How detailed should you get with your "Special Skills" on a professional resume with today's trends? I grew up mostly in the country and was something of a 'girl jock' before I caught the acting bug, but it looks pretty cluttered when I put everything on. I saw in the Tony Martinez book that he recommended just saying 'Very Athletic' or 'Athletics (on request),' but B&W headshots were still acceptable when that book was written and I'm wondering if that really does you justice. Sports I've actually played competitively on teams are gymnastics, cheerleading, soccer, volleyball, and softball. Others I have played recreationally and for which I know the rules are basketball, baseball, and football.

Also, what proficiency in a 'special skill' do you really need to be able to demonstrate to include it on your resume? I have some experience and competency, but wouldn't consider myself an expert with sailing, snorkeling, and scuba. I also know how to handle myself on a motorcycle, but am not licensed although I plan on becoming such. I also know how to handle horses, but am not a show quality rider by any stretch and haven't actually ridden in awhile.

It's like right now if I included EVERYTHING like I had on my college audition resume, it would look like ...

SPECIAL SKILLS

Gymnastics, cheerleading, soccer, volleyball, softball, baseball, basketball, football, mountain biking, kickboxing, womens' self-defense, juggling, manual transmission driver, motorcycle/dirt bike, tractor/bushhog, sailing, scuba, snorkeling, equestrienne (English and western), period and swing dance, singing (alto), basic guitar, conversational German, basic Spanish, SAFD certified combatant (unarmed, knife, rapier and dagger), accents and dialects (various Southern, RP, London, Irish, French, German and Russian)

In the alternative ...

Numerous athletics (on request), kickboxing, womens' self-defense, juggling, manual transmission driver, motorcycle/dirt bike, tractor/bushhog, sailing, scuba, snorkeling, equestrienne (English and western), period and swing dance, singing (alto), basic guitar, conversational German, basic Spanish, SAFD certified combatant (unarmed, knife, rapier and dagger), accents and dialects (on request)

Help?

I prefer the first version.

I like to provide as much usable information as possible on my resume in the shortest amount of time.

You do not have to possess "expert" or "professional" proficiency in the skills you represent, but you should be able to perform them satisfactorily in an acting setting. Don't lie, it could hurt you (literally!).

When making your final selections, however, think in terms of how your special ability would translate into actually getting you more work. "Basket weaving," for example, would be a terrible waste of space.

www.robertkim.com

Things that you need a license for - i.e. motorcycle, I would hold off on until that requirement is fulfilled.

I also believe that you need to have some kind of certification to scuba dive.

The only time you're required to have a license to drive a motorcycle is on a city street.

You DO NOT have to be certified in order to S.C.U.B.A. dive.

With regards to dialects, you better be very damn good. If one of them is your native dialect, I'd keep it on. And unless you've mastered the International Phonetic Alphabet, I'd leave off other dialects that are not native to you.

The reason I say this is, what if you go to an audition that asks for a Russian accent and the casting director is Russian? Russian isn't your strongest dialect and now the Russian casting director can write you off as a liar.

since you dont have to be licensed to scuba dive, it's nice to mention it when you are, it shows you've had real training for such a dangerous sport (i got my PADI certification last year in Thailand!! woohoo!)

they say you should only put expert level skills on your resume. i disagree. put things that you could demonstrate immediately if asked or in a callback scenario.

don't put down anything you've only done once or twice. put things down that you could reasonably do if asked. if it's a specific project, say another version of jaws and they need certified scuba divers, you can add an extra note "PADI Certified, X number of dives" on your resume.

but they assume that anything on your special skills listing is something you can do with some level of proficiency, so make sure you can really do it before listing it.

another example, out here in LA< there's a new show about a competition level gymnastics team. recently they needed BG who could do basic gymnastics (cartwheels, front handsprings)... but i'm sur ethey will also, at some point, need people with competition level skills, so in that case, if you were to submit to casting (either principal or BG), you'd want to list what level gymnastics you were at.

quote:

Originally posted by Robert Kim Photography:

You DO NOT have to be certified in order to S.C.U.B.A. dive.

I usually agree 99.999% with all your posts, Robert. And I'm smarter than to disagree with you!!! But my friend said you HAD to be certified in order to scuba dive. Who's right??
Also, why did you put periods behind each letter of "scuba." I thought it was one word.
N.B.

Well it's dangerous if you go scuba diving without being certified. You need to be aware of the carbon dioxide levels in your body and various other things such as pressure.

S.C.U.B.A. is an acronym for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus

quote:

Originally posted by MovieQueen:
I usually agree 99.999% with all your posts, Robert. And I'm smarter than to disagree with you!!! But my friend said you HAD to be certified in order to scuba dive. Who's right??

Your friend made the same mistake as many others... anyone with reasonable swimming skills can S.C.U.B.A. dive.

Ever notice the tourists scuba diving at a resort? Under controlled conditions, it's perfectly safe. The only thing that un-certified divers can't do is have their air tanks refilled. That is all.

www.robertkim.com

actually guys, as someone who IS PADI certified, i can tell you that a vast number of people who dive are NOT certified.

we did our first ever dive in Mexico a couple of years ago on a carnival cruise. we got a 20 minute lesson on the equipment, and were off!

the PADI version is called "Discover Scuba Diving." this is what most tourists do. you get little to no training, and are off. you learn basic hand gestures to communicate, how to breathe in the mask, how to go safely to the top should there be an issue, how to clear your mask or find it if it gets lost... but then you go.

we got the PADI Scuba Diver last year in Thailand, which means we are qualified to go out into most waters...with a certified guide. we don't dive enough to have made it worth the Open Water certification. we don't want to have to plan our own dives, since we only go once every year or two. we'd rather have a professional lead us around, you know? but it means we know our way around the equipment, we know all of the proper safety methods underwater, we passed swimming tests (which in water just days after that huge Tsunami last year in Asia was NOT fun! ask me about the 200+ jellyfish stings I sustained on my left leg!), etc.

but i also know of people who went to the Great Barrier Reef and dove to open water diver levels, which i personally think was VERY unsafe (and he had the small shark bite scars to show for it!).

but no, you dont have to be certified to do recreational diving. but i am very excited to join a dive shop, now that we live in Cali and are only miles from the beach! hope to go a LOT more, and maybe earn that Open Water!

but being certified is really helpful and lets you see more things!

I was certified on Catalina Island, off the coast of California.

On my very first "check out" dive, when I surfaced, the boat was rocking like Elvis Presley. I immediately became sea sick, and had to hurl-- fast. But I had a decision to make: "Do I flip my cookies over the port side, or the starboard?" I decided on the starboard, and proceeded to leave my lunch, a big green chile burrito, over the right rail. Seconds later, my diving instructor surfaced, DIRECTLY THROUGH MY FLOATING LUNCH.

He exclaimed later, "Wow! This water used to be crystal clear, but it's getting more polluted every day!!" I could only nod my head and say, "I noticed that."

^ It seems like the ex-boyfriend who taught me did have some kind of certification. Not sure if it's illegal otherwise in my home state, but I guess I should definitely get certified when I get the chance. Seems like it could be pretty valuable ... The more you can do, right? I wanna learn to drive an 18-wheeler.

As for dialects ... Yeah ... It wouldn't be so good to include those if you don't know what you're doing, but that's been a big part of my training and is something I've worked very hard at. The ones I've listed are ones I've actually used in plays and scene work though I can work out a lot more if given time. It's a strength for me, actually. I have noticed some people including IPA in their special skills lately, but I'd always assumed anyone who would know what it is would assume anyone with classical training is proficient. But ... Maybe I'm wrong in that assumption. At any rate, I have my dialects teachers listed under 'Training' which should clarify all that.

quote:

think in terms of how your special ability would translate into actually getting you more work. "Basket weaving," for example, would be a terrible waste of space.

Yeah ... I know some people who have things like 'knitting' on theirs. I suppose that COULD be used ... Then some others have crazy stuff like 'chicken sounds' and 'belches on cue' ... LOL

I've noticed that sometimes even the oddest "special skills" can get you noticed, even paying work.

But they have to be a necessity-- in some capacity, to a production. And they must be good. VERY GOOD.

For example, I had a customer who listed, "Can bark like a dog" on her resume, and she was so bloody good that she booked lots of jobs from it. Another client listed: "Can cry like a baby." I asked her to demonstrate, and it was so such an incredible imitation than I actually introduced her to my voice-over agent at Sutton, Barth and Venari, Rita Venari. She's been working steadily ever since.

If nothing else, really offbeat skills can often elicit a direct question from a curious casting director, and that's a very good thing.

www.robertkim.com

quote:

You DO NOT have to be certified in order to S.C.U.B.A. dive.

quote:

Your friend made the same mistake as many others... anyone with reasonable swimming skills can S.C.U.B.A. dive.

Ever notice the tourists scuba diving at a resort? Under controlled conditions, it's perfectly safe. The only thing that un-certified divers can't do is have their air tanks refilled. That is all.

whats wrong with you spreading such dangerous misinformation ?

you make it sound like its ok for anyone with no scuba training to just grab a tank and dive !

Its dangerous, the equipment is technical, techniques must be learned...

sure you dont HAVE to be cerified, you just pay with your life.

a friend on vacation who never took cerification courses dived.... sank to the bottom and busted his eardrums.

upon the pain, he over inflated his BC and shot straight to the top and busted up his lungs...

dudes lucky to be alive.... and his vacation was OVER !

quote:

Originally posted by NYC Actor:
a friend on vacation who never took cerification courses dived.... sank to the bottom and busted his eardrums.

upon the pain, he over inflated his BC and shot straight to the top and busted up his lungs...

dudes lucky to be alive.... and his vacation was OVER !

an individual on vacation from his sanity who never took reading courses intentionally misquoted me dived... sank to the bottom and busted his credibility.

upon the pain, he over inflated his ego and shot straight to the top and busted his few remaining brain cells...

dudes lucky to be alive… and his moronic comments are OVER !


What part of, "UNDER CONTROLLED CONDITIONS" don't you understand, DUDE?