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3 Musician Resume Examples & Guide...

3 Musician Resume Examples & Guide for 2024

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Here’s what you’ll learn in this short Musician resume guide

  • What are the most important resume sections recruiters look for when reviewing your application;
  • What content to add in each section of your resume;
  • Musician resume example from a job-seeker who got hired, which you can use as a base to build your own resume;
  • Additional tips and tricks on resume layout, formatting, and design;
  • Little known resume red-flags, you have to pay extra attention to.

How to write a musician resume

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Top musician resume sections that make the best layout

  • Header
  • Professional summary
  • Experience (with numbers and results)
  • Relevant skills
  • Education
  • Certifications

There are three basic resume formats you can choose from:

The most optimal format for your particular case will depend on your years of experience, as well as whether you’re switching industries or not.

  • Reverse chronological resumes are best suited for experienced individuals who are sticking to their industry. The experience section takes a central place, and its bullets contain your responsibilities and achievements, coupled with numbers and results.
  • Functional resumes are used by less experienced jobseekers or career changers. Note that it’s not a format that recruiters prefer, as most are used to the classic chronological alignment. Instead of a list of job titles, functional resumes focus on your skills, and through what experiences you gained them.
  • Hybrid resumes are great for both experienced and entry-level candidates, as well as career changers. They combine the best of both worlds - most often in a double column format, where one side of the content is focused on your experience, whereas the other - on your skills, strengths, and proudest moments.
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Here are more resume tips regarding your layout and style

To take it a step further, check out how your resume can stand out without leaning too much on the creative side.

Recommended reads:

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PRO TIP

Test your draft Musician resume by sending it out to peers and mentors in your circles. Ask them to review it as if they are hiring you for a project and implement the feedback afterwards.

Musician resume header: tips, red flags, and best practices

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Here’s what to include in your Musician resume header:

  • Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
  • The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
  • Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
  • Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
  • Email address
  • Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)

Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:

  • first.last@gmail.com
  • last.first@gmail.com
  • firstlast@gmail.com
  • f.last@gmail.com
  • first.l@gmail.com

Recommended reads:

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PRO TIP

Some companies, states, and countries have non-discrimination policies about what kind of information can be included on your resume. This might include a photo (which is often included in a resume header and might be on personal web pages you link to). You can always email the company’s HR department to ask about their policies before you apply.

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Checklist: what to include in your Musician resume summary:

  • Years of experience;
  • Highlight top 3 skills and proficiencies;
  • One big professional accomplishment you’re most proud of, that you can tie with the aforementioned skills;
  • Use short, direct sentences - but no more than three - to keep the HRs interested.

Recommended reads:

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PRO TIP

You’re not going to get hired simply because of a good summary or objective. However, your recruiter can bump you up in front of similarly experienced candidates who didn’t demonstrate such passion and drive.

Best Practices for Musician Resume Experience Section

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Job experience checklist - what to add to your Musician resume:

  • Use 4-6 bullet points per job title;
  • Don’t go further than a decade behind when describing your job history, unless you’re applying for an executive position;
  • Combine job responsibilities as well as achievements with numbers in results when you describe your past work;
  • Start each sentence with a power verb and avoid overused buzzwords;
  • Use either C-A-R or S-T-A-R methodology, when describing your experience.

Recommended reads:

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PRO TIP

Show off real numbers that display your accomplishments in past roles. Instead of listing out your responsibilities as Musician, talk about the measurable impact you made to their business. Did you boost their revenue? Increase customer retention? Mention your proudest points on your resume.

Musician Resume Skills’ Tips & Tricks to Impress Recruiters

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Top skills to add to your musician resume

  • Singing
  • Drums
  • Piano
  • Guitar
  • Violin
  • Cello
  • Mastering
  • Sales>Sales
  • Marketing>Marketing

Resume Skills Section Checklist:

  • Ensure your hard skills section (including technologies) are exactly matching the job description.
  • Don’t simply list your soft skills. Apply the “show, don’t tell” principle - let your job achievements speak for themselves.
  • Find a way to showcase your skills beyond the skills section.
  • Your resume’s skill section is important to ATS systems - so don’t skip it.

Recommended reads:

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PRO TIP

When picking skills to feature in your resume, make sure they'll be relevant to the position you’re applying to. The point of listing skills is for you to stand out from the competition. Stay away from repetitive, meaningless skills that everyone uses in their resumes. Or else, they’ll backfire and make you look like an average candidate.

Listing your education, certifications and courses

Checklist for your resume education

  • Include your highest education degree;
  • List the duration you spent there, as well as the institution;
  • If you’re applying for an entry-level position, include additional details like relevant courses and projects;
  • Feature your certifications if they are necessary for the position - either as a separate section, or, in your resume headline.
  • Add the year your certificate was issued or renewed, if it’s in a subject area that requires regular updates.

Recommended reads:

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PRO TIP

If you hold a certain major and a minor, your majors should be mentioned first.

Musician cover letter tips

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Nowadays, job application forms include questions like “why do you want to work here”, or “explain why you’re the best fit for us”, which makes you wonder: are cover letters really necessary?

In case the job description says you need to provide a cover letter, do include yours. Otherwise, you can always leave it out.

Still, they help you tell your story in a way that, if written right, it’s captivating and engaging.

In any case, you should pay close attention to the following tips when a cover letter is a must:

If you need more inspiration, check out our cover letter examples for different jobs.

Other sections to include in your resume

Depending on the type of company (corporation or start-up; innovative or traditional), job seniority level and your location, you may want to include more sections to your Musician resume:

Musician resume: How to make yours more creative & stand out

When you send your resume to a potential employer, chances are it's the fiftieth one they've seen that day. That's why you need to make your Musician resume stand out for the right reasons. That means showing your personality, not just your professional experience. Employers are far more likely to remember a candidate who seems like a genuine person and not a robot. Do this by including your passions (which is also a great place to demonstrate skills on a resume), share your favorite books, or even what your usual day looks like.

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What makes a great musician resume: key takeaways

  • Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
  • Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
  • Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
  • Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
  • List soft skills backed by examples;
  • Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
  • Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.

Musician resume examples

Explore additional musician resume samples and guides and see what works for your level of experience or role.

By Role

DJ

Similar to how product management originates from software engineering, DJing as a profession has roots in the audio engineering field. Therefore, current trends in audio technology often impact the practice and popularity of DJing.

The following tips may aid your application for DJ positions:

  • Previous experience with different mixing techniques can enhance your resume. Beat matching, phrasing, EQing and filter mixing are essentials in a DJ's toolkit. Display your skills in these areas prominently in your resume.
  • Don't just list your abilities. Use examples to show the positive impact of your tuning skills on an event’s atmosphere. For instance, 'increased crowd engagement through...,' 'enhanced dance floor energy by...,' and so on.
  • Finally, highlight the breadth of your music knowledge and how it serves the audience. Providing examples of how you've handled various genres shows your adaptability and commitment to customer satisfaction.
View DJ Resume

Music Director

Similar to DJing, Music Director's abilities can heavily influence a performance's overall outcome. A Music Director’s role emerges in conjunction with knowledge in music theory, composition, and conducting. Therefore, updates and advances in these elements can impact the Music Director's responsibilities and requirements.

Consider the following when applying for Music Director roles:

Demonstrate your knowledge in music theory, orchestration, and conducting as these are key competencies. Showcase how your skills in these areas have led to superior concert performances.

Rather than just listing your skills in arranging and composing, show the impact of your work. For example, 'received standing ovation for the original composition of...' or 'increased ticket sales with unique arrangements...'

Highlight your leadership abilities and your experience working with and guiding musicians. Show how your management and direction have positively changed a group or ensemble's performances and overall growth.

View Music Director Resume
musician resume example

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