The Musician'S Resume Handbook Page 3
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41WHAT IS A RÉSUMÉ?
A résumé is a formal overview of your past and current professional and educational experience.
It should directly and concisely list any experiences relevant to the types of work you are seeking.
Some description of your experiences may be appropriate, but you should be as concise as
possible. Remember, a résumé is not an autobiography – it is an outline of your experiences.
Résumé or Vita?
Some people understandably confuse résumés and vitae. The two documents are very similar and
many employers use the terms interchangeably. In fact, employers in academia will often ask for
a “vita” in an employment advertisement when they wish to receive a one-two page document
that others might call a résumé.
For practical purposes, the choice to use a résumé or vita depends on the type of position for
which you are applying. Performance résumés, to be used for auditions, are almost always one-
page documents that include specific performance experience and educational information.
Résumés to be used for other purposes will vary in length. If you are applying for several types
of positions, you may need to prepare different résumés of varying length. Vitae tend to be
longer, more comprehensive documents and are usually requested for academic positions. Some
people create vitae 15-20 pages long, but such thoroughness is not always recommended. Most
vitae will include all professional and educational information, not just the most important or
seemingly relevant information.
One solution to the dilemma of whether to use a vita or a résumé is to create a document that can
serve either purpose. Such a document would read basically as a lengthy résumé, about 4-5 pages
long (see example on page 26). The Office of Career Services highly recommends this solution,
especially when applying for faculty positions at institutions of higher education.
Purpose and Importance
Although a résumé is useful in a number of situations, it has two basic purposes. The first is to
create in the reader such an interest in you as an applicant that s/he will want to invite you for an
interview or audition. The résumé should serve essentially as an advertisement of and for a
product – you! It should make the employer (the “buyer”) want to take a closer look.
The other purpose of a résumé is to encourage potential employers to pay close attention to you
when they do meet you or hear you perform. Remember, a résumé is your only representative
when you are not present. Thus, it must be perfect – well-organized and highly polished. If the
musical director and audition/selection committee of a symphony have to listen to many auditions
in a brief period of time, you want your résumé to help make you stand out. To paraphrase
excellent advice given by the Office of Career Development and Placement at Oberlin College, a
good résumé tells a conductor/employer immediately that you are an interesting and talented
musician with the experience s/he is seeking.
Too many musicians feel that a résumé is unimportant and that their performance will speak for
itself. Given the fierce competition for professional performance positions, this assumption is
clearly a mistake. A strong résumé will enhance the degree of attention any auditions may pay to
your performance---they will listen more carefully. If your résumé is sloppy or poorly organized,
they will have no reason to listen any more closely to you than to the other candidates. The same
holds true for non-performance jobs as well. A great résumé alone will not get you a job, but a
poor résumé can easily keep you from getting even an interview or audition.
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