While some clients do not ask for resumes, others still do, and in those cases, you want to immediately impress.
Here are some tips for modern and effective freelance writing resumes.
How to Create the Perfect Freelance Writing Resume
Personal Profile
Without neglecting your contact details, we advise keeping this at the ultimate top of the page. Start your resume with a custom-tailored summary or personal profile: a small intro paragraph describing your best assets and objectives.
This concise paragraph is located at the top of your resume, effectively displaying who you are, your skills and strengths with regards to the specific sector or position you are applying for. Don’t forget to include your own career goals!
Continuing forward, it’s important to write your skills, education, experience, and achievements.
Include Your Skills
Even though a personal profile gives an employer a preview of who you are, employers – especially for short-term contract work – will be more focused on your skills. These often differentiate you from other applicants. It’s key to write down even the simplest skills such as experience with Microsoft Suite, Photoshop, etc. Make sure you include skills you possess that are listed in the job description but steer clear from including those you do not. Honesty is key.
Education
In this day and age, education doesn’t guarantee jobs or projects straight away. However, it is important to make note of it on your resume.
In addition to including basic education, add any training or certificates that you have received. Have an online creative writing certificate? Don’t forget to mention it!
Experience
Be sure to write strictly relevant work experience over the span of your career. It isn’t highly necessary to include certain jobs that don’t pertain to the specific sector or position you are applying to. More relevant experience in certain job sectors could potentially set you apart from the average applicant. Leave out small jobs such as being a grocery bagger at the local store when you were 14, as this isn’t relevant. The more relevant the experience, the better.
Achievements
Employers are all about checking whether the work you have done is measurable. If you’ve, for instance, written a killer blog post that obtained 25% more reach than any other posts on a certain website, write that down! Keep in mind, however, it is tricky when it comes to being involved in projects on a freelance basis with a wider range of clients. Although it’s handy to have written, don’t fret if you don’t have it available.
Note: If you received a ‘Freelance Writer Of The Year’ award, write this down. It’s always good to list this type of achievement as it gives the employer more insight into your devotion.
Include ‘You’
Employers aren’t waiting to receive ‘Plain Jane‘ resumes. Employers are looking for people that stand out, and that can be a substantial addition to not only the business side of things, however also the ‘culture’ in their company. So how should you stand out?
Add information that could be an addition to their company. If you’re going to apply for a writing gig for a book publishing company, don’t shy away from showcasing your creative writing skills, as long as you don’t steer away from the description of the job you are applying for.
Add Your Profile Links
Considering the fast advances of analog to digital over the past 20 years, it only makes sense to add your personal website if you have one as well as business social media profiles such as LinkedIn. Make sure to format your LinkedIn profile URL to keep it extra professional. It isn’t obligatory to add all of your profile links. Just add the most important links.
SEO is Key
Within Search Engine Optimization (SEO), certain keywords can be used in order to raise your website credibility on sites such as Google. Many recruiters and job search engine businesses such as Adzuna, feed off SEO. These companies use automated software which essentially screens resumes for keywords that are highly relevant to their company, job, or projects. Therefore, use certain keywords that are included in the job descriptions for the jobs that you apply for. If you are still stuck on why freelance writers need to learn SEO, click away!
Design
Of course, you can be creative and modern with your format. However, don’t lose sight of content. You can have a beautifully designed document but if your skills and experience don’t shine through in a clear and a concise way, whether it’s screening software or hiring managers reviewing your document, you can end up in the reject pile.
Looking for extra tips on how to write your personal statement or other aspects of your resume? Check out this practical online writing guide.
This post was written by Lily Valentin, Country Manager of Adzuna US & Canada. They help job seekers find their perfect job and offer free tech tools like ValueMyResume.
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