Agents and clients book models on their look, and your resume shows them how you work. On the page, they want the kind of jobs you book, the agency that represents you, the clients who hired you again, and your height and sizes. Modeling arrives as short bookings, a catalog shoot one week and a trade show the next, so even a busy year can look scattered. Grouping jobs under your agency and adding a few counts brings it together.
How to Write a Model Resume - Key Takeaways
- Order your work newest first on 1 page, with each agency as the employer line and your title as Fashion, Commercial or Fit Model.
- Count your work: jobs booked a year, repeat clients, shows walked in a market week, looks shot a day or samples fit a season.
- Put your height, main sizes, hair and eyes in the last line of your summary, matching your comp card.
- Add a current headshot in the header: modeling is one of the few US jobs where clients expect a photo on the resume.
- List SAG-AFTRA membership and any alcohol-service certificate you use at events under Certificates, with the month you earned it.
- Test the file in an ATS resume checker before you upload it to a brand's or retailer's careers portal.
What agents and clients look for in a model resume
An agent deciding whether to sign you, or a client deciding whether to book you, reads your resume beside your portfolio. The BLS lists print and online advertising, TV commercials, runway shows, and conventions and trade shows as the main kinds of model work, along with working closely with photographers, stylists and makeup artists to produce the look a client wants. Your resume should show which of those you do, how often, and for what kind of client.
The BLS also notes that almost all models sign with modeling agencies, so the agency is the natural employer line on each entry. Give the reader these sections:
- Name, headshot, headline (for example, Fashion and Commercial Model) and contact details
- Summary of 2 to 3 lines, ending with your height and main sizes
- Work Experience: each agency or freelance period, newest first, with your bookings as bullets
- Skills: posing, runway, on-camera and fit skills, plus any software a bullet proves
- Certificates: SAG-AFTRA membership and alcohol-service certificates for event work
- Education: your diploma or degree, and modeling or acting classes in a note line
- Optional extras: Languages, plus one of Key Achievements and Volunteer Experience
Best format for a model resume
Use the reverse-chronological resume format: your current agency first, then earlier agencies or freelance periods, each with your title, the agency, where it is based and the dates as MM/YYYY. Group the bookings from one agency under that entry instead of listing every shoot as its own job. That keeps a year of short bookings readable as one steady stretch of work.
- Best for most modelsReverse-chronologicalYour jobs, newest first, with your results under each one.Best for: A steady work history in your field
- FunctionalSkills grouped up top, with a short work history below.Best for: Gaps or very little experience
- CombinationA skills section first, then your full work history.Best for: A career change with strong skills
Keep it to 1 page. When space runs short, drop the oldest test shoots and one-off local jobs before you shrink the type. A layout from Novoresume's creative resume templates works well here, as long as it has a photo slot in the header and plain section headings.
| Setting | What to use |
|---|---|
| Length | 1 page at every stage of a modeling career |
| Employer line | The agency that booked the work, or Freelance, with its city |
| Job title | Your market: Fashion Model, Commercial Print Model, Fit Model, Promotional Model |
| Stats | Height, main sizes, hair and eyes in the last line of the summary |
| Headshot | A recent, unretouched digital in the header, not a campaign image |
| Personal details | Leave off your age, your marital status and any Social Security number |
Most US and Canadian resumes carry no photo. Modeling is the plain exception, since a client books a face and a build before a work history, so every model example on this page shows a headshot. Pick a simple digital that shows your current hair and skin as they are, and send your portfolio or comp card as a link or a separate file.
Model resume summary vs. objective
If you have paid bookings behind you, write a resume summary: your market, your years, your strongest booking number and your stats. If you are new or not yet signed, write a resume objective that names the work you want, your test shoots and the experience that carries over. Either way, the last line holds your height and main sizes.
Model resume summary formula
Market model with X years in city or region, booking types of work. Your best booking figure. Height, main sizes, hair and eyes.
Example
Commercial and fashion model with 5 years in the Dallas market, booking catalog, lookbook and runway work. Booked 41 jobs in 2025, 14 of them from repeat clients. 5'10", size 4, bust 33, waist 25, hips 35, shoe 8.5, brown hair, hazel eyes.
Don't
Passionate and versatile model with a unique look and a natural love for the camera.
Do
Commercial print model with 3 years of catalog and lifestyle work for regional retailers, booking 2 to 3 shoots a week in peak season. 5'7", size 6, auburn hair, green eyes.
The second version tells a client what you shoot, how often, and whether you fit the sample size.
How to list modeling bookings with numbers
Write 3 to 4 bullets under your current agency and 1 to 4 under older ones. Open with your booking volume, then add the results a client cares about: repeat bookings, shows opened or closed, looks shot in a day, campaigns that ran. Describe a client by type and reach (a national swimwear brand, a regional grocery chain) when you cannot name it. The same rules for writing achievements on a resume apply here: an action, a number and its base.
| Area | What to count | Example bullet |
|---|---|---|
| Bookings | Jobs a season or year, rebookings, direct requests | Booked 31 jobs in 1 season, 9 of them rebookings from earlier clients. |
| Runway | Shows per market week, opening or closing looks | Walked 8 shows in 1 market week and opened 2 of them. |
| E-commerce and catalog | Looks a day, shoot days, product categories | Shot 40 to 50 looks a day in an in-house studio, across denim, knitwear and outerwear. |
| Fit | Samples a season, lines, size, fit issues caught | Fit 120 samples a season as a size 8 for 3 private-label lines and flagged 2 grading errors before production. |
| Trade shows and events | Event days, visitors, leads, samples poured | Presented a new SUV line on 4 auto show days to about 300 visitors a day. |
| Promotions | Tastings, demos, units sold during the event | Poured 1,100 samples at 12 in-store tastings for a craft spirits brand. |
Here is one model's entry with those numbers in place. The volume comes first, the client results follow, and the older agency gets a single line.
Work Experience
- Book 38 to 45 jobs a year across catalog, lookbook, runway and commercial work for Texas retailers and designers.
- Opened and closed a 22-look spring show for a bridal designer during the Dallas market.
- Return to 7 repeat clients, including a western wear brand that has rebooked its catalog shoot 4 seasons in a row.
- Appeared in 3 local TV commercials for a home builder and a car dealership group.
- Built a portfolio from 9 test shoots and booked 26 print and promotional jobs in 2 years.
Don't
Did photo shoots for various brands.
Do
Shot 6 lifestyle campaigns for a regional grocery chain, used in its store signage and weekly circular.
Now a client sees the count, the client type and where the images ran.
Don't
Walked in fashion shows.
Do
Closed a local designer's evening line show and walked 5 more that market week.
How to write agency representation
Put the agency in the employer line and your market in the title, such as Fit Model, and date the entry by the months the agency represented you. If one agency places you in another city, add that in a bullet with the bookings it brought. The BLS advises models to research an agency's reputation before signing, and in New York the Department of Labor has required model management companies to register since December 21, 2025, with a public registry you can search before you list or sign with one.
Modeling skills and software for your resume
Pick 6 to 8 hard skills for your resume that match the work you are submitting for, and keep only those a bullet backs up. A runway resume leads with walk and quick changes; a commercial resume with natural expressions and on-camera work; a fit resume with garment feedback and steady measurements.
Hard skills for models
- Runway walk and turns
- E-commerce and catalog posing
- Commercial expressions
- On-camera and self-tape work
- Fit feedback on garment construction
- Holding consistent measurements
- Quick changes backstage
- Basic hair and makeup
- Product presentation at events
- Movement for video content
Soft skills agents and clients value
- Taking direction fast
- Punctuality and reliability
- Stamina on long shoot days
- Professional manner on set
- Adaptability to last-minute bookings
- Clear communication with stylists
Software matters less than skill, but it can still help. O*NET flags Facebook, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint as hot technologies for models and lists Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn among their tools, and it lists recording pay rates and job lengths on vouchers as a task of the job. Name a tool only where a bullet shows it at work, such as tracking vouchers in Excel or running an Instagram portfolio that brought in direct bookings.
SAG-AFTRA and event certificates on a model resume
Modeling has no license, so the Certificates section stays short. If you shoot TV commercials or other union work, add SAG-AFTRA with the month you joined. Models who pour or present alcohol at tastings and events often hold a responsible-service certificate, and some promotional postings ask for one. List certifications on your resume with the issuer and the date, and keep any that have expired off the page.
| Credential | Issued by | What it takes |
|---|---|---|
| TABC Seller/Server Certificate (Texas) | Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, through approved providers | A course from a TABC-approved provider, online or in person; not required by state law. Valid for 2 years. |
| RBS Server Certification (California) | California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control | Training from an approved provider and the ABC exam, within 60 days of starting work for on-premises servers and managers. Valid for 3 years. |
| ServSafe Alcohol | National Restaurant Association | An online course or class, then the Primary exam online or the proctored Advanced exam. |
Certificates
- SAG-AFTRA, member, 02/2025
- TABC Seller/Server Certificate, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, 03/2025
- ServSafe Alcohol (Primary), National Restaurant Association, 03/2025
How to list education and modeling classes
The BLS states that no formal educational credential is required to become a model, so your high school diploma alone makes a complete Education section. Follow the usual rules for listing education on a resume: the diploma or degree, the school, its city and the graduation date. If you are studying while you model, list the degree with its expected date so a client understands your availability.
Runway, posing or on-camera classes belong in the note line under your degree, not as their own entry. The BLS mentions modeling schools that teach posing, walking and makeup; name one only if you finished its program and it is known in your market.
Education
GPA 3.4. Coursework in speech and theater.
Model resumes with no experience or a career change
A first modeling resume is mostly evidence that you are ready to book. Begin with an objective stating the work you want and your stats, then show the shoots and jobs that prove you can take direction and turn up on time. The entry-level resume layout suits a page with little paid work on it.
- Test shoots: how many you did, with which kinds of photographers, and the looks they produced for your portfolio.
- Open calls and signing: the agency that signed you and the month, as the first Work Experience entry.
- School or charity fashion shows: shows walked and looks worn, under Volunteer Experience.
- Retail, styling or brand ambassador jobs: a full entry with customers served or products demonstrated.
Don't
Aspiring model looking for an agency that will help me break into the industry.
Do
Newly signed commercial model with 5 test shoots and 2 years of retail styling experience, seeking catalog and lifestyle bookings in North Texas. 5'8", size 6, black hair, brown eyes.
Even a first objective needs proof: agency status, a count of shoots and the stats line.
Moving into modeling from another job, keep your earlier work in reverse-chronological order and keep the bullets whose skills transfer: presenting products, working with customers face to face, standing through long shifts or working on camera. The career-change resume examples show the layout. Use your summary to say which board you are aiming for, and let your first agency entry carry the new work.
Model resume FAQ
Should I put my measurements on a modeling resume?
Yes. Put your height, main sizes, hair and eye color in the last line of your summary, in the same order your comp card uses. Weight usually stays off unless a casting call asks for it.
Do I need a resume if I already have a comp card?
Often, yes. A comp card shows your look and stats; a resume shows your work history, clients and skills. Agencies, brands hiring in-house models and event staffing companies often ask for both, and their careers portals usually need a resume file.
How do I list my modeling agency on a resume?
Write the agency as the employer, with its city and the months it represented you, and your market as the job title, such as Fashion Model. Put the bookings that agency brought you in the bullets under it.
How do I write a modeling resume with no experience?
Open on a short objective with the bookings you want and your stats. Then list test shoots, open calls, school or charity shows and any retail or brand ambassador job. Count each one: shoots done, shows walked, customers served.
Should a model resume include a photo?
Yes. Modeling is an exception to the US norm, so add a recent headshot in the header. Use a simple digital with little makeup that looks like you today, and send your full portfolio as a link or a separate file.
How long should a model resume be?
1 page. Even with 10+ years of work, cut older test shoots and small local jobs first and keep your strongest bookings, your current agency and your stats on that page.
Should I name the brands I have modeled for?
Only if the work has been published and your contract does not keep it private. Otherwise describe the client by type and reach, such as a national swimwear brand, and give the number of campaigns or shoot days.
How do I list freelance modeling alongside agency work?
Give freelance work its own entry with Freelance as the employer and your city, dated like any job. If you freelanced between agencies, place it where it falls in time; if it overlaps, keep both entries with their own dates.
How much do models make?
Models earned a median hourly wage of $23.30 in May 2025, per BLS figures, and the BLS adds that most models work part time. Leave rates off your resume and settle them through your agency or at booking.
Next steps
Choose the example nearest your market and stage, follow its layout, and swap in your own agency, booking counts and stats. Build it in our resume builder with a photo template, and send it with your comp card and a short note naming the board you want.