Actor's Resume Template Guide
A free guide to formatting your acting resume the way casting directors expect
Overview
This resource card provides a comprehensive guide to building an industry-standard acting resume. It covers the correct formatting, section order, and content expectations that casting directors and agents look for when reviewing submissions.
The guide walks you through each section of an acting resume, from the header with your contact information and union status, through your credits organized by medium, to your training and special skills sections. It includes tips on what to include and what to leave off.
How It Works
A well-formatted resume is essential because casting directors spend only seconds scanning each submission. Following industry conventions shows professionalism and makes it easy for busy readers to find the information they need quickly.
This resource is completely free and available as a downloadable reference. It is designed to be used alongside your headshot, which should be stapled or printed on the back of your resume in standard 8x10 format.
Who Uses It
Every actor needs a properly formatted resume, regardless of experience level. Use this guide as your starting point and update your resume after every booking, class, or new skill you acquire.
Pricing & Plans
This resource is completely free to access with no registration, subscription, or payment required. The guide is available directly on ActorsJunction and can be bookmarked, saved, or printed for reference at any time. There are no premium tiers, upsells, or hidden charges — every element of the resume formatting guide is accessible to every visitor. The downloadable template, if available, can be saved and edited in standard word processing software like Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or Pages at no cost. Compared to paid resume services that charge $50-150 to format an acting resume, this free guide provides the same industry-standard formatting information that professional resume services use. The guide is regularly updated to reflect current industry expectations and formatting standards, ensuring the advice remains relevant as submission practices evolve.
Pros & Cons
What's Great
The guide provides the exact formatting conventions that casting directors and agents expect, removing the guesswork that leads many actors to create resumes that inadvertently look unprofessional or include information in the wrong order. Having a properly formatted resume is one of the most fundamental yet commonly overlooked aspects of an acting career, and this free resource ensures every actor can present their credits professionally regardless of their budget or industry connections. The section-by-section walkthrough covers every element of an industry-standard acting resume — from header formatting with contact information and union status, through credits organized by medium in the correct order, to training and special skills — providing comprehensive guidance in a single resource. The guide addresses common formatting mistakes that immediately flag a resume as coming from an inexperienced actor, such as including age, listing extra work alongside principal credits, or formatting credits in the wrong column structure. The downloadable template provides a plug-and-play starting point that actors can customize with their own information, eliminating the blank-page problem that often prevents actors from creating their first professional resume. The advice is applicable to actors at every career stage, from beginners creating their first resume to working professionals updating their credits after a new booking.
What Could Be Better
The guide provides general formatting advice rather than personalized resume consultation, meaning actors with unusual career paths, international credits, or unconventional training backgrounds may need additional guidance beyond what a standardized template can provide. Resume formatting conventions vary slightly between markets — New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and international markets each have minor differences — and a single guide may not capture all regional variations that actors should be aware of. The static nature of a written guide means it cannot adapt to your specific situation or answer follow-up questions the way a personal consultation with an agent or career coach would. The guide focuses on formatting rather than content strategy, meaning it tells you how to organize your credits but does not provide guidance on which credits to emphasize, which to remove, or how to strategically position your resume for specific types of roles. Digital submission formats have evolved rapidly with casting platforms implementing their own resume fields and formats, and some of the print-specific formatting advice may be less relevant for actors who submit exclusively through digital platforms. Actors with very limited credits may find that even a perfectly formatted resume highlights how early they are in their career, and the guide does not address strategies for presenting a thin resume in the best possible light.
Our Recommendation
This guide is an essential starting point for every actor who does not yet have a properly formatted industry-standard resume, and should be the first resource you consult before creating or updating your acting resume. The guide is particularly valuable for actors transitioning from theater programs or community theater into professional markets, as academic resume formats differ significantly from industry-standard acting resumes. Actors who already have representation should share their resume with their agent or manager for feedback, as representatives often have specific preferences that supplement the general formatting conventions covered in this guide. If your career situation is complex — extensive international credits, a transition between performing disciplines, or a non-traditional career path — consider supplementing this guide with a one-time consultation with a career coach who can provide personalized advice. Use this guide as a living reference that you return to each time you update your resume, rather than a one-time read, to ensure every version of your resume maintains proper formatting.
Pro Tips
Download or bookmark this guide and refer to it every time you update your resume to ensure consistency and proper formatting across every version. Format your resume to fit on a single page that matches the 8x10 dimensions of your headshot, as casting directors expect a clean, uncluttered one-page resume that can be quickly scanned in seconds. List your credits in the correct column structure — project name, role, and production company/director — organized by medium with film, television, theater, and new media in separate sections. Update your resume immediately after every booking, even before the project airs or opens, as your credits should always reflect your most current work. Remove your weakest credits as you add stronger ones, keeping the resume focused on your best and most relevant work rather than listing everything you have ever done.
