What does a Actor do?

Play parts in stage, television, radio, video, or film productions, or other settings for entertainment, information, or instruction. Day to day that includes work like collaborate with other actors as part of an ensemble and Portray and interpret roles, using speech, gestures, and body movements, to entertain, inform, or instruct radio, film, television, or live audiences.

What skills should a Actor put on a resume?

O*NET rates Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, and Critical Thinking among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Actor list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Apple Final Cut Pro, Email software, Facebook, FileMaker Pro, and Instagram. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Actor work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Actress, Comedian, Performer, and Comic. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Actor need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 45% reported their level of education as "Less than a High School Diploma". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Actor role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Actor resume example

A resume for a Actor needs to show the work itself: play parts in stage, television, radio, video, or film productions, or other settings for entertainment, information, or instruction. Day to day that means work like this: collaborate with other actors as part of an ensemble; portray and interpret roles, using speech, gestures, and body movements, to entertain, inform, or instruct radio, film, television, or live audiences. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Actress
Comedian
Performer
Comic
Community Theater Actor
Ensemble Member
Narrator
Tour Actor
Voice-Over Artist
Actor Understudy
Character Performer
Double
Dramatic Reader
Elocutionist
Entertainer
Extra
Illusionist
Impersonator

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

Collaborate with other actors as part of an ensemble.
Portray and interpret roles, using speech, gestures, and body movements, to entertain, inform, or instruct radio, film, television, or live audiences.
Work closely with directors, other actors, and playwrights to find the interpretation most suited to the role.
Perform humorous and serious interpretations of emotions, actions, and situations, using body movements, facial expressions, and gestures.
Study and rehearse roles from scripts to interpret, learn and memorize lines, stunts, and cues as directed.
Learn about characters in scripts and their relationships to each other to develop role interpretations.
Attend auditions and casting calls to audition for roles.
Sing or dance during dramatic or comedic performances.
Work with other crew members responsible for lighting, costumes, make-up, and props.
Tell jokes, perform comic dances, songs and skits, impersonate mannerisms and voices of others, contort face, and use other devices to amuse audiences.
Read from scripts or books to narrate action or to inform or entertain audiences, utilizing few or no stage props.
Promote productions using means such as interviews about plays or movies.

18 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Collaborate with other actors as part of an ensemble, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Portray and interpret roles, using speech, gestures, and body movements, to entertain, inform, or instruct radio, film, television, or live audiences, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Work closely with directors, other actors, and playwrights to find the interpretation most suited to the role, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Perform humorous and serious interpretations of emotions, actions, and situations, using body movements, facial expressions, and gestures, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

Apple Final Cut Pro
Email software
Facebook
FileMaker Pro
Instagram
LinkedIn
Linux
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Word
Motion capture software
TikTok

20 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

Digital still cameras
Digital video recorders
Laptop computers
MP3 digital voice recorders
Personal computers
Photography tripods
Tablet computers
Wireless microphones

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

Apple Final Cut Pro
FileMaker Pro

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Reading Comprehension
02Speaking
03Active Listening
04Social Perceptiveness
05Critical Thinking
06Monitoring
07Time Management

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Fine Arts
English Language
Communications and Media
Sociology and Anthropology
Psychology
Customer and Personal Service

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

45%Less than a High School Diploma
21%Bachelor's Degree
16%High School Diploma, or the equivalent

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Some Preparation Needed”. These occupations usually require a high school diploma.

Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.

Common questions

What does a Actor do?: Play parts in stage, television, radio, video, or film productions, or other settings for entertainment, information, or instruction. Day to day that includes work like collaborate with other actors as part of an ensemble and Portray and interpret roles, using speech, gestures, and body movements, to entertain, inform, or instruct radio, film, television, or live audiences.
What skills should a Actor put on a resume?: O*NET rates Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, and Critical Thinking among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Actor list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Apple Final Cut Pro, Email software, Facebook, FileMaker Pro, and Instagram. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Actor work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Actress, Comedian, Performer, and Comic. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Actor need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 45% reported their level of education as "Less than a High School Diploma". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Actor role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.