As a voice actor, one challenging aspect of crafting your resume is effectively showcasing the range of your vocal abilities and the diversity of roles you've played. Our guide provides comprehensive strategies to help you illustrate your vocal versatility and tailor your experience to appeal to casting directors, ensuring your resume sings with potential.
- Find different voice actor resume examples to serve as inspiration to your professional presentation.
- How to use the summary or objective to highlight your career achievements.
- How to create the experience section to tell your story.
- Must have certificates and what to include in the education section of your resume.
If the voice actor resume isn't the right one for you, take a look at other related guides we have:
The importance of format and layout in your voice actor resume
Consider you're an HR professional at company X, evaluating two voice actor candidate resumes. John Smith presents a simple, traditional, and easy-to-read resume. Edward Price, however, uses a non-conventional, often illegible format. Whose resume would you spend more time on to understand their experience? This scenario underscores the importance of your voice actor resume’s design. It should be simply formatted and clearly communicate why you are the ideal candidate for the role.
Achieve this balance by:
- Listing your experience, beginning with the most recent and relevant, in reverse chronological order;
- Ensuring your header contains essential information, such as contact details, a headline, and a portfolio link. Include a professional photo in the voice actor resume header if you have one;
- Including only the most important and relevant resume sections to showcase your expertise and stand out from other candidates;
- Editing your voice actor resume to be no longer than two pages if you have extensive relevant experience. Use your limited resume space judiciously.
Also, remember that your voice actor resume might initially be scanned by an Applicant Tracker System (ATS).
When it comes to ATS:
- Opt for simple and legible fonts like Raleway, Rubik, Lato, etc., making your experience easy for the ATS to scan;
- Use serif and sans-serif fonts, both of which are ATS-friendly;
- Avoid overused options like Arial and Times New Roman, which, while suitable, may lack personality.
Contrary to a common myth, our recent study shows that the ATS can effectively process both one-column and two-column resumes. Learn more about this in the ATS myths guide.
Finally, when submitting your voice actor resume, always export it as a PDF to ensure all information remains intact, making the document easier to print, read, and scan.
Be aware of location-based layout differences – Canadian resumes, for instance, might differ in format.
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Fundamental sections for your voice actor resume:
- The header with your name (if your degree or certification is impressive, you can add the title as a follow up to your name), contact details, portfolio link, and headline
- The summary or objective aligning your career and resume achievements with the role
- The experience section to curate neatly organized bullets with your tangible at-work-success
- Skills listed through various sections of your resume and within an exclusive sidebar
- The education and certifications for more credibility and industry-wide expertise
What recruiters want to see on your resume:
- Vocal range and versatility demonstrated through different character voices, accents, and emotional deliveries.
- Professional voice acting credits in various media, including cartoons, video games, commercials, audiobooks, or dubbing work.
- Formal training or education in acting, voice-over techniques, or speech and drama.
- Quality of voice acting demos showcasing the ability to convey emotion, personality, and brand identity.
- Technical proficiency with audio recording equipment and software for producing clean, high-quality audio samples.
Advice for your voice actor resume experience section - setting your application apart from other candidates
Your resume experience section needs to balance your tangible workplace achievements with job requirements.
The easiest way to sustain this balance between meeting candidate expectations, while standing out, is to:
- Select really impressive career highlights to detail under each experience and support those with your skills;
- Assess the job advert to define both the basic requirements (which you could answer with more junior roles) and the more advanced requirements - which could play a more prominent role through your experience section;
- Create a separate experience section, if you decide on listing irrelevant experience items. Always curate those via the people or technical skills you've attained that match the current job you're applying for;
- Don't list experience items from a decade ago - as they may no longer be relevant to the industry. That is, unless you're applying for a more senior role: where experience would go to demonstrate your character and ambitions;
- Define how your role has helped make the team, department, or company better. Support this with your skill set and the initial challenge you were able to solve.
Take a look at how real-life voice actor professionals have presented their resume experience section - always aiming to demonstrate their success.
- Provided voice-over for over 50 episodes of the animated series 'Adventure Time', enhancing character development and engagement.
- Collaborated with sound engineers and directors to create unique character voices, leading to a 30% increase in social media engagement for the show.
- Guided and mentored junior voice talent, resulting in a streamlined production process and improved performance delivery.
- Delivered compelling voice performances for major video game titles including 'The Last of Us' and 'Bioshock Infinite', each selling over 5 million copies.
- Performed detailed script analysis and character study to ensure authenticity and emotional depth in voice portrayal.
- Assisted in the development of voice recording protocols which reduced production time by 20% without compromising quality.
- Specialized in providing narration and character voices for audiobooks, contributing to over 100 productions that consistently rated above 4 stars on Audible.
- Effectively managed recording sessions, meeting tight deadlines and often delivering final files ahead of schedule.
- Developed a distinctive, versatile vocal range that adapted to various genres, from young adult fiction to complex technical manuals.
- Voiced a variety of characters for the children's animated show 'Paw Patrol', which saw a viewership growth of 40% during tenure.
- Initiated a voice acting workshop for the production team, elevating the overall talent pool and improving team versatility.
- Collaborated closely with international localization teams to ensure accurate cultural translation of voice work.
- Provide ongoing voice talent for the English dubbing of popular anime series, striking a balance between original intonation and Western audience appeal.
- Engage regularly with the fan community through social media, enhancing company visibility and promoting new releases.
- Utilize advanced recording technology to deliver high-quality voice-over work remotely, maintaining production flow despite COVID-19 restrictions.
- Performed as the leading voice actor for various successful commercial campaigns, including those for Coca-Cola and Toyota, contributing to a notable uptick in client sales.
- Facilitated creative brainstorming sessions with the marketing team to align voice work with brand messaging, achieving a cohesive brand voice.
- Implemented a performance review system for peer voice actors, leading to a 25% improvement in delivery and client satisfaction.
- Narrated high-profile documentary series for National Geographic, involving challenging technical jargon while maintaining viewer engagement through emotive delivery.
- Worked on-location with various production teams to capture authentic environmental sounds that complemented narrative voice work.
- Pioneered an interactive podcast series using specialized vocal techniques to educate and entertain listeners about wildlife conservation, reaching over 1 million downloads.
- Played a key role in launching a new animated sitcom, 'The Regulars', by providing voice work for multiple characters and contributing to a 15% increase in the network's viewership demographics.
- Spearheaded a voice actor roundtable initiative to discuss industry trends, improving adaptation to new digital voice synthesis technologies.
- Crafted and led a series of voice-acting seminars, equipping fellow actors with the skills to excel in a rapidly evolving digital entertainment landscape.
The following content includes information from "O*NET OnLine" by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. The data represents the top responsibilities present on the task lists for voice actor professionals.
Top Responsibilities for Voice Actor:
- Collaborate with other actors as part of an ensemble.
- Portray and interpret roles, using speech, gestures, and body movements, to entertain, inform, or instruct radio, film, television, or live audiences.
- Work closely with directors, other actors, and playwrights to find the interpretation most suited to the role.
- Perform humorous and serious interpretations of emotions, actions, and situations, using body movements, facial expressions, and gestures.
- Study and rehearse roles from scripts to interpret, learn and memorize lines, stunts, and cues as directed.
- Learn about characters in scripts and their relationships to each other to develop role interpretations.
- Attend auditions and casting calls to audition for roles.
- Sing or dance during dramatic or comedic performances.
- Work with other crew members responsible for lighting, costumes, make-up, and props.
- Tell jokes, perform comic dances, songs and skits, impersonate mannerisms and voices of others, contort face, and use other devices to amuse audiences.
Quantifying impact on your resume
- List the number of productions you have been involved in to showcase the extent of your experience.
- Include the types of characters portrayed to demonstrate your range and flexibility.
- Specify the number of languages or accents you are proficient in to highlight your versatility.
- Mention the audience size or reach of your most popular projects to indicate the impact of your work.
- Quantify any awards or recognitions received to establish your credibility and success in the industry.
- Detail the length and significance of any voice acting training programs completed to underline your professionalism and dedication.
- State the number of repeat hire clients you've worked with to show reliability and satisfaction with your performances.
- Report the increase in follower counts or engagement rates on social platforms when involved in social media campaigns to reflect your influence and marketability.
Action verbs for your voice actor resume
What if my voice actor experience doesn't match the requirements?
You've just graduated from college and may have no real world job experience . What should you include within your resume then?
Instead of making up information or adding irrelevant past jobs (e.g. your on-campus work during freshman year), you can:
- Shift the focus from your professional experience to your community impact with your volunteer work. This would showcase numerous soft skills you've built over time (e.g. interpersonal communication);
- Highlight the projects you've completed, as part of your coursework, or, on your own. Thus, you will align your technical background with recruiters' requirements;
- Consider spotlighting your transferrable skills. Or, what lessons and talents your current professional and personal experience has taught you and how they could benefit your potential employers;
- Even if you've had a few months of internship experience, that is relevant for the role, make sure to include this. Recruiters do care about the years of experience you happen to have, but, at the end of the day, your profile would also be assessed based on role alignment.
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If the certificate you've obtained is especially vital for the industry or company, include it as part of your name within the resume headline.
Shining a light on your voice actor hard skills and soft skills
To win recruiters over, you must really have a breadth of skill set presented and supported within your voice actor resume.
On hiring managers' checklists, you'd initially discover hard or technical skills. Those are the technology (and software) that help you perform on the job. Hard skills are easy to quantify via your education, certificates, and on-the-job success.
Another main criterion recruiters are always assessing your voice actor resume on is soft skills. That is your ability to communicate, adapt, and grow in new environments. Soft skills are a bit harder to measure, as they are gained both thanks to your personal and professional experience.
Showcase you have the ideal skill set for the role by:
- Dedicating both a skills box (for your technical capabilities) and an achievements or strengths section (to detail your personal skills).
- When listing your skills, be specific about your hard skills (name the precise technology you're able to use) and soft skills (aim to always demonstrate what the outcomes were).
- Avoid listing overused cliches in the skills section (e.g. Microsoft Office and Communication), unless they're otherwise specified as prominent for the role.
- Select up to ten skills which should be defined via various sections in your resume skills sidebar (e.g. a technical skills box, industry expertise box with sliders, strengths section with bullets).
Spice up your resume with leading technical and people skills, that'd help you get noticed by recruiters.
Top skills for your voice actor resume:
Audio Recording Software
Microphone Techniques
Sound Editing Software
Voice Modulation
Character Voice Development
Script Analysis
Voiceover Techniques
DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) Proficiency
Acoustic Treatment Knowledge
Remote Recording Technology
Creativity
Adaptability
Communication
Emotional Intelligence
Team Collaboration
Time Management
Attention to Detail
Confidence
Problem-Solving
Listening Skills
Next, you will find information on the top technologies for voice actor professonals from "O*NET OnLine" by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Top technologies for Voice Actor’s resume:
- TikTok
- YouTube
- Email software
- Microsoft Outlook
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If the certificate you've obtained is especially vital for the industry or company, include it as part of your name within the resume headline.
Showcase academic background with education and certifications' sections
Listing your education and certifications should be a rudimentary part of your resume writing.
Including your relevant academic background - in the form of your higher education degree and niche-specific certificates - will prove knowledge of the industry.
For your education section:
- Start by including your degree, followed by start and graduation dates, as well as the institution;
- You could include relevant coursework, major/minor , or GPA, only if your've just graduated from college or if this information would further support your application;
- If you have an "ongoing" degree, you can still list it in case you think your diploma can impress recruiters or it's required;
Follow a similar logic for your certifications section by listing the institution, alongside dates you've obtained the certificate. For some of the most recent and relevant industry certificates , check out the next part of our guide:
The top 5 certifications for your voice actor resume:
- Voice Over Achievement (VOA) - Gravy For The Brain
- Voice Artist Certificate (VAC) - Such A Voice
- Certified Voice Artist Program (CVAP) - VoiceMaster
- Voice Over Expert (VOE) - Global Voice Acting Academy
- Certificate of Voice Acting (COVA) - Del Mar Media Arts
The content below includes information from "O*NET OnLine" by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. The data represents the top associations for voice actor professionals.
Top US associations for a Voice Actor professional
- Actors' Equity Association
- Network of Ensemble Theaters
- Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
- Society of American Fight Directors
- The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
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Listing your relevant degrees or certificates on your voice actor resume is a win-win situation. Not only does it hint at your technical capabilities in the industry, but an array of soft skills, like perseverance, adaptability, and motivation.
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Which one to use: a resume summary or a resume objective?
The voice actor resume summary or objective serves as a good introduction to your experience for recruiters.
Have you ever wondered which one (the summary or objective) will be more appropriate for your voice actor resume?
- If you are a less experienced professional, write a resume objective statement. The objective is about three sentences long and provides recruiters with information about your career goals, strengths, and achievements . It should basically denote how you see yourself in this particular role, and what is your relevant experience and/or know-how;
- If you happen to have plenty of relevant experience, select your most impressive achievements for your resume summary. The summary is no longer than five sentences and serves as a storytelling instrument - highlighting your greatest career wins . Don't forget to align your summary with the job requirements to ensure your resume stays relevant to the role.
Read on for more information and examples of resume summaries and objectives from real world professionals.
Resume summaries for a voice actor job
- With over a decade of voice acting experience, including lead roles in animated series and numerous commercial campaigns, I bring a rich, adaptable vocal range and a proven track record of delivering compelling performances that resonate with audiences. Technical skills encompass character interpretation, audio editing, and dialect coaching, highlighted by a Best Voiceover award at the International Animation Festival.
- Seasoned professional with 15 years of theater and on-screen acting, now transitioning into voice acting, I offer a strong foundation in performance art, an understanding of dramatic nuance, and a unique, expressive voice quality that captivates listeners. Achieved critical acclaim for a one-person show and skilled in multiple acting methodologies.
- An accomplished radio host eager to pivot into voice acting, bringing over 8 years of experience in live broadcasting, interview techniques, and story narration. My articulate speech and passion for storytelling have been key to engaging a diverse listener base and mastering the art of speaking to entertain and inform.
- Seeking to embark on a voice acting journey, my objective is to harness my vocal talent and enthusiasm for animated storytelling to create memorable characters and narratives. With no prior industry experience, my dedication to vocal training, mastery of accents, and participation in local theater productions will fuel my progression.
- As a fresh entrant to the voice acting world, I am highly motivated to contribute my energetic vocal style and passion for interactive media. Eager to apply my years of experience in public speaking and amateur dramatics, along with robust communication skills and a commitment to continuous learning, to forge a successful voice acting career.
- A professional opera singer with 20 years of performance experience, now transitioning to voice acting, I possess extraordinary vocal control, a depth of theatrical knowledge, and the ability to convey emotion through voice. Recognized for creative vocal interpretations and awarded for excellence in musical storytelling, I aspire to bring a unique perspective to character roles.
Average salary info by state in the US for voice actor professionals
Local salary info for Voice Actor.” Source: My Next Move, National Center for O*NET Development. Accessed 10/15/2024
| State | Average Salary (in USD) |
|---|---|
| US National Average |
Recruiters' favorite additional voice actor resume sections
When writing your voice actor resume, you may be thinking to yourself, " Is there anything more I can add on to stand out? ".
Include any of the below four sections you deem relevant, to ensure your voice actor resume further builds up your professional and personal profile:
Key takeaways
We've reached the end of our voice actor resume guide and hope this information has been useful. As a summary of our key points:
- Always assess the job advert for relevant requirements and integrate those buzzwords across various sections of your voice actor resume by presenting tangible metrics of success;
- Quantify your hard skills in your certificates and skills section, while your soft skills in your resume achievements section;
- Ensure you've added additional relevant experience items, such as extracurricular activities and projects you've participated in or led;
- Use both your resume experience and summary to focus on what matters the most to the role: including your technical, character, and cultural fit for the company.
