"Honesty is the best policy." It's an age old adage, but there must be a reason that it has stood the test of the time!
#9 - The Lie.
There are so many versions of this problem, I hardly know where to begin. Yes, this is acting and as actors, you will play characters who are not truly YOU. That is not an example of a lie.
In an industry ripe with untruths, we are inundated with inaccurate statistics, credits, and even sometimes representation. Please do not list an agent who has not agreed to represent you. It's one of the most puzzling choices we see talent make and inevitably, word will get back to the agent, who will clarify the misunderstanding. It's only that talent who ends up looking sheepish!
Lying about jobs booked with certain clients is also a good way to be caught red handed. I once sent a talent to see someone I assumed they had already worked with, as listed on their resume. After the talent left this photographer's studio, he called me to inquire about the job that he was listed as having shot. The photographer had never shot the campaign listed on the talent's resume. Maybe we can give him the benefit of the doubt and say that the photographer's name was a typo, but the point here is that the photographer now wants nothing to do with the talent or any set he is connected with -- a permanently burned bridge.
The most common lie on a resume is sometimes intended well and is found in the special skills section. Actors and models both tend to inflate their abilities. Even those who are modest can be caught off guard if they don't keep their skills section up-to-date! If you once yodeled in Switzerlrand over a decade ago, putting "yodel" on your resume may be a stretch. If you list a skill on your resume, be prepared to do it right now. In my interview process, I frequently as talent to talk to me in the accents they have listed. I am most impressed when someone flips from one accent to the next in mid sentence! [I will definitely be sending them out!] But I am most annoyed when the response I get is, "Oh, man. I haven't done that in while. Lemme see . . . I, um . . . " Usually what follows is quite the disappointment.
Be honest with your skills. They are a great conversation starter and set you apart from your competition, but listing things inappropriately can do more damage than good. Only use special skills, credits, and other information as you truly can follow through on should someone ask!
Take a look at your resume -- what might be something you should practice in order to keep listed?
Comments