The Orchestral Resume

One topic I regularly talk to students about is their resume. There is a wonderful resource on this topic that has been online for years but I suspect many horn players don’t know about because it is “hidden” in a trombone website. I agree heartily with Doug Yeo that when it comes to applying for orchestral jobs

The resume is, simply stated, the main event. It is the single most important document you will ever create. More than a dry recitation of your musical accomplishments, it is a reflection of you as a person. That a resume should be prepared with thought and care is, again, an understatement. But in my experience, I have seen only a handful of resumes that made a good impression on me. What most people don’t understand is that resumes really do matter.

You may be invited to an audition even if your resume is a mess (after all, if you have the right qualifications, the committee wants to hear you play the trombone – they’re not going to give you a spelling quiz). BUT, your resume will be looked at after you are invited. If you get to the final round, chances are that your resume and those of the other finalists will be pulled out and passed around to the committee members, including the music director.

Keep in mind that a committee is looking for ways to eliminate people. With all things being equal between two players, which one would you hire – the player with a neat, professional looking resume or the one who misspelled a dozen words and wrote it in long hand with a green ballpoint pen? The choice is obvious. Your resume says, “Hello, this is me. This piece of paper tells you that I am a confident, conscientious professional who will be an asset to your orchestra. Give me a chance and I will show you what I can do.”

One point to not pass by too quickly is that when the screen comes down in an audition your resume will come out and will be reviewed forwards, backwards, and sideways. In the full article which I highly recommend reading he lays out in very plain language what should and should not be in an orchestral resume. For example,

A committee wants to know what significant musical experience you have. If you have no experience, your resume should show it. A padded resume fools no one and looks bad. How you list experience is also important. For example, if you played extra or substitute with a professional orchestra, list it like this:
- Boston Symphony Orchestra (substitute) 1976-77
- Grant Park Symphony (extra player) 1982
To leave out the words “extra” or “substitute” is misleading and again fools no one. Dates are important. If you are still in college, list your projected date of graduation. Your resume will no doubt be slim, but your honesty will be appreciated.

I believe it would blow my mind to know exactly how many hours over the years I have spent editing my own resumes, especially now that I am teaching full time at a university in the United States. A great one page orchestral resume is a critical thing to develop as a student and says much about you. Get advice from people who have served on audition committees as to how yours looks. It needs to effectively convey your strongest qualifications without sounding padded or missing things that would positively set you apart from the crowd. Read his artcle in full, and I will let Doug Yeo have the final word.

Keep it simple, neat and clean. When you are done, look at it carefully and re-read it a hundred times. Take care that it accurately represents you in every way.