Are you highlighting relevant skills on your resume?

Like many other industries, Hollywood has its own set of skills that are favored over others, and these depend on the position you're applying for. For an intern, most hiring managers want someone who is smart and reliable, and this can be conveyed in many different ways on a resume. But once you’re ready for an assistant position, your resume needs to change -- there are some very specific skills that should to be on your resume to keep it from getting thrown in the trash.

In particular, administrative duties like answering phones and scheduling must be on there. Although they seem like menial and easy tasks, they will be the core of your job as an assistant, and your potential boss will want to know he's going to be covered if he hires you. It’s all about proving that you know how to manage a desk.

​Even if you've got more to offer, you need to think about the actual requirements of the position you’re applying for and make sure you’re highlighting the skills that are going to be valued most. And when you’re ready to make the jump from assistant to coordinator (or any position going forward), you’ll need to overhaul your resume again -- so you’ve mastered phones and calendars, cool, but what else can you do beyond that? Bottom line, make sure your resume matches the job posting. ​

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-- Angela Silak & Cindy Kaplan