A well-crafted voice acting resume is one of the best ways to get lucrative voice acting gigs. As expected, newbies face some challenges concerning what to include in their resumes and what skills to highlight. Even seasoned professionals can have trouble when updating their voice acting resumes.
But it’s not as hard as most people think.
A voice acting resume should read like a standard resume. It lists aspects such as contact information, previous experiences, and technical qualifications for the job. In as much as it should be information, the resume should also be short and neat.
We’ll take you through what is essential in making a professional voice acting resume. In the end, you’ll have something easy to print, read, and send out to voice talent agents.
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This post was updated in April 2021
The Voice Acting Resume Format
A standard voice acting resume has four essential parts. But you can add more sections to it to make it more competitive. It helps to start with resume templates online. This is just so you can keep track of the big picture without compromising the little details along the way.
Here are the four basic sections that you need to fill in:
Contact information.
Your name should appear prominently centered at the top of the page. Ensure it is typed in bold non-serif font (this makes it look more professional).
Your phone number and email address should follow on the line below your name. If you have representation, like a manager or agent, ensure to list their contact information in this section as well.
It’s also wise to list if you are a member of an actor’s union in this section. State this by writing it down as initials instead of the entire name of the association. For example, if you are a member of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, write AFTRA.
A headshot can be added to this section, though it’s not essential to have one in most voice acting jobs.
Having a headshot can give recruiters a sense of your charm and charisma, put a face to the voice. It could add a little advantage but the most important thing is marketing your voice, qualifications, and, prior experience.
Prior voice acting experience
This is one of the most vital parts of a voice acting resume. It gives a potential employer a brief dig into your portfolio. Yet, even the pros get this section wrong at times.
First, you should assume the recruiter is after a specific skill set.
They usually have a large stack of voice acting resumes to rummage through and may not have time to read every detail on yours. Make the recruiter’s work easier by listing your experience in specific niches.
Niches relevant to voice acting include:
1. E-learning voice-overs
Educational institutions like universities need voice-over work for tutorials and other training materials. Listing such prior experiences is essential when creating a voice acting resume.
2. Commercial voice-overs
These account for around 8 percent of employment opportunities for voice actors. But, you should include such an experience because it’s such a lucrative industry.
3. Announcements also make it to the list
Have you ever heard a voice making announcements in an airport, mall or large public space? These are recordings done by talented voice-over artists. Don’t leave out such experiences when crafting your resume.
4. Corporate voice-overs
Companies need to create and update various training and human resource videos. Such materials need vocal talent to make them impactful on the end-users.
5. Narration
Narration accounts for the most substantial portion of voice-over work in the industry. With the rise in audiobook and documentary narration, there is bound to be even more work in the near future. So, include such experience in your resume to get a piece of the action.
6. Animation voice-overs
Such deals are so lucrative that even celebrities are getting in on the game. Plenty of foreign productions also need English dub versions. Thus, state if you have prior experience in your resume to capitalize on any opportunities.
Training experience
There’s a rise of self-taught voice talents in various professional fields across the world. A little training experience gives you an edge over the competition. With that said, a lot of talents are actually self-taught, but this doesn’t mean you can’t add to your existing skills.
Voice actors can always get more training to sharpen their skills. Such training will give your voice acting resume more edge.
Speaking of voice acting classes, this is all you need to know.
1. Private coaching
Budding voice actors can seek the services of a seasoned professional to learn the craft. If you studied under a pro, please ensure you say so on your voice acting resume. This measure not only adds to your credibility, but the Pro also stands in as a valuable reference.
2. Intensive workshops
Participating in intensive workshops drills you into the craft and builds a sense of collaboration. Stating that you have gone through such training on your voice acting resume indicates that you are a team player.
3. Advanced training
Copy reading classes and other advanced types of voice acting training shows that you are ready to get to work. It gives the recruiter a sense of security in your skills, as you will need less instruction as you work.
Include ‘Related Skills’ in your Voice Acting Resume
In this section, you should any more skills you may have that are relevant to voice acting. This section is not vital, but it can strengthen your chances of securing a gig. A recruiter may see an added advantage in hiring you if you include skills such as:
- Fluently speaking a foreign language
- Speaking in a foreign accent
Here is how you can use accents to spice up your audio content.
- Public speaking skills
- A background in stage or screen acting
- Background in singing
- The ability to play a musical instrument
- A background in production or sound engineering
The rule here is to focus on additional capabilities that show you are more than a voice. Ensure to keep it relevant to audio production and voice acting.
What Other Aspects Can Strengthen Your Voice Acting Resume?
The information provided in the above sections is sufficient if you are looking for a job at a large studio.
But what if you are looking for a voice acting gig in a smaller studio? Or maybe you wish to work for a client that lacks the equipment and workforce? In such cases, you’ll need to provide more information in your voice acting resume to secure that position.
What are Your Vocal Attributes?
There’s such a wide vocal range and tone of voice that you can hit as a vocal talent. Leveraging such attributes strengthens your voice acting resume, raising your employment chances. The recruiter may also cast you in a variety of roles in the production process.
Some vocal attributes you should list include;
- Natural and articulate
- Flexibility and clarity
- Ideal for children
- Educated and sophisticated
- Appropriately paced voice
There’re too many attributes to mention, but this brief list gives you an idea of what is important to voice over clients.
Do you Offer Production Services?
If you own a recording studio (even a home studio), list the services, you offer. If you don’t own a studio, you can partner with a local studio and list the services they provide on your resume. Such a measure allows you to take on take on clients that lack the facilities.
It also allows you to charge the client not only for your voice but for the production services as well. Productions services that you could list include:
- Production of jingles and background tracks.
- Translation of English into other languages and vice versa.
- A list of software and equipment you own and can operate.
- File formats you can create and send to clients such as m4a, mp3, Wav, AIFF
- A brief list of your sound effects and music libraries.
Learn more about voice over demos here.
If you’ve got audio production skills, we may have a job for you. Send us a message here to learn more!
List your Previous Clients
A list of clients can add some credibility to your voice acting resume. You can skip it if you have none or if you signed a non-disclosure agreement. Please note, lacking this section in your resume won’t affect your chances of recruitment. Think of it as a feather to add to your cap.
When listing previous clients, write the name of the client and the role you played in the organization.
Any Additional Vocal Production Capabilities
Radio and other forms of audio production have various roles that need to be filled. Ensure to include relevant capabilities such as:
- Translation skills
- Editing
- Script-writing
- Copy-writing
Embellish your voice acting resume with prior experience in any of these fields.
A Few Tips for Formatting a Voice Acting Resume
Ultimately, your voice acting resume should be:
Readable.
Use a standard font and ensure the type size is not too small. You want anyone to be able to see the information. A font size of 14 works well even with readers above the age of 40.
Cramming it all in so it can fit on a single page is not a wise idea. If you have a long list of capabilities and accomplishments, let it all spill over into the next page. Use double spacing so that some of the words on the bottom of the page don’t get cut.
You’re also free to use bullet points and other devices to keep the resume neat and easier to read. But, ensure you do it consistently. Also, visit the websites of all the brands and companies stated in your document to ensure consistent spelling.
It should be simple
The recruiter should get all the facts even when scheming through its content. A template is the best place to start because once you have one, all you have to do is fill in the information.
Don’t forget to proofread and run a spellcheck on your voice acting resume.
A trusted friend or third party can also correct the document before you press print.
If everything looks great, print out a copy to have in hand or to send out to agencies and other recruiters.
To Sum it all Up
Creating a competitive voice acting resume is not as difficult as many people in the industry assume. Yet, so many talented voice actors miss well-paid gigs by having a weak resume or not having one at all.
All you need to do is present the facts in a neat and straightforward package.
Feel free to add more sections and experiment with the format. Remember, voice acting resumes depend on your capabilities and experiences. So, make your resume a personal statement. That’s the best way to stand out from the crowd.
Go forth and get those voice acting gigs!
And if you’re already set up, consider joining up with Bunny Studio today to get more and better voice acting gigs!
