Writing Skills: Examples, How to Improve, & List on a Resume

You probably do realize that to get that dream job, you can’t just say “I’m good at writing”, or copy a basic list of writing skills from Google.

How do you get hired then? You list the exact skills the employer wants on your resume, then demonstrate them through achievements.

Not sure mind-reading is your forte? Then here’s the most useful writing skills guide this side of Malcolm Forbes.

This guide will show you:

• A great list of writing skills for various jobs.
• Writing tips for how to improve writing skills.
• The importance of writing skills on a resume.
• How to prove your writing skills so employers want to call you.

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Want to learn more about other job-winning skills? We've got you covered—check out our dedicated guides:

• Communication Skills
• Management Skills
• Critical Thinking Skills
• Creative Thinking Skills
• Computer Skills

And here are some in-depth guides with resume samples for jobs that require strong writing & editing skills:

• Professional Writer Resume
• SEO Resume
• Librarian Resume
• Legal Assistant Resume
• Public Relations Resume

1. Review the Best Writing Skills for Your Resume

In a nutshell:

There isn’t just one skill for writing on the planet.

Which ones do you need?

Start with the list of 24 types of writing skills below.

Each is packed with skills for jobs for writers and non-writers alike.

To prove them—

Scroll below the writing skills list.

List of Writing Skills for Resumes

• Basic Writing Skills. Grammar, punctuation, spelling, vocabulary, clarity, brevity, engagement, proofreading, revising.
• Professional Writing Skills. Note taking, letter writing, email writing, MS Office, business writing, written communication skills.
• Business Writing Skills. Report writing, business case writing, press release writing, newsletter writing, analysis, research, content management.
• Technical Writing Skills. Analysis, planning, data visualization, feedback gathering, preparing documents, product knowledge, research, collaboration.
• Creative Writing. Writing novels, writing short stories, plotting, worldbuilding, creating characters, writing dialogue, humor, drama, action.
• College Writing Skills, aka academic writing skills. Exposition, persuasion, description, narration, essay writing, thesis writing, creative writing.
• Foreign Language Writing Skills. Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, foreign business writing, fluency.
• Copywriter Skills. Content writing, blog writing, SEO, sales writing, research, marketing, empathy, product knowledge.
• Content Writing. Research, SEO, focus, meeting deadlines, editing, proofreading, engagement, adaptability, organization, communication.
• Editing. Copy editing, online editing, final manuscript production, typesetting,
• Grant Writing Skills. Organization, persuasion, research, persistence, empathy, subject knowledge, creativity, attention to detail, storytelling.
• Emails Writing Skills. Business emails, mail-merges, sales emails, folders, rules, filters, brevity, precision, proofreading, manners, consistency.
• Blog Writing. Focus, brevity, simplicity, engagement, research, strong work ethic.
• Report Writing. Sourcing, research, analysis, data visualization, interviewing, data management, MS Office, summarizing.
• Media Writing. SEO, AP Style, grammar, punctuation, accuracy, clarity, objectivity, sourcing, interviewing, research, digital media writing, news writing.
• Magazine Writing. Pitching, writing ledes, research, interviewing, outreach, structure, storytelling, writing heads and subheads, networking, feature writing.
• Journalism. Interviewing, research, special knowledge, meeting deadlines, social media, sourcing, outreach, revising, analyzing, fact-checking.
• Collaborative Writing Skills. Collaboration, Google Docs, Trello, Jira, MS Word, teamwork, editing.
• Business Storytelling. Branding, sales, positivity, brevity, detail-oriented, empathy, engagement, research, networking.
• Proposal Writing. Development, empathy, organization, communication, basic writing, business writing.
• Social Media Writing. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, accuracy, engagement, adaptability, humor, detail-oriented, writing calls-to-action.
• Presentation Writing. PowerPoint, creativity, brevity, public speaking, sales.
• Writing Computer Skills. MS Office, MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Google Docs, Content Management Systems, WordPress.
• Writing Code. Java, Python, Swift, C, C++, PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Ruby, Rust, Elixir.

The skills above are hard skills, a.k.a. writing technical skills.

But professional writers need other qualities too.

Here’s a list of writing soft skills for your resume:

Writing Soft Skills

• Creativity
• Persistence
• Strong Work Ethic
• Collaboration
• Communication
• Patience
• Detail-Oriented
• Interpersonal Skills
• Empathy
• Time Management
• Work Ethic
• Organization
• Perceptiveness

One last thing: don’t list all the writer skills in this guide on your resume. Unless you’re specifically after jobs for writers, just pick the one or two in the job ad.

How do you show writing skills on a resume to grab the interview?

That’s next.

Should you list soft or hard skills for writing? What about technical skills? See our guide: Soft Skills vs Hard Skills for a Job: What Employers Look For

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2. Show Writing Skills on a Resume With Achievements

Wow. This applicant has what we need.

Your resume should get that response.

But there’s a trick to it.

How to Put Writing Skills on a Resume

First, tailor your resume by picking the writer skills shown in the job ad. Those are the ones the employer cares about.

Second, list your skills like this:

Skills: Business writing, emails writing, communication, etc...

Most important—

Prove them with achievements and numbers.

These writing skills examples show how:

Writing Skills Examples for Resumes

Which skills for writing did the job posting ask for? Those are the ones you need to prove.

Put them in your resume bullet points like this:

Hire-worthy.

You’ve listed the perfect skills in a way employers can believe.

Technical Writing Skills Examples

You’re so good you could write documentation for the Falcon 9. But you won’t land technical writing jobs if you don’t strut your stuff.

So—

Sift through the technical writer job description for the right skills. Then show them like this:

Basic Writing Skills Examples for Resumes

Just need to prove you can put pen to paper well enough to muddle through? You could take an English proficiency test and list the results on your resume.

But check the job ad for the basic writing skills this job wants. Then prove you till the bill:

Business Writing Skills Examples for Resumes

Does that fat job want business writing skills? You’ll need to prove them, but first make sure you’re proving the right skills.

Read the job description, then plug achievements into your resume like this:

Professional Writing Skills Examples for Resumes

What’s the difference between business and professional writing skills? Not much.

Prove the skills that fit the job posting best, like this:

College Writing Skills Examples for Resumes

Do you need to prove essential writing skills for college and beyond? Try to find the specific skills they want.

Then, list accomplishments that prove you’re up to speed.

Grant Writing Skills Examples for Resumes

Grant writing skills are vital to nonprofits and private companies. Have you got more proposal writer skills than the United Way?

Scan the job description for specific skills for grant writing. Then show when you used them to help in a big way.

Emails Writing Skills Examples for Resumes

Everyone can write emails. But does your dream job need something extraordinary?

Check the job ad for the precise email writing skills the manager wants. Then show how you used them in past roles.

Need a synonym for writing skills?

Try written communication skills.

Up next, a list of writing tips to improve writing skills fast.

Pro Tip: Spelling and punctuation in a resume must be flawless. Nothing says, “I’m not a good writer” like sloppy resume writing—this is one of the worst resume mistakes.

Need more skills to write on a resume? See our guide: The Ultimate Professional Skill Set: 99 Key Skills for a Resume

3. How to Get Better at Writing

Here’s a bad dream:

What if the employer wants strong writing skills but—

You have a hard time writing See Jane run?

Don’t sweat it.

Here’s how to improve your writing:

How to Improve Writing Skills

Writing Tips:

1. Refresh your basic writing skills like spelling and grammar. (Classes below)
2. Write and read often. Writing with skill takes practice.
3. Find someone to give feedback on your writing.
4. Reread writing you like and imitate it.
5. Outline before you write.
6. Revise your writing when you’re done—even if you’re tired of it.
7. Write your first draft fast. Then go back and fix it.
8. Cut everything that isn’t 100% necessary from your writing.
9. Do your research. The biggest source of block is not knowing what to say.
10. Don’t procrastinate.

If those writing tips don’t go far enough, consider taking classes.

These 12 writing classes can unleash your inner Stephen King:

Writing Skills Courses

• Basic Writing. University of California & Coursera
• Business Writing Skills Course. University of Colorado Boulder & Coursera
• Technical Writing. Coursera
• Creative Writing. Stanford University has dozens of online creative writing classes. They hit the basics, writing mysteries and everything between.
• Copywriting. Skillshare
• Content Writing. Udemy
• Grant Writing. Ed2Go
• Report Writing. UniversalClass
• Journalism. Michigan State University & Coursera
• Proposal Writing. Grantspace
• Social Media Writing. Writer’s Digest University
• Coding. Codeacademy

Pro Tip: Don’t want to shell out for writing skills classes? Pay a visit to the University of YouTube. They’ve got tons of free writing lessons to improve your skill set quickly.

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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Key Takeaway

Summary: Writing skills on resumes:

1. Review the many types of writing skills.
2. Read the job ad like it’s a real page-turner. Highlight the skills you see.
3. List skills for writing in your resume, then prove them with achievements.
4. To improve writing skills, read and write more, outline, revise, and cut, cut, cut.

Have more questions about how to improve writing skills? Still not sure how to put skills for writing on a resume? Give us a shout in the comments! We’d be happy to reply.

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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.

Sources

• https://www.coursera.org/learn/grammar-punctuation
• https://www.coursera.org/learn/writing-for-business
• https://www.coursera.org/courses?query=technical%20writing
• https://continuingstudies.stanford.edu/online-courses/creative-writing
• https://www.coursera.org/specializations/become-a-journalist
• https://grantspace.org/training/courses/introduction-to-proposal-writing/