Many actors just starting out don't realize that they need more than a headshot to impress casting directors. The majority of professional actors have what is known in the industry as an acting resume. You'll need to make one too if you want to make it in film or television.

It's important to understand the differences between an acting resume and a regular resume. A regular resume for a typical job lists your education, your G.P.A., your previous employment, your technical skills, previous salaries, and references. Most of these categories are absent or much different on an acting resume. Your primary goal on an acting resume is to convince a casting director or agent that you are the right person for a specific role, with the right qualifications. Your resume needs to reflect that.

The first information you should list on an acting resume is your name and contact information. If you have an agent, list his contact information and not yours. It looks more professional and will allow your representation to handle the important business aspects of the casting process. If you don't have an agent, list something other than your home phone number if you can, as this immediately sticks out as unprofessional. After your contact information, list any memberships you have in acting unions like the Screen Actors Guild or the American Federation of Television and Radio Actors.

The next part is usually reserved for your physical description, which should include your height, weight, eye color, and hair color. Use eye-catching adjectives like "deep" or "shining" to stick out and help the casting director remember you. It is important not to lie or exaggerate about your physical description, as the casting directors will be able to tell as soon as they see you and be irritated that you've been dishonest and wasted their time. Sometimes it's better not to list a description if the role you're trying out for doesn't have any special physical requirements as it tends to restrict casting possibilities.

The next part of your resume is all about your acting credentials and your past acting experience. Do not include any non-acting related job experience, because the casting directors or agents won't care, even if it relates to the kind of character you'd be playing. If you're inexperienced you'll need to list every acting role you've ever done to fill up the resume. There are four things you should include for every role:

- The name of the film, TV show, or play in which you've appeared
- The name of the character you played (this can be a full name or something like "Hot Dog Vendor")
- The type of role you played; there are four types, lead, featured, supporting, and recurring
- The name of the studio, TV network, theater, or director you worked under

You should list your acting experience in the order of its importance to the role you are trying out for or its general impressiveness. Be sure to list if you were an understudy for a role to avoid misrepresenting yourself. If you worked for a famous theater or director, even in a small capacity, try to emphasize it on the listing. This can be more impressive than having a lead role in an obscure production or studio. Also, if you went to college for acting, or studied in any special acting workshops or programs, list them on the resume as experience. Do not list any specific commercials you've appeared in, as competing brands will be much less likely to cast you, and you might not even know if the company behind the commercial is a competitor to your previous work or not given the nature of corporate ownership.

Like regular resumes, you can add a special skills section if applicable. If you're trying out for a role that requires speaking a different language, or playing competitive volleyball, or singing and dancing, and you can do these things well, list them in your special skills section. It is much easier for a casting director to hire a specialized actor than to train a non-specialized actor in the skills needed for a part.

Finally, make sure your resume is in the right physical format. It needs to fit perfectly on the back of your 8 x 10 headshot, so either print your resume on paper that size or carefully trim a regular sheet. The ink should be black and the font should be standard. Heavier paper stock is useful, because headshot/resumes tend to get put through the ringer. Stapling is much preferred over glue, because glue can lose its adhesiveness or ooze onto other documents.

The most important part of the casting process is going to be your audition, but putting together a clean, impressive, and professional resume goes a long way toward helping casting directors remember you from dozens of other actors and can convince them that you have the experience and ability to be a star.

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