Writer Resume Examples [+ Resume & Cover Letter Writing Tips]

A writer is someone who uses written text to express and articulate opinions. A writer’s duty includes using specifications, style, or channels to communicate with readers, research their topic, proofread the text, adjust the text, and submit the writing to clients and editors.

Besides having professional writing experience, having a good writer resume is also a crucial factor for writers who are pursuing a prospective career. 

Use the resume tips and examples for content writers, copywriters, technical writers, freelance writers, and more to craft a great writer resume.

The main difference between a CV and a resume is its professional purposes. CV is used for academic purposes in India and the U.S., while a resume is used for job applications. 

There are 3 main resume formats you can adopt for your writer resume: reverse-chronological format, functional format, and combinational format. Each will emphasize different aspects of your professional competence. 

There are ways to describe your writing experience. Referring to online writer resume examples and templates can help you present your experiences more attractively in your writing resume.

Your writer resume should also be customized to fit the job posting descriptions. Every writer resume should be individually adjusted to target different applications.

Aside from your writer resume, a good cover letter can help you land an interview. It brings you closer to the hiring manager and conveys your personality and strength.

There should be absolutely no mistake in your writer resume. Serious grammatical mistakes and typos will put a big question mark, especially if you are writing formal and serious content.

1. Resume Profile (Personal Information)

The basic information should be presented clearly in the writer resume’s first section.

2. Resume Headline

A resume headline, or profile title,  is one brief line that summarizes your writer resume. It is also referred to as a profile title or a CV headline. It states your professional area, expertise, and years of experience.

3. Resume Summary

Your writer resume should also include a brief summary so the hiring manager understands your experience without having to read it closely. A summary consists of 2-5 sentences to showcase the best things you got.

4. Resume Objective

A resume objective / the objective section of a writer resume explains the reason for submitting a writer resume, or more broadly, your future career prospects as a writer.

5. Skills for a Writer Resume 

In a writer resume, the skills section is where you clearly list the expertise that is helpful for your  profession as a writer. 

For example, a content writer has to abide by SEO strategies, and a medical writer will need to have strong domain knowledge and have to abide by strict specifications.

6. Work Experience

One of the key elements in a writer's resume is the work experience section. How you write it will determine if the hiring managers are interested. 

7. Education

The education section in the writer resume should also be in a reverse-chronological format.

8. Additional Information

If there is additional practical writing experience, add an extra section in the writer resume to showcase your works. For instance, list awards, publications, personal projects, or blog accomplishments in a separate section to elaborate more.

✅ Tip 1: Customize every writer resume for the job.

Don’t submit the same writer resume for every company. Customizing each writer resume based on different job posting descriptions will enhance your chance to be noticed.

✅ Tip 2: Quantify results on the writer resumes.

Determining the quality of articles can be subjective, so using numbers can show how well your writings performed. This is especially true for a content writer resume and a copywriter resume. The hiring manager will expect to see precise results from your experience.

✅ Tip 3: Craft an ATS-friendly writer resume.

Before any writer resume is read by a hiring person, it’s likely an applicant tracking system (ATS) will filter out unsuitable ones. ATS determines if your writer resume has the right format, and mimics exact keywords that suit the company’s culture. 

✅ Tip 4: Adopt resume action words (verbs).

When describing your achievements and results in a writer resume, starting the sentence with a strong verb can make you appear competent and confident. For instance, verbs like “Created”, “Delivered”, “Improved” will make you sound capable.

✅ Tip 5: Organize your writing works across all-platform.

Although a writer resume matters quite a lot during a job search, recruiters will still ask for article pieces that you wrote. The best way to present your works is to make sure your articles are organized nicely on your personal blog or previous workplace websites, and provide URL directly for their review.

In addition to a writer resume, many companies also ask for a cover letter for a writing job. In a writer cover letter, the recruiter will expect to see your strongest achievements and qualification, motivation for application, as well as skills and your understanding of the company. 

Use this structure below to craft your writer cover letter:

1. Contact details:
   List your full name, email address, mobile number, and professional links such as LinkedIn, Medium, or personal website on the top of your writer cover letter.
2. Introduction:
   Start your writer cover letter with simple greetings. Then make a brief introduction about your current status.Make the introduction strong and concise.
3. Motivation (Intention to apply):
   Clarify the position you are applying for and the motivation for it. Show your understanding and thorough research of the company so they know this writer cover letter is exclusively written for them. 
4. Qualification:
   Showcase your qualifications for the role. List your major writing experience and the biggest clients you have worked for. Don’t hesitate to use bullet points to make the writer cover letter format easier to read.
5. Closing: 
   Add  supplementary materials such as mentioning recommendation letters or other skills. Lastly, close the writer cover letter by expressing your gratitude. Don’t forget to call to action: let them know there‘s more to elaborate in an interview.