Again the caveat: Disagree if you wish, but realize there are other valid approaches which MIGHT work if your own approaches are (1) not getting auditions from submissions, (2) not getting callbacks, (3) not getting you cast.

1. What You Should Already Know
Recap: Please review last fall's note about self-submissions. I open up to 50 self-submissions a week or receive email requests for interviews. The packages are ALWAYS hand-addressed, sometimes scrawled illegibly; the cover notes often a ripped out notebook sheet, the resumes a disorganized mess.

1. Get a professional headshot
You'd be surprised how many people send Polaroids, Xeroxes, or other photos in place of a professional headshot. Don't; they go directly into the trash. If an actor doesn't have the commitment to get a headshot done professionally, how can we expect him or her to act professionally on the set?

2. Make sure your headshot reflects your spirit

Must every actress think her headshot has to be "glamorous"? Do you have a clue how few glamorous roles there are and how many hundreds of truly beautiful young women there are? If you are pretty, or nice looking, or even "odd," DO NOT GO for glamour.

Headshots: Color or Black and White?
By Julian Kelly

Tips from an Angry Casting Director
By Anonymous

These tips haven't been sugar-coated or dumbed down. They were written quickly at the end of an exhausting week, after hundreds of actors shot themselves in the foot by ignoring the basics. So we're putting these 7 simple steps out there, in hopes that this might change.

How to Write a Perfect Cover Letter (537 words)

"It's Gracia! G-R-A-C-I-A. I'm not Mr. Garcia! Never have been. Gracia, Gracia, Gracia - get it right!"

These thoughts ran through my head hundreds of times last year while reading cover letters submitted for my latest production. I'm not overly sensitive about my name (I've been called Chad GARcia all my life), but I'm surprised at the number of careless actors out there. Instead of focusing on these letters, my first impression is: This person doesn't pay attention to detail.

Let's take a breather from some of the acting topics we've examined lately and get back to basics.

We wrote recently about submissions envelopes, cover letters, and headshots. Now for that fourth and final part of your basic package: THE RESUME.

For six years, part of my "job description" has been to review actors' self-submission packages. Consequently, every possible resume format has come across my desk. Here are some general suggestions based on examining hundreds of resumes:

RESUME MUSTS:

1. Typed large enough to be easily read at a glance, without a magnifying glass.

By Julian Kelly

As with any other aspect of self-promotion, as an actor, you must
think like a casting director. Casting directors tend to be very
specific about the "look" or "type" of actor they want, especially
in this day and age, where computers have made the communication
process that much faster. Casting directors no longer have to
settle for a close fit. They can request headshots and resumes from
agencies all over the world in order to meet their needs. So how
can you increase your possibility of being picked out of a pool of
thousands of other faces?

Your headshot is the one critical element that will keep you either in or out of the casting directors' trash pile. Entire careers have been launched on just that right "twinkle in the eye," so don't think that a headshot is just an actor's business card. It's your career on an 8x10" glossy.