Content Writer Resume Samples (also Freelance & Beginner)

Let me guess. You tried to write your resume and ended up with something along the lines of David Copperfield. It’s neither engaging nor succinct. And reading it might cause content shock for the job recruiter.

It’s time to change the strategy. Think of your resume as your tent pole content. Its purpose is to draw hiring managers to you.

How can you achieve this?

It’s easy. Read our guide and create a successful content writer resume without the need for A/B testing.

This guide will show you: 

• A content writer resume example better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
• How to write a content writer resume that will land you more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a content writer resume.
• How to describe your experience on a resume for a content writer to get any job you want.

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Content Writer Resume Sample

Now, let’s see what’s the proper resume format for content writers:

1. Create an Effective Content Writer Resume Template

Would you spend a lot of time on a chaotic web page? One with dozens of pop-up windows and ads that appear everywhere?

Probably not. We all want to get information quickly, without spending too much time on pointless scrolling.

It’s the same way with hiring managers. They also want to see good-looking resumes with a neat layout.

Though your resume doesn't have space for much visual content, you can still ensure it looks great. And no—animated GIFs are not the way to go.

These are the simple steps you need to follow for the best content writer resume format:

• Information order: Use the reverse-chronological format to make your accomplishments pop.
• Fonts: Don’t be overly creative—stick to all-time best resume fonts such as Calibri, Arial, Georgia, Verdana.
• Font size: 11–12 points for the content and 13–14 for headings.
• Line spacing: 1–1.15 is best.
• Margins: 1 inch resume margins on all sides.
• File type: Save your resume in PDF, unless the job ad asks for a different format.
• Number of pages: 1. One. Uno. You’re not writing your memoir—there’s no need for more pages.
• Visuals: Attach a professional headshot photo at the top. You can also use cool resume icons to arrange the information.

If this sounds like too much of a hassle, try these free resume templates to download.

Now, we’ve got your content writer resume template covered. It’s time to plan the information you must add.

Each content writer resume must include these parts:

• Header: Full name, date of birth, marital status, and contact information. If you have an online portfolio—add it here, too!
• Summary: Its purpose is to hook the hiring manager.
• Work Experience: Mention only the highest achievements.
• Education: Your highest degree and other relevant information.
• Skills: A list of your content writing strengths.
• Other sections: Language proficiencies, certifications, hobbies, and other types of information that can benefit you.

Pro tip: While creating a resume template, use dummy copy such as lorem ipsum as placeholder text. It will help you to evaluate the visual side of your resume and try out different fonts, columns, icons, etc.

2. Highlight Your Experience in Your Content Writer Resume

On the regular, you write 10+ weekly blog posts about interior design, 5 monthly articles about the art market, and you run three Instagram accounts about antiques.

In the past, you wrote around 200 articles about the best types of dog food, and reviewed dog toys for online shops.

Every day, you check the metrics of your content on all social media channels.

Now it’s time to atomize all of your work experience to fit the resume format. But don’t simply list everything you’ve ever done—show your achievements instead.

Create a tailored work experience section of your resume:

1. Start with the most recent job and your job title.
2. Mention the company name and dates of employment.
3. Write a short job description for content writer.
4. Use up to six bullet points to describe your responsibilities and accomplishments.
5. Mention achievements with the Problem-Action-Result formula.

Sounds a bit muddy? Check the sample resume for content writer below to see what I’m talking about:

Content Writer Sample Resume: Work Experience

Now, this is some snackable content. The numbers, the facts—these elements get the recruiters hooked.

Maybe this candidate isn’t bad, but this is just… #boooring. It’s easy to imagine hundreds of content writers talking about the exact same duties. There are no achievements proving this is a successful candidate.

What if you’re only starting your writing career? Don’t worry, you can still create an effective resume for freshers. Simply mention freelance work, internships, or any other chances you’ve had to create pieces of content.

Check this fresher content writer resume below:

Sample Resume for Content Writer [Fresher]

Remember—numbers make a great impression. In the same way as they prove the success of your content, they can prove that you’re a great candidate for the job.

I bet this candidate’s grandma also makes successful Facebook posts. Without deeper context and measurable achievements, there’s no way to prove this person is a professional.

Read more: Resume Format for Freshers: Everything You Need to Know

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

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When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.

3. Present Your Education 

Content writers come from many backgrounds. You don’t need a master’s degree in journalism to create great blog posts, and you don’t need a BA in communication to run social media accounts.

However, when your degree is completely unrelated to your desired position, think about how can you back up your credentials. Maybe you wrote articles for a school newspaper or prepared website content for a students’ theatre club? Don’t be afraid to mention it.

Check this content writer resume example:

Resume of a Content Writer: Education

Just remember—when describing your education on a resume, select only relevant things. All achievements, relevant coursework, and other types of info must be tailored to the job you are applying for.

Pro tip: Worried that your education has nothing to do with writing? Enrol in a post-graduate content marketing course or go for online content writing courses.

4. Select Appropriate Skills for Content Writer Resumes

Companies intended to grow their content teams in 2024. This means that there will be more job openings for content writers like you.

Time to polish your skills. Show you know the ropes.

The skill section of your content writer resume is basically a listicle. As a writer, you have many strengths to choose from, and the list can go indefinitely.

Let’s start with the most popular content writer skills:

Sample Content Writer Resume: Skill List

#pro, am I right?

But hey, you can’t just copy-paste it into your resume. Don't go for keyword stuffing—be selective. Create a curated skill list!

You know what keywords are, right? Well, it's time to open that job posting that caught your eye. Now, scan it for keywords. Compare them with your own skills. Any matches? Great!

Using your own skills and the keywords, make a tailored list of hard and soft skills that you can prove.

Have a look at the list below:

Skills for Content Writer Resume

An in-depth resume skill list will help to increase the dwell time for the hiring manager.

If you need inspiration for writing your content writer skill list, check this computer skills list for things related to digital marketing.

Read more: How to Write a Resume: Complete Guide with Examples

5. Choose Other Sections for Your Content Writer Resume

Now, think of other information that can support your application. Are you a subject-matter expert in any field? Do you have a SEO certification? Can you write in more than one language? It’s time to use this info for your benefit.

Here are some sections you may add:

1. Resume Certifications

For many recruiters, certifications on a resume work like clickbait titles in a news feed. They can back up your expertise, especially if you don’t have tons of work experience yet. Content writers can get certifications from many sources. Some popular ones are:

• Content Marketing Course (HubSpot Academy)
• Fundamentals of Digital Marketing (Google Digital Garage)
• Search Engine Optimization Fundamentals (Coursera)
• ClickMinded SEO Specialist Training

2. Volunteer Work

Freelance Content Writers can gain experience by doing volunteer work. Many charities need someone to run their websites, update social media, prepare email campaigns, edit brochures, and perform other content-related tasks.

3. Languages

Being able to communicate in several languages is an advantage. However, being able to write content in more than one language is very rare. Remember to list languages on your resume with the level of proficiency.

4. Professional Memberships

Though there aren’t many associations strictly related to content writers, it’s easy to find a plethora of writer or journalist clubs. Many of them focus on specific fields. If you are an expert in any area, such as sports, finance, business, travel, science, and anything else, look for associations related to those topics. Some examples are:

• International Association of Business Communicators
• International Women's Writing Guild
• International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association
• International Motor Press Association

5. Conferences

According to Jobvite’s report from 2020, over 30% of workers learn about job openings through professional connections rather than job ads. Attending conferences can help to build valuable connections. But there’s more—being a speaker at such events proves you’re an expert. Some content-related events are:

• ContentTECH Summit
• Confab
• DigiMarCon India

6. Interests

Being a content writer, you probably write a lot, and not only for work. Do you run a blog or Instagram account where you test content strategies? Maybe you write engaging restaurant reviews regularly? Depending on the type of content writing you specialize in, mentioning such hobbies in your resume can be beneficial.

Let’s check this resume of a content writer for inspiration:

Beginner Content Writer Resume: Other Sections

All of this info is relevant to the profession of a content writer.

While this might be a great person to chat with, their interests are not relevant to the application.

Pro tip: Multilingual candidates are in great demand all over the world. It’s always worth learning a new language, but writers need at least advanced proficiency for work. Instead of learning five languages to chat with tourists, focus on mastering one foreign language.

6. Hook the Reader with a Summary or Objective for Your Content Writer Resume

Now it's time for some aggregated content—your resume summary.

Think of it as a powerful lede that must grab the attention of the hiring manager.

But here’s the thing—don’t write your own Ramayana. Go straight to the point. There’s no time for a background story of your character.

This is the job-winning formula for creating an objective or summary for content writer resumes:

1. Choose an adjective like creative, junior, or experienced.
2. Add your job title.
3. List the years of experience.
4. Present your professional goal (related to the company you’re applying to). 
5. Show off your biggest professional achievement.
6. Stick to the third-person narrative.

And, of course, read everything again to check for typos.

Have a look at these two resume summary examples to understand what it’s all about:

Freelance Content Writer Resume Summary

This candidate has a tempting promise and experience to back it up. Numbers prove they know how to achieve success.

What this person says might be true. However, there’s nothing to prove it. Also, the first-person narrative is a big no.

As you can see, it’s pretty easy to write a career summary for an experienced content writer.

But what if you’re a fresher?

Don’t worry—just opt for a resume objective instead.

Check these sample objectives for content writer resume:

Objective for Content Writer Resumes: Examples

See? This candidate has no work experience, but they know what they’re talking about. They already know a bit of terminology and they have skills related to the job.

This person might have the required skills and knowledge—but they don’t know how to prove it. A recruiter will simply move to another application.

Pro tip: Are you an entry-level content writer who’s looking for career advice? Try crowdsourcing by joining online communities such as Reddit’s Freelance Writers or follow well-established blogs such as Convince&Convert.

7. Go Narrow and Deep With a Cover Letter for a Content Writer

Your resume is the cornerstone content of your application. But it doesn’t mean it will immediately result in a quick win.

There’s another high-value piece of content you must create.

Your cover letter.

Not all recruiters love cover letters. But many of them do. Do you know the preferences of the one checking your application? Probably not. That’s why it’s best to write one just in case.

If you don’t want your application to go viral for making the recruiter LOL, just follow our formula.

How to write a successful cover letter:

1. Format your cover letter so that it looks similar to your resume.
2. Greet the hiring manager by name—don’t go for generic “Dear Sir/Madam.”
3. Use an engrossing opening line for your cover letter.
4. Prove your skills and experience in the next paragraph.
5. Write a tempting promise at the end of your cover letter.

Remember, your cover letter is like a clickbait title—its purpose is to catch the reader’s attention. Intrigue them. Make them want to invite you for an interview.

A great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Key Takeaway

To make things easier, here’s a checklist for writing an awesome content writer resume:

• Use the reverse-chronological order for your content writer resume.
• Present your most relevant job experience.
• Brag about your content writing achievements.
• Scan the job ad for keywords that match your skills.
• List your education along with accomplishments.
• Choose a few extra resume sections like languages or conferences.
• Add a matching content writer cover letter to back up your application.

Sounds easy, right?

Now, I’d love to hear from you:

• What’s the most difficult part of writing a content writer resume?
• What content writer skills would you list first?
• What’s the most time-consuming part of writing your application?
  
  

Feel free to comment below. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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