A good place to start crafting your resume is viewing some resume examples. The first one we’ll look at is found below as a PDF file for “Mark A. Webster.” Open up the file using Adobe Acrobat and print out a copy before you review this tutorial.

There are seven main building blocks used in this one-page resume example. Let’s go over each one.

1) Identity – You’ll notice that he uses the top section of the page to strongly identify himself with his contact information laid out in a block in the top right corner. The large sized font for his name will allow anyone to quickly pick his resume out of a pile of a few dozen resumes. Be sure your contact information is large enough so that if you are asked to fax your resume, it will be legible on the receiving end. You can test this by faxing your resume to a friend or family member’s office, and looking at the printed and received fax.

2) Objective – what are you seeking, job-wise? Give the reader a clue as to what position or general area of work you are seeking. Ideally, your job objective will match up with the types of opportunities that exist at the firm you are applying at. When in doubt, it’s OK to leave it a bit more general. “Obtain an internship in the record industry.” Be sure to fine tune your job objective for each different type opportunity. (We’ll consider this again later in the tutorial.)

3) Education – today’s employers realize that an educated and tech-savvy workforce is essential to remaining competitive. List your educational background in reverse chronological order, that is, the most recent school experience comes first.

4) Interests and Activities – since this candidate is applying for jobs at artist management firms, he has decided that listing some of his activities will be relevant for such a firm and has positioned it above his work experience.

5) Work Experience – this is where you can show off what types of experience, accomplishments and skills you’ve developed in whatever work situations you’ve had. You’ll note that Mark not only listed the work he has been doing for a regional jazz festival, he also included his grunt work for a local pizza restaurant. Why? Because it shows dedication, willingness to work and even as a pizza guy, he rose to the top, as Employee of the Month. That’s something an employer will notice, as such performance tends to be consistent over a person’s career.

6) Hobbies & Interests – who cares about hobbies? Although it is not essential you list hobbies or free time activities, it may offer a link to someone at the firm you are applying at. In the rough and tumble review of hundreds of resumes, your hobbies may show another side of your personality. It also shows that you have a life outside work, which demonstrates some balance in your outlook.

7) Professional Memberships – hopefully the area of the industry that interests you has a professional organization and you have become involved at some level, even if it’s as a volunteer. Some organizations like the AES and NARAS offer student memberships for a very modest fee. Aside from the career benefits, this shows an employer you are serious about building your career.

One Page?

Yes, for most people starting out in the music industry, a one-page resume should be able to clearly tell the story of who you are, what you know demonstrate how you have contributed to previous employers. Be sure to list internships or if you have done volunteer work that demonstrates your abilities and follow through, include that experience.

Templates
There are literally hundreds of templates available, so find one that you like and that will be easy to read, fax, and email. Keep a digital version of it available and practice making small adjustments to your basic resume to fine tune it for a different opportunity.

In the example, how would Mark revise his resume to apply for a job as a booking agent assistant, or an assistant to a tour manager?

Remember, fine tuning your job objective immediately signals the reader you know where you are headed with respect to their firm.

Quality Control
Above all, be *sure* that you craft your resume carefully and have it proofread by a few different persons who have a strong command of language, spelling and punctuation. There’s nothing that turns off an employer faster than a resume filled with mistakes. They’ll rightly believe that this is the level of care you’ll devote to their customers, knocking you out of the running right away.