Being a professional musician may seem ideal. Following one’s passion and making money at the same time: what could be bad about that? The reality, however, is that making a living as a professional musician is just as hard as with any other job. From properly referencing freelance gigs to accurately citing ongoing permanent work, it can be difficult to know how to format and market a musician’s resume. Lucky for you, USA Resume is here to help. Our professional team will compose your CV so you can keep the music playing strong.

Resumes for Professional Musicians

Despite the fact that we’re living in a highly digital era, the demand for professional, live musicians has never been higher. Having a live musical performance at an event adds a certain level of class that simply can’t be beat. From performance halls to cruise ships to dinner theater and more, musical performers are always in high demand. That said, there are also a lot of qualified, sought-after musicians ready to hit the stage. To ensure that your musician resume lands at the top of the pile for any job consideration, you should:

  • List your education at the top of your resume.
  • Proofread and use spell check before submitting your resume.
  • Line up references and let them know you’re going to use them.
  • Limit your resume to a under two pages if possible.
  • Organize your experience by grouping into categories.
  • Use easy-to-read, clean font in size 11 or 12.
  • Bullet point your experience.
  • Include only relevant work experience, working in reverse chronological order.
  • Use consistent verbiage and tenses.

When writing a resume, there are many things to keep in mind. Resumes geared toward specific jobs, careers, skills, positions, etc., have precise information pertaining to each, Still, there are a handful of tips that apply to most resumes. These include:

  • Never go back more than 10 to 12 years in the descriptive narrative of career history
  • If you’re over 45, take off dates that apply to graduations and anything else that hints at how old you are.
  • If you feel that your home location may deter an employer from hiring you, do not put your house address at the top of the resume. Rather, simply put your name and an email address. You can talk about the drive to work after they decide to interview you. Here are two reasons that your address might hurt you: 1) your employer may feel that your drive to and from work is too long; 2) you may live in a neighborhood that is considered “questionable”, and an employer may have preconceived notions regarding such.
  • Try, whenever possible, to keep your resume under two pages. The following would be possible exceptions: 1) if you have extensive experience and feel that it would improve your chances for hire; 2) if you are over 60.

With an extensive background in the creation of industry-specific resumes, our writers are certified and highly educated. They are also certified Career Coaches, thereby adding immeasurable value through knowledge and expertise. Some of the services USA Resumes offers include:

  • Professional Cover Letters
  • Custom-Tailored Resumes
  • LinkedIn Profile Optimization
  • A Review of Existing Resumes for Areas of Needed Improvement

The best thing to do when you need an impressively written resume for a professional musician is to reach out to USA Resume. We’ll help put you in the best position to land gigs and opportunities for exposure. Contact us today if you’d like to learn more.