Dear Abby: How do I arrange my resume after joining AEA?

[PSMKay]

Periodically the staff will post questions on behalf of members who wish to remain anonymous. We call these "Dear Abby" posts.

I just received my Equity card and I am trying to figure out how to reorganize my resume.  Currently I have it arranged with sections for Broadway (two non-Equity PA credits), Off-Broadway (ASM and PA credits), and Other Theatre (PSM and ASM credits).  I feel like I should have my curent job featured somehow, and due to the jobs that I am applying for, I should have my PSM and ASM credits featured as well, but I don't want my biggest credits to be lost in the shuffle either.  I looked at the resume browser, but none of the resumes that I saw seem to have the same dilemma that I do.  Can you suggest some ways to restructure my resume?

[Maggie K]

There are probably many different ways of doing it.  When I made the transition I organised mine by position,  AEA SM, AEA ASM, SM, ASM, then PA.  I also put when I joined Equity (month/year) in my special skills section for a while.  I felt that it helped explain why I had my shows separated the way I did.  It really comes down to what works for your credits.  Put it together in a way that makes sense to you and then have someone look it over.  Good luck and welcome to the Union!

[LCSM]

Have not been in this position, but - borrowing from a similar suggestion on another thread - perhaps a way to do this is a little * beside your AEA jobs, and a small note indicating what the * means. That allows you to keep you resume organized whichever way you prefer.

[MatthewShiner]

What happens if you list them chronologically?

At the level you are working, people will know which positions were union and not, and no need to muddy it up with the* everywhere.

It may help you, in that some of the PSM or ASM experience may be mistaken for AEA work.

You could also list

Broadway

Off-Broadway

Regional


Which will continue to highlight some of the biggest credits, and file the rest away in the right category.  I still think people will get the gist of what was union and not.

[nick_tochelli]

After joining AEA I split my resume into AEA jobs, Non-AEA jobs, and Regional. After enough time, I was able to switch back from that split to AEA only in chronological order with a few regional positions.

It's the same basic transition we all go through when we are beginning to eliminate college shows off resumes. There's really no right or wrong way to do it.