Creating & Editing Multimedia Resumes

Back Stage's Multimedia Resume System allows you to create a robust, highly searchable, HTML-friendly online resume featuring your name, contact info, agent/manager details, experiences (credits), education details (training, degrees, and awards), photos (headshots, comp cards, snapshots, etc.), demo reels (audio and video clips, short films, sizzle reels), documents (such as PDF versions of your traditional resume, press clippings, professional bio, etc.), all of the languages you speak, additional details (skills, character-type, mini-bio, search tags), and your links (hyperlinks to your personal website, your IMDb page, your resume on other acting/casting websites, etc.).

To get started -- create new Multimedia Resumes and upload new media/photos/reels or edit/build/add-to and update your existing Multimedia Resumes -- click on ANY of the the resume links or buttons on the BackStage.com homepage, log-in page, Casting/Jobs menu-toolbar, or Actors Career Center/Job-Seeker Toolbox:

After clicking on one of the resume options above, you'll be brought to your personal "My Resumes" resume-management page, where you can create multiple resumes and cover letters, upload multiple media items to each resume, embed video and audio items into your resumes, view and send/email your Multimedia Resumes, and more!

To create your first resume (or to create additional resumes), simply click the "create a new resume" link or "Build Your Multimedia Resume" button on your "My Resumes" resume-manage page. Both of these options perform the task of starting a new resume template for you to fill out and attach media items to.

On the other hand, if you already have resumes on BackStage.com, then you'll see your resumes listed directly below the the "Build Your Multimedia Resume Today" box.

Click on the Edit (wrench) button to update the resume and add additional media items (photos, reels, etc.); click the Delete ("X") button to delete the resume; click the View (eye) button to view and/or email the resume; click the Default ("!") button to make the resume your default (primary) job-submission option; click the Statistics (line graph)  button to see if any logged-in casting directors or production companies have viewed your full resume in Back Stage's online Talent Database; or click the Applications/Submissions ("A") button to view stats on what casting/job notices you've submitted the resume to via Back Stage's online-submissions system.

After starting a new resume or clicking the Edit button to update one of your existing resumes, you'll be brought to the Back Stage Resume Builder interface. Within this resume-editing system, you'll be guided through a series of 10 steps, with each step designed to make sure that your resume is as complete and highly searchable as possible.

Please read the directions on each of these pages carefully, making sure to complete every relevant field!!

After filling out all of the required fields on the "Main," "Contact," and "Details" pages, you'll be able to to move on to the "Education," "Experience," "Languages," "Photos," "Audio/Video," "Documents," and "Links" pages.

At first you'll have to move through the resume-builder one page at a time, in sequential order -- but after you've completed the first three pages you'll be able to easily jump to ANY page of the resume-editor system by clicking on the related Tabs (links) at the top of the Resume Builder page.

When you've finished updating your Multimedia Resume -- or if you need to step away to take a break -- click the "Finished" button at the bottom of any of the Resume Builder pages, and your resume will be automatically saved. You'll then be able to come back and continue updating/editing your resume at any time.

Once you create a Multimedia Resume on BackStage.com, you'll be able to submit your full Multimedia Resume (including all attached photos, reels, cover letters, etc.) to any of the casting and job notices in Back Stage's online casting/jobs database where the Submit Online/Apply Online option has been activated by the employer.

PLUS, you'll have the option of making your resume "Public" or "Confidential" in BackStage.com's online Talent Database, which is searched by over 20,000 producers, directors, casting directors, agents, talent scouts, photographers, and other entertainment-industry employers every year.

"Public" exposure reveals all of the contact details you've entered on your resume (we recommend leaving the optional Street Address field blank, to protect your privacy), while the "Confidential" option hides your contact info so that the employers will have to contact you via our online Find Talent/Casting Center Employer contact system (you'll receive an email from the employer via our online system, but they won't see your contact details until you either reply to their email or submit your resume to them directly).

Note: The "Details" field of the resume builder/editor  allows you to enter additional skills and details about yourself while marking your resume with a variety of special search tags (age ranges, gender, union affiliations, basic skill sets, singing-range, etc.) that will help producers, directors, and casting directors easily find your resume within Back Stage's Talent Database and Resume-Submissions Inbox system, so you'll definitely want to fill out the Details page of the Resume Builder carefully for each of your BackStage.com resumes.

"Public" and "Confidential" resumes will also appear on your shareable "My Resumes" page via your unique "Promote Your Resumes" link, which you can use to showcase your BackStage.com resumes via a unique URL (your resume's web-address will be based upon your username, so please make sure that you have a memorable username, preferably something that involves your real name or stagename).

This personalized link is a secret until you either link to it from other websites or manually reveal it to others (e.g., if you send the link to people via email; or if you submit the link to search engines like Google). However, once revealed, anyone will be able to view your resume (and all attached media items) on this page, even if they don't have a BackStage.com account -- bringing you even more exposure.

Here's an example of a good public-resume-promotion landing page (click on the View/Eye button next to the resume-listing to view the full resume, including all of the resume's photos, videos, and links): http://casting.backstage.com/resumes/link.asp?actor=SRIGORDON

There are a variety of ways that you can promote the shareable version of your "My Resumes" page and/or create shorter links that point to your shareable "My Resumes" page.

For instance, you can use free link-shortening websites to create shorter links that point to your page. Free services like TinyUrl.com will let you use your BackStage.com "Promote Your Resume" URL to create a short, customized link.

As an example, here's a "TinyURL" created for actress-model Kara Willits that goes directly to her Multimedia Resume on BackStage.com: http://tinyurl.com/KaraWillits.

Or purchase a personalized website domain name using a service like GoDaddy.com -- for under $10/year you could buy a web-domain name like YourName.com, skip all of their options for purchasing web-storage and web-design tools, and then quickly set up the website domain so that it automatically redirects everyone to your BackStage.com "Promote Your Resume" URL. That way you get the benefits of having your own very-easy-to-remember website address to promote your Multimedia Resume without having to actually design or host a full site of your own.

"Private" resumes, on the other hand, are hidden from your personal "Promote Your Resumes" page AND they're hidden from the BackStage.com Talent Database. The "Private" setting is useful for actors and performers that need extra privacy and/or resumes that are still in rough-draft mode (e.g., you haven't uploaded at least one photo and/or your basic details to the resume yet). You can still submit your "Private" resumes to casting/job notices -- your "Private" Multimedia Resume will be visible to any projects that you submit the resume to directly.

Quick Tip: For the best experience using BackStage.com's Casting, Jobs, and Multimedia Resume Tools, we recommend the free Firefox 3 web browser.   

Related Links:

• Article: "Back Stage Upgrades Its Multimedia Résumé System" (more info, tips, tricks, and examples)
• Talent Database FAQ
  
• Help Topic: Problems Viewing Resumes, Videos, Photos, Notices, Etc. -- Web Pages Failing to Open, Resume Tools Not Working, and Log-In Errors
• Multimedia Resume HELP (all resume help topics and FAQ, including photo-resizing and video-embedding help)
• Help with naming, uploading and managing your photos.
• Discover your new, shareable Resume Link -- along with tips on how to shorten your Resume Link and promote your resumes.
   

-- Luke Crowe, National Casting Editor, Back Stage