• Home
  • Services
    • Resume Writing & Coaching
    • Courses and E-Books
    • Corporate & Group Services
    • Free Resources
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • FAQ
    • Contact
  • Blog
Hollywood Resumes
  • Home
  • Services
    • Resume Writing & Coaching
    • Courses and E-Books
    • Corporate & Group Services
    • Free Resources
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • FAQ
    • Contact
  • Blog

What measurable achievements should you include on your entertainment industry resume?

10/1/2021

 
Picture
Most experts will tell you that including measurable achievements is the key to a great resume. And it’s true...but not all measurable achievements make sense for entertainment jobs, and including a ton of metrics can be counterproductive, as it could come off as phony.

Entertainment is a very specialized field, compared to other lines of business. For instance, a job in B2B software sales isn’t terribly different from a job in medical supply sales, and most hiring managers for those roles would be primarily assessing how good of a salesperson the candidate is -- that’s why it would be beneficial to include metrics that show how much you sold or how many new clients you retained.

But in entertainment, the KPIs are different. The biggest “measure” of your achievement is what projects you worked on. If you’re in development, how many projects did you successfully sell or shepherd through from idea to greenlight? Are any of them blockbusters, award winners, or ratings juggernauts? If you’re in production, did you work on top-rated projects? Do you have a niche that you’re really well-versed in, or experience across a variety of genres? If you’re in talent representation, do you have a roster of impressive clients or major deals you’ve closed? Some roles in marketing or corporate strategy may benefit from including growth numbers, but your success is generally going to be measured based on what you worked on and with whom.

​
That’s not to say that if you don’t have an impressive list of credits, you’re unhireable. In those instances, focus on creating context for your work. Maybe you worked on a bunch of indie features no one has heard of -- but did they make it into film festivals? Did you have to book hard-to-secure locations, wear a lot of hats during all phases of the creative process, and negotiate with vendors to reduce costs? If you work at a small company that’s just getting its feet wet in development, contextualize the scope of your slate, even if you haven’t sold anything. Consider including achievements like streamlining workflows, trimming overhead, launching an internship program...there are plenty of valuable achievements that go along with building a start-up!

Think about it as if you were a hiring manager. Would you rather see a resume that says, “Managed production logistics on set of major blockbuster that yielded $2.8B in global revenue, an increase of 26% from previous film in franchise” or one that says, “Managed production logistics for AVENGERS: END GAME; hired crew, secured locations, and allocated department budgets?” Remember, we work in Hollywood; most of us don’t like math. So put away your calculator, think about what you bring to the table, and write it in plain English!

-- Angela Silak & Cindy Kaplan


Comments are closed.

    Hollywood Resumes

    ​Welcome to our career tips blog!  To receive our updates via email, sign up for our weekly newsletter.  You'll also get access to exclusive discounts, offers, and resources! 

    Sign up now!

    Categories

    All
    ASK HR
    Assistant Life
    Bios
    Career Coaching
    Career Transitions
    Cover Letters
    Industry Spotlight
    Internships
    Job Applications
    Job Interviews
    Job Search Tips
    LinkedIn
    Networking
    Personal Statement
    Professional Development
    References
    Resume Help
    Salary
    Script Coverage
    Social Media
    Thank You Notes
    Work Life

    Archives

    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016

    RSS Feed

Sign up for our FREE weekly newsletter to receive career tips, discounts, and access to our resource library!
SUBSCRIBE
Photos used under Creative Commons from Jimmy Benson, 401(K) 2013, christiaan_008, televisione, Dai Lygad, MarkMoz12, Krists Luhaers, Nguyen Vu Hung (vuhung), Hollywood_PR, State Farm, Joe The Goat Farmer, HandsLive, Glyn Lowe Photoworks., thedailyenglishshow, dno1967b, flazingo_photos, jmrodri, cliff1066™, Joe The Goat Farmer, flazingo_photos, starmanseries, anitakhart, jimmiehomeschoolmom, Glyn Lowe Photoworks., hfb, gminguzzi, thedailyenglishshow, Visual Content, mkhmarketing, Peat Bakke, Visual Content, vlauria, flazingo_photos, flazingo_photos, cafecredit, StockMonkeys.com
  • Home
  • Services
    • Resume Writing & Coaching
    • Courses and E-Books
    • Corporate & Group Services
    • Free Resources
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • FAQ
    • Contact
  • Blog