Freelance Writer Resume Sample (Template & Guide)

You crank the words out like Stephen King on No Doz. Good, fresh, hot copy is your bread and butter. Show the hiring team you’re skilled with this sample freelance writer resume.

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You know you've got what it takes.

After all, you managed to write a 1,500-word article about clipping baby toenails in less than a day.

And you accidentally found your own post on the first page of Google when looking for something else.

So why are you still browsing freelance writing job boards where clients offer $5 for a 2,000-word post on quantum physics when everyone else seems to land high-ticket clients one by one?

Well, here’s a pro tip: give your job application a makeover. Sending a quick pitch and a link to your portfolio just isn’t enough. Showcase your writing skills with a professional freelance writer resume and convert readers to clients with effortless ease.

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. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.

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Sample resume made with our builder—See more resume examples here.

One of our users, Nikos, had this to say:

[I used] a nice template I found on Zety. My resume is now one page long, not three. With the same stuff.

Not looking for a resume for freelance writer jobs? Need a different resume for the creative life? See our guides:

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:

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.

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.

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:

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See more cover letter templates and start writing.

That’s it!

That’s how to write a freelance writer resume.

What drives you crazy about being a freelance writer? Did you try to hide that in your resume for freelance writer jobs? Give us a shout in the comments. We’d love to talk!

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