An attendee at one of our entertainment resume webinars asked:
How about an “objective” or intro section introducing your passion and overall experience?
To tell you the truth, objective/intro sections on resumes are just filler. I only use them if the resume is too short without it. “Too short” meaning less than a page. “Too long” is more than a page.
As for your “passion,” well… everyone has passion in this business. It’s why we work 12, 14, 16 hour days. It’s why we put up with divas, prima donnas, and extras. It’s why we’re willing to work for free on a movie that we think could, maybe, possibly be good.
So saying you’re “passionate about filmmaking” or whatever isn’t going to make you stand out. It’s about as exciting as showing someone your student film. If anything, it’s going to make you blend in with the crowd.
Show, Don’t Tell
That’s a basic screenwriting rule which also applies to resume writing. You can’t just say, “I’m passionate about basic cable docu-series.” You have to demonstrate your passion.
Chuck Palahniuk offers great advice in an article about “thought” verbs:
From this point forward, you may not use “thought” verbs. These include: Thinks, Knows, Understands, Realizes, Believes, Wants, Remembers, Imagines, Desires, and a hundred others you love to use.
The list should also include: Loves and Hates.
Instead of characters knowing anything, you must now present the details that allow the reader to know them. Instead of a character wanting something, you must now describe the thing so that the reader wants it.
You’d really do well to read the entire essay, and his book on writing, Consider This.
In any case, none of that belongs in the resume, anyway.{{1}} That’s what the cover letter is for.
Tell a story in your cover letter. Give an exciting, but short, overview of who you are, what you’ve done, and why all of that has prepared you to be the perfect candidate for this job, right now.
[[1]]Again, unless you’re desperate for filler.[[1]]