Costume Attendant resume example

A resume for a Costume Attendant needs to show the work itself: select, fit, and take care of costumes for cast members, and aid entertainers. Day to day that means work like this: create worksheets for dressing lists, show notes, or costume checks; provide dressing assistance to cast members or assign cast dressers to assist specific cast members with costume changes. 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.

  • Costumer
  • Dresser
  • Wardrobe Assistant
  • Wardrobe Supervisor
  • Costume Draper
  • Costume Seamstress
  • Draper
  • Wardrobe Attendant
  • Costume Cutter
  • Costume Dresser
  • Costume Mistress
  • Costume Shop Coordinator
  • Costume Specialist
  • Costume Technician
  • Costumer Assistant
  • Theatrical Wardrobe Attendant
  • Theatrical Wardrobe Dresser
  • Wardrobe Custodian

O*NET records 23 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.

  • Create worksheets for dressing lists, show notes, or costume checks.
  • Provide dressing assistance to cast members or assign cast dressers to assist specific cast members with costume changes.
  • Arrange costumes in order of use to facilitate quick-change procedures for performances.
  • Design or construct costumes or send them to tailors for construction, major repairs, or alterations.
  • Examine costume fit on cast members and sketch or write notes for alterations.
  • Distribute costumes or related equipment and keep records of item status.
  • Check the appearance of costumes on stage or under lights to determine whether desired effects are being achieved.
  • Clean and press costumes before and after performances and perform any minor repairs.
  • Collaborate with production designers, costume designers, or other production staff to discuss and execute costume design details.
  • Monitor, maintain, or secure inventories of costumes, wigs, or makeup, providing keys or access to assigned directors, costume designers, or wardrobe mistresses/masters.
  • Purchase, rent, or requisition costumes or other wardrobe necessities.
  • Study books, pictures, or examples of period clothing to determine styles worn during specific periods in history.

21 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.

  • Create worksheets for dressing lists, show notes, or costume checks, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Provide dressing assistance to cast members or assign cast dressers to assist specific cast members with costume changes, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Arrange costumes in order of use to facilitate quick-change procedures for performances, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Design or construct costumes or send them to tailors for construction, major repairs, or alterations, 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.

  • Database software
  • Garment tracking software
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft Word
  • Web browser software

Tools and equipment

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

  • Combination pliers
  • Commercial dryers
  • Commercial washing machines
  • Data input scanners
  • Dry cleaning equipment
  • Electric irons
  • Fabric pressing equipment
  • Garment steamers
  • Hot glue guns
  • Labelmakers
  • Laptop computers
  • Measuring tapes

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.

  • deliver items
  • maintain facilities

What this job rates as most important

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

  1. 01Active Listening
  2. 02Coordination
  3. 03Monitoring
  4. 04Speaking
  5. 05Social Perceptiveness

Knowledge areas

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

  • Fine Arts
  • Design
  • Production and Processing
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • English Language
  • Psychology

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.

  • 32%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
  • 30%Bachelor's Degree
  • 15%Some College Courses

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 Costume Attendant do?
Select, fit, and take care of costumes for cast members, and aid entertainers. Day to day that includes work like create worksheets for dressing lists, show notes, or costume checks and Provide dressing assistance to cast members or assign cast dressers to assist specific cast members with costume changes.
What skills should a Costume Attendant put on a resume?
O*NET rates Active Listening, Coordination, Monitoring, Speaking, and Social Perceptiveness 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 Costume Attendant list?
Software recorded for this occupation includes Database software, Garment tracking software, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, and Microsoft Outlook. 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 Costume Attendant work?
O*NET records 23 titles for this occupation, including Costumer, Dresser, Wardrobe Assistant, and Wardrobe Supervisor. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Costume Attendant need?
In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 32% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Costume Attendant 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.