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A blank, white page can be terrifying for many people, but not for you. You know how to write an entire article on writing entire articles from scratch. However, creating a freelance writer’s resume can be more tricky than finding some juicy jobs on freelance writing job boards.
Showcase your writing skills with a professional resume and convert readers into clients with your words. How? Read our guide and learn how to create a perfect freelance writer resume!
This guide will show you:
- A freelance writer resume example better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
- How to write a freelance writer resume that will land you more interviews.
- Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a freelance writer resume.
- How to describe your experience on a resume for a freelance writer to get any job you want.
Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. Explore our free resume templates and start building your resume today.
Sample resume made with our builder—See more resume examples here.
One of our users, Pam, had this to say:
Zety is well worth the money! All you do is input your info and Zety turns it into a professional resume that appears like you took hours to make.
Targeting similar jobs as well? See our guides:
- Creative Writer Resume Sample
- Grant Writer Resume Example
- Writer Resume Sample & Guide
- Technical Writer Resume Example
- Editor Resume Example
- Journalism Resume Sample
- Copywriter Resume Sample
- Best Resume Examples for All Professions
Freelance Writer Resume Sample
Sandra Sumiteru, Freelance Writer
sandra.q.sumiteru@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/sandraqsumiteru
601-303-7166
Professional Summary
Fast, engaging freelance writer with 4+ years of experience. Skilled in content writing and journalism. Seeking to grow visitors and customers at Skyword. At Zety my articles help over 1 million readers a month. Regular contributor to Boys’ Life and HP Tech Takes. Published in Fast Company and Costco Connection.
Work Experience
Freelance Writer
Jan 2015–June 2019
- Wrote 300+ articles at Zety.com that get 1 million readers per month.
- Wrote over 1,000 high-traffic articles for blogs in the money and medical space.
- Worked with remote clients both nationally and internationally to increase traffic an average of 10%–20% per month.
- Coached three writers in content writing best practices, helping them improve employer satisfaction by 50%.
Clients
- Boys’ Life and Scouting Magazine (regular contributor)
- HP Tech Takes (regular contributor)
- Costco Connection (contributor)
- Zety.com (career writer)
- Fast Company (contributor)
- Backpacker (contributor)
Education
1990–1994 Colby College
BA in Liberal Arts
- Creative writing concentration
- Watson Fellow
- Dana Scholar
- Senior Scholar
- Maintained 4.0 average last 3 years.
Niches
- Career, business, tech, outdoors, health
Clips
- Scouting: How to Talk to Kids About Drugs
- Boys’ Life: 5 Coolest Future Space Missions
- Costco Connection: Gorilla Playsets Supplier Profile
- Zety.com: Best Job Search Sites
Books
- Think Like Google (SEO book)
- Toast Kaizen (Ghostwritten book on Lean Manufacturing)
Skills
- Technical Skills: Content writing, SEO, marketing, research, interviewing sources
- Soft Skills: Self-motivation, communication, collaboration, efficiency
Activities
- Make viral videos. Three amassed 100,000 YouTube views each.
- Received Shingo Research Prize for a video script I wrote.
- Avid whitewater kayaker.
Here’s how to write a freelance writer resume that gets jobs:
1. Start With the Best Freelance Writer Resume Format
Freelance writerswrite marketing and other content for clients. Unlike staff writers, they’re not on the company payroll. They generally work by-the-word or by-the-hour and may have multiple clients. A freelance writer resume should show skills in writing, research, SEO, and teamwork.
A poorly-written resume for freelance writer jobs can sink your career.
So—
Start with the chronological format of a resume. It’s the best of the three types of resumes. Why?
Because it puts a “you are here” pin in your career.
Here’s how to layout a resume:
- Order the sections of your resume like this: 1) header 2) experience 3) clients 4) summary 5) clips 6) skills 7) other. You can also add books or niches.
- The best resume header shows your name in large font and “freelance writer.” (More on your job title in a bit.)
- List personal information on a resume like name, contact info, and social media. (You don’t need a street address, but you can add your state or city.)
- What’s the best font size for resumes? 10–12 point.
- Use a job resume format PDF, provided the client doesn’t neg them. PDFs are more presentable than Word resumes, and today’s machines can read them.
- Order your resume to go back in time from your most recent gigs.
There are alternatives to the standard resume format: hybrid and skills-based. They might come in handy if you worked for a lot of different clients.
Pro Tip: The better your clients and clips, the better your chances of getting hired. Take care building those sections. After work experience, put your most impressive stuff up high.
2. Write a Freelance Writer Resume Objective or Resume Summary
Writers know:
Brevity works.
So—
Be brief. Put your best selling points in a profile on your resume.
That’s just an elevator pitch for a job—a freelance writer bio.
Write the summary in your resume with:
- An adjective (prolific, engaging)
- Title (Freelance Writer)
- Years of experience (4+, 5+)
- Goal (grow visitors and customers)
- Skills proof w/ numbers (1 million readers per month)
Can’t point to writing wins like that?
A resume for freshers looking for their first job needs a resume objective.
Don’t panic. It’s the same as a summary, but your achievements will come from other jobs you’ve had.
Example: They need someone skilled in copywriting and you did a little of that in a marketing job. Put that in your beginner freelance writer resume.
Pro Tip: How long should a resume be for freelance writers with no experience? Even the experienced should use a single sheet. If you can’t, your writing skills look weak.
3. Fit Your Resume to the Freelance Writer Job Description
“Wow. I want to hire her.”
You can make the hiring manager think that.
First, learn how to add experience in a resume.
Don’t list all the job duties you’ve ever had.
Tailoring a resume to a job takes finesse:
- Pick business job titles that match the job you’re going for. (If they want a “freelance content writer,” don’t say you were a “freelance writer.”)
- Add examples of professional achievements to your work history, with numbers.
- Example: they need a prolific writer. You say, “Wrote 1,000+ high-traffic articles.”
Do that, and your freelance copywriter resume will fill all the blanks.
Pro Tip: Use action words for resumes like wrote, coached, and received. Those terms set you up to say what and how much you did—not just what you “handled.”
4. Tailor Your Freelance Writer Resume Education Section
Don’t just list your education.
After your school, degree, and dates, do this:
Match the education on your resume to the job.
How?
With skills achievements you made in school.
Example: They need someone self-motivated and you’re a Watson Fellow. If you did that, put it in your freelance writer resume.
Pro Tip: Didn’t get a 4.0? Don’t sweat it. Leave GPA off unless you graduated recently. Or if you got high grades where it counts, say that.
5. List Freelance Writer Skills in Your Resume
Here are some skills to put on a resume for freelance writer jobs.
Freelance Writer Resume Skills
Need some technical skills for resumes for freelance writers? Use these:
- Content writing
- Blog writing
- SEO
- Sales writing
- Research
- Marketing
- Editing
- Meeting deadlines
- Engagement
- AP style
- Writing ledes
- Metadata
- Sourcing
- Fact-checking
Need soft skills too? Here are a few employers like:
- Interpersonal skills
- Spoken & written communication
- Efficiency
- Active listening
- Self-motivated
- Organization skills
- Computer skills
- Multitasking
- Conceptual skills
- Professionalism
- Stress management
- Time management
- Teamwork
We’ve analyzed over 11 million resumes created using our builder, and we’ve discovered that:
- Freelance Writers usually list 13 skills on their resumes.
- The most common skills for Freelance Writers include creative writing, content marketing, proofreading, promotional marketing and advertising, and news writing.
- Resumes for Freelance Writers are, on average, 2.8 pages long.
Pro Tip: Don’t feel like you must list all the writing skills on resumes. Doing that will only make you look silly. Zero in on what’s important. The skills that top the job ad are your best bet.
Making a resume with our builder is incredibly simple. Follow our step-by-step guide, use ready-made content tailored to your job and have a resume ready in minutes.
When you’re done, our online resume builder will score your resume and our ATS resume checker will tell you exactly how to make it better.
6. Add “Other” Sections to Your Freelance Writer Resume
Show you’re multi-faceted.
Do it with “bonus” freelance writer resume sections.
Try these:
- Activities
- Freelance projects
- Associations like ASJA
- Personal projects
- Volunteering
- Awards
- Conferences, especially if you spoke at them
- Honors
- Publications
- Compliments from clients
- Sports
- Personal interests
Pro Tip: How should you show language proficiency on a resume for freelance writers? First, does the hiring manager need that skill? If yes, add it to your skills list and bullet points.
Did you start a degree but moved to freelance halfway through? You need to show the transition in your resume. See how with this guide: How to List Unfinished College on a Resume.
7. Send a Cover Letter With Your Freelance Writer Resume
How important are cover letters for freelance writing resumes?
Earth-shakingly.
But so many are sooo bad.
Here’s how to write a good cover letter:
- Use the right freelance writer cover letter format (3 paragraphs).
- Write great cover letter openings by putting a big hook in them. Example: “When one of my videos earned $30 million in revenue…”
- Make your cover letter middle a showcase of why you fit the job.
- Put a promise in your cover letter conclusion. Example: “I’m excited to share with you why I get 1 million readers a month at Zety.”
- “How long should my cover letter be?” Make it 300 words or so.
Finally, here’s how to write a follow up email: Make it zippy. Just say you’re following up and cite the catchiest part of your resume.
Plus, 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:
That’s it!
That’s how to write a freelance writer resume.
About Zety’s Editorial Process
This article has been reviewed by our editorial team to make sure it follows Zety’s editorial guidelines. We’re committed to sharing our expertise and giving you trustworthy career advice tailored to your needs. High-quality content is what brings over 40 million readers to our site every year. But we don’t stop there. Our team conducts original research to understand the job market better, and we pride ourselves on being quoted by top universities and prime media outlets from around the world.
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