Special skills on resume?

Question

I'm making my resume and need some help. I don't know whether to put (hula hoop, jump rope, very athletic) on there. Also, what is the difference between mezzo-soprano and alto?

And should I put "voice characterizations" or "impersonations" on there?

Thanks to anyone willing to give suggestions or help.

PS- instead of (running, hurdling) should I put Track & Field or Cross Country?

[My Special Skills:

Singing, accents (Southern, British, Australian, Cockney, Russian, New England, New York, Los Angeles), improvisation, cry on cue, climbing, trampoline stunts, basketball, softball, soccer, tennis, gymnastics, bowling, swimming, snowboarding, ice/roller skating, inline skating, biking, running, hurdling, pogo stick, skateboard, ping pong, hula hoop, jump rope, very athletic.]

Answer 1

On any resume, you should pick 5 or 6 special skills that you think are the best. Don't overwhelm them.  

You should put jump rope on there, but not hoola hoop. Many roles require jump rope. And you should put Track and Field, and if they ask any other questions, go into detail.

I'm not sure about the voices, sorry.

Answer 2

As with any resume, only put special skills that would contribute towards the job your are applying for.

I assume this resume is for an acting position of some sort, so I would recommend only putting acting-related skills or the like. Now, if you like, you could put Track & Field or Cross Country if you did it in high school to show your range of extracurricular activities.

Here are some examples of what I would recommend, but figure out what the title should be (what skills are these? ie. technical, writing, computer skills):

- Improvising effortlessly when necessary

- Being able to cry on cue

- Delivering a wide range of accents effectively

Again, make it relevant to the position; that employer wants to see everything you have to offer them. Have someone proof read your resume because the revisions are endless, whether you think you are done or not. I update my resume on a regular basis to keep up with my additional skills, experiences, etc.

Here are some additional tips on resume building:

http://www.bradleycvs.co.uk/how-to-write...

Oh, and to answer your question about the difference:

A mezzo-soprano (meaning "medium" or "middle" "soprano" in Italian) is a classical female singer whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above.

The alto range in choral music is approximately from G3 to F5. In common usage, alto is used to describe the voice type that typically sings this part, though this is not strictly correct: alto, like the other three standard modern choral voice classifications (soprano, tenor and bass) was originally intended to describe a part within a homophonic or polyphonic texture, rather than an individual voice type. Although some women who sing alto in a choir are contraltos, many would be more accurately called mezzo-sopranos (a voice of somewhat higher range and different timbre).

Good luck; you seem very talented.

Answer 3

mezzo-sparano is middle saprano so not as high as saprano, but not as low as alto.

You can only put track and field or cross country if you took lessons or did it like after school, same with everything sport like on your special skills.. it's if you took lessons or for singing if you didn't take lessons but your in chorus you can put that... put impersonations.

Answer 4

Okay, you definitely need to do some cleaning up here. First and foremost, it's a general rule of thumb that you should only put down things that you've had formal training in on your "special skills" section of your resume. I'm guessing that at least half of the things you've listed here don't fall into that category (Trampoline stunts? Pogo stick? Ping pong? Hula hoop?) A lot of these things should be cut.

Don't say you can "cry on cue." That's called being able to act, which shouldn't be something you should be stating in such terms on your resume.

You should also cut improvisation; if you've had actual training with improv acting, that belongs with wherever you list your other education credentials. If you you have hands-on experience, that belongs with your performance credits.

Listing sports you can play is fine, and I'd include hurdling, but you don't really need to include running; anyone can run. I realize you're talking about distance running, but I can guarantee that your ability to run a five minute mile will never, ever be a factor in you being cast in anything. Also, cut the "very athletic" line; qualitative statements like that don't belong on a professional resume.

By that same logic, you should cut the "singing" bit from this section of your resume as well. Instead, simply list your vocal range alongside your other physical particulars (height, etc). While there is a difference between a mezzo and a true alto (mezzos have a slightly higher range), you'd be better off simply listing your specific vocal range (in my case, it's F2-G4).

And finally, listing gymnastics is a great thing, but it's sort of like dance training; it's pointless to include it on your resume unless you also say where you did it and for how long. I'd suggest putting it with your other education credits.

Edited to add:

Apologies to the above response, but the "special skills" of an actor's resume isn't about opening up a dialogue with anyone. A casting director doesn't want to have a full-on conversation with a herd of hopeful actors on what they can or can't do. In fact, it's entirely likely that you won't even be there to explain what you've written down. A much more likely scenario is that if a role requires an actor with a specific skill, the casting director will send local agents a notice that they need such an actor, and the agent will then send actors that they represent who have said skill to audition. Thus, you don't really want to be vague on your resume; if a notice goes out for a young female actor who can jump hurdles, but you've simply listed "team sports" on your resume, you likely won't be sent on the audition.

Answer 5

If you use singing, follow up with vocal range. You dont need to list every accent. Improvisation isnt a special skill it should be in your education section, if youve been trained in it. Cry on cue is amateur. Professional actors can play the passions and emotions without saying they can cry. Gymnastics can be very important. Use a broad heading, perhaps Team Sports, Track and Field, Dialects, Physical Actor. Your resume is there to give them an idea of who you are and to open communication between you and the casting agent. Ive known some folks to put innadvertant jokes in the section such as "excellent poofreader" (proofreader)  Remember if you lsit it you better be able to back it up. There was a woman who said she could drive manual transmission, she got hired for a film, they had the shoot set up, complete with a manual auto, she was on the set and couldnt drive the car. Wasted company time and was fired. Dont lie on a resume, there is no faster way to get you locked out of a community.