For a while now, we here at TAPA have been offering a resume editing service to production assistants and others in Hollywood. You see, production resumes look very different from traditional resumes, and it’s just not common knowledge.
Plus, we’ve learned a lot of tips and tricks over the years to make your resume more effective, even if you don’t have a ton of experience. The kind of stuff they don’t teach you in film school.
The way we used to do it is, the client would send us their resume, we’d spruce it up, and then send it back. There’d be some back and forth, if they had questions, but that was about it. The process was pretty effective, as far as it went.
But the other day, I had lunch with Kate Lupo at Entry Level Hollywood (it’s kinda like TAPA for studio assistants), and she had a great suggestion. Rather than do all the work on my own time, I should actually consult with the client. That’s a little tricky, given that I’m supposed to be anonymous and all.
That’s where the magic of Google Docs comes in!
Both the aspiring production assistant and I can look at the document at the same time while I’m editing the resume. I’ll explain what I’m doing and why. Also, how; formatting can be confusing sometime. That way, they can take that knowledge with them in future iterations of the resume.
It was an intriguing concept, so I tried it out with a couple of clients this week. It worked great! The whole process took less than an hour on average, which was nice and efficient. When I edited the resumes on my own, I’d dawdle or get distracted by the Internet, and a single resume could take a few hours.
I’ve done a few different departments over time, and it turns out, my{{1}} way of organizing production resumes works well for grips, editors, you name it. I even cleaned up a producer’s resume, which was cool.
So, whatever department you’re in, or want to be in, I can help. Just follow the instructions on this page to get started.
[[1]]Okay, it was OG’s method, from his time as a below-the-line agent’s assistant.[[1]]
