that you have that contribute to your success as a stage manager, and References.  People have mixed feelings about keeping your resume at no more than a page, although some see 2 pages as not being a problem.  It all depends on how you want to do it.  Personalize it and make it your own, but don't go over the top with 20 different fonts and crazy stuff.  Keep it simple, yet precise.    I personally believe that all of these elements are key to a good resume.  How you format it is completely up to you, as long as it is readable and professional.  Don't include useless information.  I'm in the middle of auditions for my next show right now, and it's amazing what some people will put on their resumes that have absolutely nothing to do with theatre, or anything else really for that matter.  Don't make it look like you are trying to just fill up space.  You can go to a search engine and type in Stage Manager Resumes, and some will pop up from the websites of professional SM's.  Just take a look at how a variety of people format theirs, and then come up with your own following the same basic guidelines.
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Scott

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Re: resumes
« Reply #2 on: Jul 29, 2006, 08:15 am »
This is so that the margins don't come up differently for the other person, and also because PDF is a more standard way to send a resume. 

I would take issue with this assertion.

More people (especially General Managers, etc.) have either MS Word or some other word processor that can recognize Word documents than have Adobe on their computer.  I've been sending resumes by e-mail for close to a decade and have never had a request for a PDF instead of a document.  (Also, Adobe was crashing a lot of computers -- especially those using AOL -- until about a year ago.) I always offer to resend using another format in my cover letter if requested -- I think I've had to resend using a plain text document once.

Happy job hunting!

Mac Calder

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Re: resumes
« Reply #3 on: Jul 29, 2006, 12:05 pm »
PDF is considered the standard for distribution of documents - whilst Word is very common, different set ups can make documents render differently. PDF files display the same no matter what computer they are displayed upon. Any document that is being sent to be edited, sure, distribute in word, but for things like resumes which are static, PDF is (at least in the business world) considered to be the polite method of distribution. Especially as there are now quite a few excelent PDF printer applications out there for public use.

Scott

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Re: resumes
« Reply #4 on: Jul 30, 2006, 12:17 pm »
Any document that is being sent to be edited, sure, distribute in word, but for things like resumes which are static, PDF is (at least in the business world) considered to be the polite method of distribution. Especially as there are now quite a few excelent PDF printer applications out there for public use.

Discussed this in some detail with my source in the world of General Management (mostly commercial Off Broadway, as well as some producing on Broadway and Off Broadway) and he assured me again that while G.M.'s now do use .PDF for their P/L statements, they (from his point of view) do not want resumes submitted in .PDF.

His primary point seemed to be that .PDF files take up more room (which I don't believe is always true... but there you have it.)  His secondary point seemed to be that some important creatives in the field (the playwright in his most recent Off Broadway commercial venture, for example) still can't handle .PDF files while everyone can open Word documents.

Whether .PDF files are considered more "polite" in the business world is somewhat irrelevant compared to the needs of the theatrical business world.  Moving from making $ in the computer/financial sector (comptroller then M.I.S. for a small Wall Street software company) in the mid-90's, it was apparent to me that in general, the computer saviness of theatre back office, especially in regionals, was well behind that of the general business world. Perhaps that has changed.

A few years ago, it appeared that I held some sort of unoffical record (in the world of the SMA postings anyway) for being hired "blind" (resume submission, references, maybe phone interview, no in-person contact) so, personally, I'm going to stick with what works until it doesn't.  Anyone else out there have significant but different experience in being hired "blind"? -- I'd love to hear about it.  (Especially since SMA no longer casually tracks how many people get jobs from their postings).

(As far as Off Broadway goes ... well, there are far too many stage managers out there for too few positions -- it's every man and woman for themselves :)

Happy hunting!


MatthewShiner

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Re: resumes
« Reply #5 on: Jul 30, 2006, 06:14 pm »
I think one should be able to submit in either Word or PDF, and be ready to submit in what they ask for in the ad or statement.  If they don't specifcy, send both.  (I have opened up some Word resumes in the past, and they have been jumbled . . . a problem I have never had on PDF.)  I can open either, so it doesn't really matter to me.

As far as being hired blind, interestingly enough, since grad school . . . I have ALWAYS been hired blind (wait, I did one thing in New York where we met.)

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Scott (formerly Digga)

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Re: resumes
« Reply #6 on: Jul 30, 2006, 06:47 pm »
For me - the PDF file is smaller than the Word Document after the conversion.  Not much but it is still smaller. 

I used to send Word Documents but for the reason that everyone's computer formats MS Word differntly when opened, I stopped using it.  Otherwise there is no point to making things line up neatly if there's a 95% chance it won't do it on the other end anyway.  PDF's do keep the format and everything lines up. 

I can understand how GMs and some theatre's don't want things sent in PDF because not everyone has a reader whereas almost everyone has MS Word.  But I always offer to send my resume in a different format if that makes things easier.  Since the last couple of jobs I've gotten have been after sending my resume in PDF format - I'm going to stick with it. 

kjdiehl

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Re: resumes
« Reply #7 on: Jul 30, 2006, 11:00 pm »
Yeah, I hate when you can't tell if the person's a male or female. I usually just do To Whom It may Concern or something.


As to the pdf debate. Frankly, as far as I know most computers, both Mac and PC, tend to come pre-installed these days with some sort of Reader program which allows them to read pdfs. If not, most people are compelled to download Acrobat Reader very early in their computer's lifetime, being prompted to do so to read some document from their bank or something.

Frankly, I DON'T want to send my resume, (or most documents for that matter,) as Word docs. I KNOW it will almost certainly look wrong on their computer, and they might think less of me for sending such a crappy looking document. I'd much rather send a pdf. If they can't read it, they'll ask for another version and then I'll send the Word. I've never had anyone be remotely miffed for having to ask for another version. Generally, if they're not computer savvy enough to even have a Reader program, then they also have no idea what a .doc or a .pdf even is, and just assume it's the computer's fault for their not being able to open my original file.

And on another note, I don't want to just willy-nilly give away my document formatting. We stage managers pride ourselves on our paperwork, and while I'm always happy to share formatting tips or my files themselves with friends and colleagues, (including you fine folk!) I like them to at least ask for it. So that on the rare occasion, I can say no, (like if I don't like the person.) And also, it makes me be able to be just a little bit proud for just a moment to know that they like my document so much that they'd like to utilize some part of it. Hey, we gotta take what we can get in this "thankless" job.
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