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Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance resume example

A resume for a Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance needs to show the work itself: apply makeup to performers to reflect period, setting, and situation of their role. Day to day that means work like this: apply makeup to enhance or alter the appearance of people appearing in productions such as movies; select desired makeup shades from stock, or mix oil, grease, and coloring to achieve specific color effects. 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.

  • Hair and Makeup Designer
  • Makeup Artist
  • Special Effects Makeup Artist
  • Special Makeup Effects Artist
  • Commercial Makeup Artist
  • Prosthetic Makeup Designer
  • Beauty Advisor
  • Beauty Therapist
  • Body Make-Up Artist
  • Character Artist
  • Hair and Makeup Artist
  • Makeup Technician
  • Makeup Worker
  • Special Effects Designer

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.

  • Apply makeup to enhance or alter the appearance of people appearing in productions such as movies.
  • Select desired makeup shades from stock, or mix oil, grease, and coloring to achieve specific color effects.
  • Duplicate work precisely to replicate characters' appearances on a daily basis.
  • Cleanse and tone the skin to prepare it for makeup application.
  • Assess performers' skin type to ensure that makeup will not cause break-outs or skin irritations.
  • Study production information, such as character descriptions, period settings, and situations, to determine makeup requirements.
  • Alter or maintain makeup during productions as necessary to compensate for lighting changes or to achieve continuity of effect.
  • Analyze a script, noting events that affect each character's appearance, so that plans can be made for each scene.
  • Confer with stage or motion picture officials and performers to determine desired effects.
  • Establish budgets, and work within budgetary limits.
  • Write makeup sheets and take photos to document specific looks and the products used to achieve the looks.
  • Provide performers with makeup removal assistance after performances have been completed.

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.

  • Apply makeup to enhance or alter the appearance of people appearing in productions such as movies, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Select desired makeup shades from stock, or mix oil, grease, and coloring to achieve specific color effects, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Duplicate work precisely to replicate characters' appearances on a daily basis, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Cleanse and tone the skin to prepare it for makeup application, 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.

  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Appointment scheduling software
  • Autodesk Maya
  • Autodesk Mudbox
  • Blogging software
  • Bookitlive
  • Clear Books
  • Client databases
  • Customer relationship management CRM software
  • DatInf DigiMakeup
  • Email software
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Intuit QuickBooks

21 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.

  • Airbrushing tools
  • Angle brushes
  • Angle liners
  • Brow brushes
  • Chisel brushes
  • Colored contact lenses
  • Contour brushes
  • Digital still cameras
  • Dome brushes
  • Eye shadow brushes
  • Eyebrow combs
  • Fan brushes

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.

  • Appointment scheduling
  • Autodesk Maya

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. 01Speaking
  2. 02Active Listening
  3. 03Reading Comprehension
  4. 04Critical Thinking
  5. 05Judgment and Decision Making
  6. 06Active Learning
  7. 07Coordination
  8. 08Monitoring
  9. 09Social Perceptiveness

Knowledge areas

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

  • Customer and Personal Service
  • English Language
  • Administration and Management
  • Fine Arts
  • Design
  • Communications and Media

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.

  • 43%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school
  • 17%Less than a High School Diploma
  • 13%Some College Courses

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Medium Preparation Needed”. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Common questions

What does a Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance do?
Apply makeup to performers to reflect period, setting, and situation of their role. Day to day that includes work like apply makeup to enhance or alter the appearance of people appearing in productions such as movies and Select desired makeup shades from stock, or mix oil, grease, and coloring to achieve specific color effects.
What skills should a Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance put on a resume?
O*NET rates Speaking, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, and Judgment and Decision Making 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 Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance list?
Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe Photoshop, Appointment scheduling software, Autodesk Maya, Autodesk Mudbox, and Blogging software. 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 Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance work?
O*NET records 14 titles for this occupation, including Hair and Makeup Designer, Makeup Artist, Special Effects Makeup Artist, and Special Makeup Effects Artist. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance need?
In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 43% reported their level of education as "Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance 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.