About Layout

With the advent of word processing software on PCs, in most cases you should not have to have your resume professionally typeset. However, if you're not skilled with word processing, you can do yourself a real disservice with bad layout. A badly presented resume can make even the best experience look second-rate. If you have any doubt, find someone who can help you with the layout - a desktop publisher, a word processor or a resume service. But, as with headshots, be sure you identify someone who has specific experience with performing artists.

If you decide to tackle the task yourself, here are a couple of tips:

• Use a Legible Font. While it may be tempting to highlight your Shakespearean experience by using an Old English font, it doesn't do much for conveying information efficiently. One of the goals of your resume is to communicate your performing history in the most streamlined way possible. If you fancy up the fonts or use some off-beat layout, you don't achieve that goal. Generally speaking, it's a good idea to stick to the basics.
  
  
• Use White Space. Don't jam your one-page resume with so much text that it makes it difficult to read. Instead, use white space (blank area between sections and in margins). If you have so much performing experience that you have to take off some of your less-impressive credentials in order to leave some white space, do so.

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