Whether you are looking to land your first television role or an accomplished working actor, a polished perfect resume is a must. An actor’s resume is much different that the traditional resume found in the corporate world. Casting directors and agents will often not give a second glance to resumes that are not formatted according to industry standards. Increase your chances for getting called back by following these professional tips for actor and actress resumes.

List your name in large letters in the center top of your resume. Make sure to use the exact professional name you use in movies, television, radio or theater and not necessarily the name on your birth certificate. Underneath your name list the union you are officially affiliated with – Screen Actors Guild (SAG), The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), or American Equity Association (AEA). Under the union names you may list a contact phone number and your professional actor website if you have one. Keep it bold and simple.

Under each of the top four sections you will list out each of your professional acting experiences in the following order across the page in columns: Project Title, Role (TV: co-star, guest star, recurring, regular. Film: lead or supporting, Theater: role name), Director’s name and title (for TV and Film) and theater name (for stage actors). Under the “Training” section you can list the school or company where you trained, listing any relevant classes and instructors. The “Special Skills” is your chance to name any skills and unusual talents such as belly dancer, stunt skills, gymnast or whatever you can do that will get you the job. If you have done commercial or modeling work, you can add as an italicized statement that these credits are “available upon request”.

Next, you will want to print up copies of your resume that are sized to attach to the back of your 8 x 10 headshot. Obviously, you’re going to need to keep resumes down to 1 page so that is fits neatly on the photo. Also, avoid listing your height, weight or age; if the casting staff wants these specific details they will ask you during the casting call. An exception to this rule is if you are a model or child actor and know that these personal details will work to your advantage.

Our society is one that has historically revered its athletes, treating them with admiration and respect. These individuals blessed with both natural talent and honest work ethic are generally considered to be the cream of the crop, the best of the best, the examples which we should all seek to follow. Sports stars have come to be treated as celebrities, the games they play and the competitions in which they partake comparable to the films, television shows and albums of actors and musicians.

This celebrity-like aura around our athletes has generally been a positive thing for both the public and sports stars themselves. In recent years, however, the tide has begun to turn. The paparazzi have become increasingly ruthless and the news much more scandal-fueled. And as these developments have meant lots of embarrassment for actors, musicians and writers, they have led to difficult predicaments for athletes as well. It seems like today, more than ever, athletes are being exposed for their bad behavior.

It is doubtful that our sports heroes began to fall off of the path of the moral compass in recent times – it is more likely that we are simply much more likely now to find out about their discretion. We remain interested in watching them play, investing in NFL Sunday Ticket subscriptions and looking on through our high definition televisions as they battle it out. Nowadays, however, we also tune in to the gossip shows on satellite TV to find out what’s going on in their personal lives. A combination of the increased attention to athletes with star-like status and a possible hike in bad behavior on the part of the sports stars themselves has created what seems to be a boom of exposed discretions.