If you want to earn a living as a wordsmith, you may be wondering how to create a writing resume. We’ve got you! We’ll share everything you need to know so you can land the writing job of your dreams.
If you want a top-quality resume but don’t have the time to create it yourself, consider hiring a professional resume writing service.
If you’re ready to land a job as a writer, start your search on ZipRecruiter. ZipRecruiter is free for job seekers and you can apply for jobs with a single click.
What Is Unique About A Writing Resume?
A writing resume shares many similarities with other types of resumes. However, it’s strategically created to help you start or advance within your writing career — whether you want to commute to an office or work at home.
Important: Did you know that you can get hired to write as an employee or freelancer?
What Should Be Included On A Writing Resume?
Your writing resume should feature several sections. We’ll break down each one below.
Contact Information
You must make it easy for a hiring manager, recruiter, or business owner to contact you after you wow them with your writing resume. So, add your cell phone number and a professional-looking email address under your name. You may also want to include a link to your LinkedIn profile or portfolio.
Summary or Objective Statement
If you’ve written professionally for years, create a compelling career summary statement that captures your most significant accomplishments. But, if you’re newer to the field, write an intriguing career objective statement that showcases your current goal and why you’re a fit for the position despite having limited experience.
Work History
List your positions in reverse chronological order, starting with your current or most recent job. For each role, list your title, the company name, and your dates of employment. Then, insert up to five bullet points that highlight your achievements.
Depending on the type of writing you do, effective bullet point examples may include:
- Wrote and published one 1,000+ word blog article per day.
- Managed a team of eight freelance writers and edited up to 25 articles per week.
- Increased upsells by 60% by tweaking the copy on three landing pages.
- Secured two million dollars in new funding by writing five successful grant proposals.
- Authored three articles that went viral, increasing page views by 1,000%.
Make sure each bullet point includes an action word and a number when possible. The action words show what you’ve done, while the numbers demonstrate the scope of your responsibility and the impact of your actions.
Pro Tip: If you’ve got an extensive portfolio of impressive published work, consider devoting an entire section to it on your writing resume. You could provide the details for several of your most relevant pieces and a link to view more.
For more information, check out our guide to the chronological resume format.
Education or Certifications
Briefly share your educational background by listing your degree, the school you graduated from, and your dates of attendance. If you’re a new writer or transitioning into the industry, you should expand on your entry by including your GPA (if it's 3.5 or better), relevant coursework, and related activities (think school newspaper or literary club).
Join The Break Community
If you’ve earned an industry-respected certification, you should note it in this section. It’s also a good idea to demonstrate your commitment to continued education by including any online courses you’ve taken recently.
Skills
Use this space to list up to ten skills that make it clear you’re the right candidate for the role. Be sure to reference the job posting when choosing which skills to include.
Awards
As a writer, you’re probably quite humble. But, this section is your chance to brag and put the spotlight on any awards you’ve won during your career.
What Should Be Left Off A Writing Resume?
Generally, any experience, education, credentials, or achievements unrelated to the writing industry should get left off a writing resume. However, if you’re entering (or re-entering) the workforce or changing professions, you can break this rule. In that event, you should do your best to demonstrate how your existing skills, experience, and knowledge have prepared you to assume the role.
Important Job Skills For Writers
Writers need many job skills to be successful. Let’s break them down into hard and soft competencies.
Hard Skills
Hard skills are directly related to the writing industry and can include:
- Content writing
- Copywriting
- Technical writing
- Grant writing
- Editing (including developmental editing, line editing, copy editing, and proofreading)
- Publishing
- Writer management
Soft Skills
Soft skills are broader in nature and can generally help you excel professionally regardless of your role. Examples include:
- Communication
- Attention to detail
- Organization
- Time management
- Creativity
- Discipline or focus
- Self-motivation
Pro Tip: Once you’re done drafting your writing resume, put on your editing hat! Make sure the content is compelling — and grammatically accurate.
Related: Best Writing Jobs
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a writing resume?
A writing resume is a resume designed to help you land a role in the writing industry. The document highlights your related experience, education, skills, and achievements.
How do you make a writing resume?
You can make a writing resume by creating a document that outlines your experience, knowledge, skills, projects, professional memberships, and awards.
What should a writer’s resume look like?
A writer’s resume should feature highlights of their writing career. It should also follow standard resume best practices like listing experience in reverse chronological order, using bullet points to describe accomplishments, quantifying achievements whenever possible, including keywords from the job posting, etc.
What skills does a writer need?
A writer needs many skills such as writing, editing, communication, creativity, attention to detail, organization, time management, discipline, tech savvy, and the ability to work independently.
The Bottom Line
We think you’re ready to create an impressive writing resume. But — if you’d like a little more support, turn to one of the experts listed in our best resume writing service guide. Then, once you’re happy with the document, start applying for writing jobs on ZipRecruiter!
