A lighting technician resume that only says "did lighting" gets filtered out. The productions hiring for this role care about one thing: can you rig and focus fixtures, patch and program consoles, run the show, and work safely. The resumes that land interviews talk about rigging, programming, and show operation — not just "did lighting."
In one line: your resume should answer "what lighting did you rig and program, how did you run the show, and how safely."
"Did lighting" tells a lighting director nothing:
Quantify around: shows/events, fixtures/rig, cues/programming, safety record. See how to quantify achievements on a resume. Keep numbers honest and follow rigging/electrical safety.
Group your lighting technician skills so a reviewer can scan them:
See how to write the skills section. For a lighting technician, lead with programming and safety — hanging lights is the means, a programmed, safely-run show is the result. Related roles are the stagehand resume guide and the av technician resume guide.
These roles differ — keep your resume positioned:
One rigs and runs entertainment lighting; the other installs and maintains building electrical. Tailor to the target role — see how to tailor your resume to a job description.
Setup/rigging, patch/cabling, programming/operation, and safety. Use shows/events, fixtures/rig, cues/programming, and safety record to show your work — not just "did lighting." Follow rigging/electrical safety.
Use real numbers: shows/events, fixtures/rig, cues/programming, and safety record. "Hung and focused moving lights, patched DMX, programmed cues, ran the show safely" beats "did lighting." Keep numbers honest.
A lighting technician rigs and runs entertainment lighting — programming and show operation. An electrician does building electrical — wiring and code. One does stage lighting; the other building power. Frame your resume to match the role.
Yes. Name the lighting consoles (e.g., grandMA, Hog) and gear you've programmed and run. Pair them with your rigging and safety record so productions see you can program and run a safe show.
The core of a lighting technician resume is showing rigging, programming, and show operation. Make your programming, rigging, and safety clear, keep numbers honest, and your resume will compete. When it's ready, run it through Prism Resume's free check: prismresume.com/check.
Wondering how your own resume holds up?
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