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Freelance Writing-How to Create a Resume

Freelancing Writing Business

Freelance Writing-How to Create a Resume

Written by Charles Mburugu for Gaebler Ventures

Your resume is a marketing tool you can use to showcase experience in writing. Many companies will want to see your resume and writing samples in response to an advertisement. How do you go about creating a writing resume?

Your resume needs to be informative, professional and it should sell your qualifications. The following is a basic structure of a writing resume.

Section 1: Name and contact information (telephone, address, URL, email)

Center these details in a large and attractive font.

Section 2: Objective

Ensure that your objective is relevant to the job you are applying for. It could read something like 'To provide innovative and creative writing to increase SEO and traffic'.

Section 3: Writing profile

Your writing profile should be relevant to the job you are applying. Make sure it flows with the rest of the resume. If you want to showcase your skill in the field of business, you could say something like: 'Proven skills in creating insightful and informative articles on any topic, with expertise in business and SEO'.

Section 4: Writing styles

Ensure that you showcase styles and skills that are relevant to the job being applied for. If not sure of what kind of articles you'll be writing, mention general styles such as SEO and How-To articles. Other writing styles include product reviews, biographies, and technology guides.

Section 5: Personal achievements

This section talks about your personal achievements. This includes current and previous writing-related jobs. However, it is advisable to leave out previous jobs that are not related to writing. If you have no writing experience, you will need to create some articles and have them published before producing a writing resume. It's not difficult to get articles published on sites like Helium, Associated Content and Ehow.com, before applying for a job that requires you to submit a resume.

Section 6: Education

List any certifications that you have such as certificates, diplomas and degrees. Start with your most recent certifications and work backwards. If you have gone to college, leave out high school information. This section should also highlight any other relevant education you might have such as on-the-job training, online courses and vocational training. Some editorial and writing jobs ask for a degree in journalism or English. However, even if you don't have this, many companies will be willing to accept experience instead.

Section 7: Awards and memberships

List any awards you have received, particularly relating to editing and writing. If you are a member of any editorial or writing organizations or societies, list those as well.

Section 8: Personal information

It is no longer appropriate to list hobbies and personal interests on a resume. If you possess specific 'hobby' skills that are somewhat related to the job in question, find a way of listing those under 'skills' instead.

Charles Mburugu writes for us from his home in Nairobi. He has a graduate degree in Business Management from Kenya Institute of Management. He is interested in writing about branding, CSR and intellectual property.