# Yet another Resume Advice thread



## Shawncfer (Jan 30, 2011)

So tell me what you think. Like always I removed my contact info and references. And btw, I stole someone elses format on here because I liked it. But tell me what you thinkView attachment CBRESUME.doc


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## rochem (Jan 30, 2011)

Frankly, in my opinion, it looks pretty unorganized. How long did it take you to put together that format? Remember that everything about your resume, from the texture of the paper to the sizes of the margins, needs to be designed. As a technician and a lighting designer, craft is one of the most important things you bring to the table. When I opened your resume, even before I read a single word, I got the feeling that you didn't care about presenting a finished, well-crafted product. If you're not gonna take the time to perfect every last detail of your resume, why would you take the time to complete your job to the highest levels of craftsmanship. Sorry if that sounds harsh, that's just my first impression of the resume.

Furthermore, I'm having trouble figuring out what is what at a quick glance. Everything feels very cramped together. If I'm hiring you, I may want to quickly scan down the list of where you've worked. I might not care what show you did if I know a guy at Texas State, but as it is, I need to dig to find that information. I'd suggest putting everything in columns so you can scan through a list. Also, you should have your most recent and/or most prestigious credits at the top of the list, not the bottom. When applying for a job, you don't want your high school show from 2008 to be the first credit I see.

Education looks alright, but be careful about abbreviations. Is "Theatre Design & Tech" really the full, unabbreviated name of your program? Also, say "Expected Graduation, May 2013" or whatever the case may be. Also, have you ever taken any classes outside of your program? An electricity seminar, or a console programming training session, or a ML repair session or something? I was just at the Electricity seminar at your college a few weeks ago, and if you were there, definitely put that down. It shows a lot of initiative and will mean a lot more than just saying "skilled in electrical-ish-ness".

The skills section needs cleaning up. One of the most common things I see on resumes is the lack of proper grammar in the skills section. Make sure each line can read like a sentence. Often it's "I am skilled at __." or "I am a competent ___". This rule can be ignored if you need to specify further, but it's awkward for me to read down the list and have to shift my thinking. Also, the word "fluent" means nothing to me. If anything, I'd say that means you can speak ETC programming language, which isn't really much of a skill. If you're trying to say you can program ETC consoles, then say that. However, don't put it unless you could be hired tomorrow as a programmer and be able to keep up. Unless you've programmed on an Eos, Ion, and an Element, I probably wouldn't say "Eos Family consoles" - the Eos and the Ion have quite a few differences when it comes to programming, and the Element is very much different from either of them. 

Also, this is a pet peeve of mine, but there is no such thing as "Basic Theatrical Rigging". Either you're qualified to hang multiple tons of equipment over someone's head, or you're not. And, not to insult you, but for the vast majority of college students, you're not. I've been taught rigging extensively from my IA local, I've helped build a 58 set counterweight system for a permanent installation from scratch, and I'll soon be taking a well-known rigging seminar, and I still wouldn't say that I was a qualified rigger. If someone hires you to "just fly one tiny little backdrop," before you know it, they'll have 5 tons of scenery in the air, actors flying across the stage, and 100 chain hoists holding up the rig. I have "Fly and Load Rail Operations" on my resume, and I think that's what you want here instead of "Theatrical Rigging". 

Hang & Focus - this shouldn't need to be said. If you're applying as an electrician, it's expected that you can hang, circuit, and focus any conventional light I throw at you, and many moving lights as well. You should also have enough basic electrical knowledge to wire up a simple AC or DC circuit for practicals, and be able to read and work off a light plot and paperwork. As the level of job increases, so should your expected skill set. The skills section is just for things that are above and beyond - things like programming expertise on a console, moving light repair, experience at calling follow spot cues, and so on. I also have things like "Basic Carpentry" and LW/VW experience on mine - but again, only put those if they're actually true.

High End and Elation Automated Fixtures - cool, I've heard of them too. What about them? Can you recognize them by sight? Program them? Change out gobos in them? Maintain them at the higher levels of operation? Provide advanced troubleshooting and component-level repair? Unless you've had training from the manufacturer, if you've worked with them a lot, you can probably perform basic maintenance on the fixtures - but if all you've done is taken them out of a road case and hang them on a pipe, I wouldn't even say that.

I hope this isn't too harsh - my first resume was an absolute nightmare, and it only got better because people were completely honest about where it was really bad, and I made it much better. Good luck!


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## Shawncfer (Jan 30, 2011)

No, Thank you for all that! The Harsher the better, only makes me better!

And by the way, did you really attend that here at Texas State?


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## dbthetd (Jan 30, 2011)

I don't have any problem with "basic theatrical rigging" it says what it is, and any employer that was considering you for a position requiring knowledge in that area would ask you to clarify it.

You want to be in reverse chronological order.

Don't use .doc as an exchange format, they can be dirty and don't always appear formatted the same on the receiving end. Use a .pdf

I might expand your "on call" credits to lists of several gigs you've done, maybe 5 each. It'll bulk up your experience section and spell out a little bit what you mean. As it is it looks less than and is a little confusing.


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## derekleffew (Jan 31, 2011)

Be careful with non-universal acronyms, and acronyms in general. For instance, I don't know what
SWISD Southwest High School
TriPoint SA
NISD Brennan High School
mean. And I'm not going to embarrass myself or care enough to ask.

As soon as you can, remove all references to any high school from your resume, other than "Graduated X High School, 2009."

If you attended Richard Cadena's/Academy of Production Technology's seminar: Beginning Electricity, Power Distribution, and Control Training, I would definitely include that, provided you learned something from it.


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## Shawncfer (Jan 31, 2011)

derekleffew said:


> As soon as you can, remove all references to any high school from your resume, other than "Graduated X High School, 2009."
> 
> If you attended Richard Cadena's/Academy of Production Technology's seminar: Beginning Electricity, Power Distribution, and Control Training, I would definitely include that, provided you learned something from it.


 
The High Schools that I listed on there aren't high schools I was doing student productions at, the high schools are school districts where I was a paid employee to come in and actually do work. Well where I still am a paid employee.

And to the second part, I attended a Sound training last month. Do you think thats relevant and I should include on my resume considering I'm applying to be an electrician?


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## derekleffew (Jan 31, 2011)

Shawncfer said:


> The High Schools that I listed on there aren't high schools I was doing student productions at, the high schools are school districts where I was a paid employee to come in and actually do work. Well where I still am a paid employee. ...


Just trying to make you aware of the stigma and negative connotations attached to anything high school, in the professional world (teachers respectfully excepted of course).


Shawncfer said:


> ...And to the second part, I attended a Sound training last month. Do you think thats relevant and I should include on my resume considering I'm applying to be an electrician?


From http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/...q-recomendations-about-college-education.html although similar advice applies to resumes:

gafftaper said:


> *When to specialize:*
> How many employers do you think will say, "I have a need for a widget-fitter. I plan to hire someone who has studied only widget-fitting in college, and has done nothing else besides widget-fitting in her professional career."? Specialization can be an attribute, but also a hindrance if it detracts from one's well-roundedness. A show needs only one lighting programmer, but many electricians. Being hired as an electrician is an excellent path to becoming a programmer. As you move through your career you will naturally become more specialized. You might want to consider a college that will give you a strength but also allow you to view what other areas offer. You do not want to be a one trick pony when you are twenty-two. Be sure you take a costume class, a makeup class, scenic class, be a prop assistant on a show, try as many different aspects of theater as you can as an undergrad.


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