Editor Resume: Samples and Writing Guide

Your editor resume doesn’t need to win a Pulitzer. But it needs to be convincing. Why? Because you send a hundred resumes and no one answers. Because lowest-common-denominator work is dumbing down the country and making real writing obsolete. Your chances of getting hired in that are dwindling by the second.

Good editing jobs are few and far between. To get hired, you’ve got to show you’re Dean Baquet in the rough. It sounds daunting, but you can do this. You’ll soon be in a team of LA-Times-worthy word-crunchers. To do it, show your finest accomplishments in a manager-friendly format.

You’re about to see an editor resume example you can change to fit any editor position. You’ll also get easy steps to write a resume for editor jobs that’ll land 10x more interviews than any other.

Here’s an editor resume example made with our builder.

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Sample editor resume—See more templates and create your resume here.

Not quite hunting a resume for editor jobs? See these guides:

• Creative Director Resume Example
• Film Resume Example
• Copywriter Resume Example
• Freelance Writer Resume Example
• Technical Writer Resume Example
• Video Editor Resume Example
• Writer Resume Example
• Best Resume Examples

Sample Editor Resume to Inspire You (Text Version)

Now here’s how to write an editor resume step-by-step.

1. Start With the Right Format for an Editor Resume

Of all people, editors know format is a harsh mistress. Get it right, and everything flows. Get it wrong, and you look slapdash. In an editor resume, you need to dot your i’s and cross your t’s to make a good impression. Use the right margins, line-spacing, and fonts to get out of the slushpile.

So—

Here’s how to format an editor resume template:

• Format: the reverse-chronological resume format is your friend. It’s the inverted-pyramid of the resume world.
• Line spacing: 1–1.15.
• Fonts: use respected resume fonts like Garamond or Calibri.
• Font size: 11–12 points.
• Resume headings: 13–14 point font.
• Appearance: use bullet points, with white space between sections
• Resume margins: 1 inch on the right, left, top, and bottom.
• File type: send PDF resumes to job offers that don’t red-pencil them. They look great on all screens.

Include these parts of a resume:

• Header: with correct contact information.
• Summary: write a graf that sums up your resume’s key points.
• Experience: add your best editor achievements.
• Education: list your school, degree, and word-wrangling successes.
• Skills: just the ones in the job ad, ma’am.
• Other sections: do you have a copyediting certificate? Did your publication win an NAER? Add bonuses like that to your resume.

Does the chronological resume format rub you the wrong way? See our guide: How to Pick the Best Resume Format

2. Add Experience to Your Editor Resume

Experience is foundational in an editor resume. The biggest pitfall? Writing an editor job description instead of listing achievements. Yes, you need to describe past roles. But that’s not enough. To tell a compelling story that ends with a new job offer, show some ways you fill the bill.

To tailor your resume:

• Start with your latest job title.
• Add the publication’s name.
• Add start and end dates.
• Create a two-line editor job description.
• Add 3–6 bullet points.
• Include your top publishing achievements, with metrics.
• Use the PAR (Problem-Action-Result) formula in your bullets.

See these editor resume samples:

Editor Job Description for a Resume

Interesting. The first example is Glen-Greenwald-worthy, but the second is like shampoo instructions. If you want the phone to stop giving you the silent treatment, you’ve got to show your talents. So—find measurable ways you helped your last outlet. Also, use resume power words to energize your readers.

What about an entry-level editor’s resume? You’ll use the same idea, but pull your metrics from non-editor jobs. Even as a raft guide, you can show collaboration, communication, and attention to detail. Do they want scheduling skills? Just find a time you scheduled people in the past.

See these entry-level editor resume examples:

Entry-Level Editor Resume Samples [Experience]

Stet! The first sample could be a young Jon Stewart. You weren’t an editor, but you still proved scheduling, collaboration, and team management. That’s what makes employers grab the phone. But look at that bad resume example. All it shows is what you were supposed to do. And the skills are off-point, too.

Pro Tip: Are editor jobs shrinking? Yes! By 3% in the next 10 years. That’s egregious, but don’t sweat it. A targeted resume can overcome any job shortage.

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

Create my resume now

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

Put more bullets in your recent jobs, and less in older ones. See our guide: How to Show Experience on a Resume

3. Clean Up Your Education Section

Education is the foundation of an editor resume. Share your degree, school name, and dates. But if you stop there, it’s like using the Chicago Tribune’s staff to write jingles. So—add school achievements. What seems minor to you may be a major conversation starter for the publication’s management.

See these editor resume examples:

Editor Resume Example [Education]

That editor’s resume education section is Diane-Sawyer-level. It shows work ethic, leadership, and achievement. “But I didn’t do anything that cool!” That’s okay. Just find your best few university successes. Even if you only demonstrate transferable skills like teamwork, you’ll turn heads.

Pro Tip: Did you graduate back when freelance submissions came in manila envelopes? Dial back your school accomplishments and focus on your work history.

Tweak your education section for each job you apply to. See our guides: How to List Minor and Major on a Resume and Cum Laude on a Resume

4. Choose the Best Skills for Your Editor Resume

Job-search silence comes from one place—poor skills choice. Do you want the job? I mean, really want it? Then pay attention to the resume keywords in the editor job description. Only if you list those and then prove them will you look like Anderson Cooper in the labor pool.

For starters—

Use this list of skills for editor resumes:

Editor Resume Skills (Hard Skills)

• MS Office Skills
• SEO
• Marketing Skills
• Team Management
• Content Editing
• Features
• Columns
• Concepting
• Sourcing Content
• Editorial Calendar Management
• News
• Branded Content
• Original Reporting
• Story Judgement
• Grammar, Flow, Style
• Fact Checking
• Sourcing Photos
• Copy Editing

Editor Skills (Soft Skills)

• Analytical Skills
• Creative Thinking Skills
• Interpersonal Skills
• Teamwork Skills
• Written and Verbal Communication
• Attention to Detail
• Active Listening
• Organizational Skills
• Problem Solving
• Time Management
• Critical Thinking

But which ones will management love?

Here’s how to pick the right editor skills:

1. Find the editor skills in the job advertisement and save them.
2. List of your editor skills.
3. Find matches between the two. Those are the right skills to list.
4. Add those skills to your resume skills section.
5. Use a mix of soft skills and hard skills for maximum effect.
6. Prove your editor skills with work and education achievements.

See this editor resume example:

Pretend the company wants management, scheduling, and budgeting.

Editor Resume Examples [Skills]

List editor skills on a resume like that to get management’s blood pumping. The trick? Start each line with resume action words William Zinsser would love. Then don’t just say you used the skill. Show how, and add a number for scale. Do it that way, and you’ll get it at Business Insider or anywhere you like.

Pro Tip: Don’t like to brag about yourself? Your job application is the one place you must toot your own horn. It’s the only way to make your resume stand out.

For a comprehensive list of the best work skills, see our guide: +30 Best Examples of What Skills to Put on a Resume

5. Add Other Sections to Your Editor Resume

By now, you know accomplishments will make your editor resume succeed. The more you have, and the more impressive they are, the more fireworks you’ll set off. But don’t limit your achievements to your job history and schooling. Add some other sections that show your Robert-Fisk-sized skills.

Choose from:

1. Resume Licenses & Certifications

You don’t need certifications in an editor resume. That said, a few certs can boost an entry-level resume for editing jobs. They work better if they match the software the publication uses. Consider:

• WordPress
• Adobe Creative Cloud
• Moz
• Ahrefs
• Google Analytics

2. Professional Associations

If you’re in the ASJA or the SPJ, flaunt it! You’ll show you know the value of networking. You’ll also prove you’re tied to thousands of top-tier freelancers who know a pitch from a paragraph.

3. Conferences

Did you attend an ACES conference or ASJA NY? Did you speak on a panel or lead a pitch slam? Those little details can make a big difference on your resume.

4. Awards and Honors

Not everyone can win a Pulitzer, but there are plenty of other awards fish in the editing sea. If you’ve got an Eddie or a Tom Renner in your past, dust it off and copy-paste it to your resume.

5. Resume Volunteer Work

Walking dogs at an animal shelter or fundraising for a local school show energy and passion. They help entry-level editor resumes that don’t have reams of work accomplishments.

6. Languages on a Resume

Does your readership or staff speak Spanish or Farsee? What about your foreign correspondents? A second language on an editing resume can be the fact that pins you to the job.

See these editor resume samples:

Editor Resume Examples [Other Sections]

That first sample is clean.

Pro Tip: How long is a resume for editor jobs? You don’t need to stick to a one-page resume, if you’ve got a long career with plenty of achievements.

You shouldn’t always add a mailing address on a resume for editor jobs. See our guide: Should You Put Your Address on Your Resume? Pros & Cons

6. Write an Editor Resume Objective or Resume Summary

A great story starts with a great lede. Well—a great resume starts with a great summary. The idea is that managers (like editors) won’t read long resumes. They’ll skim, notice a few points, and move on. To glue their eyeballs to the page, sum up your resume’s key points up top.

Here’s how to write a career summary that works:

1. Start with one adjective like hard-working or resourceful.
2. List your job title (editor).
3. Add years of experience (1, 4+, 8).
4. Say how you want to help (maximize readership...)
5. Include the publication’s name (The New York Globe).
6. Mention the cream of the crop of your accomplishments.

These editor resume examples show how:

Editor Resume Summary

See the trouble with example #2? It’s part job description, part bragging. But what makes you a hard worker? Why should we believe you? By contrast, sample #1 is magic. It says how many years you’ve worked in the field. It shares what you intend to do, and for whom. It shows a big publishing win.

A career objective works just like that, but with a twist. You can’t brag about your awards or circulation in a resume with no experience. So—spotlight your biggest wins from school, or office jobs. Put on your thinking cap. What’s the most impressive thing you’ve done that shows an editing skill?

See these copy editor resume examples:

Entry-Level Editor Resume Objective

Assistant editor, skilled in editorial calendar management and teamwork. Seeking to enhance efficiency and published quality at The Daily Record. As advertising coordinator at The Weekly Standard, managed team of 5 ad-writing experts to ensure 100% of campaigns met criteria and deadlines.

That second example doesn’t parse. It’s not the diction. It’s the lack of relatable achievements. But that first example tells the story.

Pro Tip: Don’t put your picture on a resume in the US. Instead, add your headshot to your business card, then staple it to your resume.

You’ve just graduated and this is resume #1 for you? See our guide: College Graduate Resume Example

7. What About an Editor Cover Letter?

Let’s dispel a common myth. Your editor resume does need a cover letter. That’s because resumes without them seem like spam. Only a cover letter can show you care about this editing job. But don’t just fill it with boilerplate or wear your heart on your sleeve. There’s a trick to writing a good one.

To write a good cover letter:

1. Always format a cover letter before you write it.
2. Start writing with the manager’s name.
3. Write a strong lede in your cover letter’s first paragraph.
4. Add achievements you know the manager will drool over in the second paragraph.
5. Offer something the job needs at the end of your cover letter.

Pro Tip: One great way to start a cover letter for an editing job is with referrals. If you know someone at the publication, ask her why you’d make a good fit. Then—use that in your letter.

Need your editor resume and cover letter to shine like Forbes? See our guides: How To Write A Cover Letter in 8 Simple Steps and How to Make a Resume: A Step-by-Step Guide

Key Takeaway

Here’s a recap of how to write an editor resume:

• Format your editor resume template in reverse-chronological order.
• Source editor skills from the job listing online.
• Create your work history first. Tailor it to the job with Reuters-sized accomplishments.
• Write with resume action words and plenty of numbers.
• Make an education section that proves more editing skills.
• Include additional resume sections for your ACES membership or Eddie Award.
• Add an editor cover letter to show you’re no mere job spammer.

That’s it! Now, we’d love to hear from you: 

• What’s the most heart-wrenching part about writing your editor resume? 
• Is choosing the right achievements like pulling teeth for you?
• Does writing an editor cover letter feel too much like bragging?

Let’s chat below in the comments, and thanks for reading!