May 09 2008
Step Two: Create a Writing Resume
If you want to start landing great writing jobs from home, you will need a writing resume. The writing resume does two things. First, it helps you build confidence as a new writer. Once you start developing your resume, you will find that you have all sorts of experience that qualifies you for a job. Secondly, a writing resume lets potential employers and clients know that you have what it takes to make the most of an opportunity.
Your writing resume should include:
- Your contact information. The top of your resume should include your name, address, telephone number, fax (if you have one), and email address. One caveat: make sure that your email address is professional. Do not, under any circumstances, include an address such as funnygirl@anemailprovider.com or even bestwriter@anemailprovider.com. Use your name as a username.
- Your writing credits, clips, and samples. Employers and clients will want to see how you write. Even if you have only been published in a small regional magazine or newspaper, include the titles of the articles and the publication information. If any of your articles are online, provide a link. Divide your clips into categories – articles, online copy, newspapers, etc. – if there are lots of them. If you haven’t been published yet, don’t panic. You can start a free blog or set up a writing site in order to have a place to post your samples. Write up a few articles or pieces about topics that interest you and post them online. Make it your best effort and provide a link to the pieces on your resume. Resist the temptation to work for free or for low wages just for “exposure.” You are better off uploading your own articles to a blog or website rather than having someone take advantage of your writing just to make a “name” for yourself.
- Any work-related or volunteer-related writing experience. If you have worked on marketing copy for your employer or have volunteered for a newspaper or local publishing house, include that information.
- Awards. If you have won any awards for your writing, make sure that you list that fact on your resume.
- Education. List any degrees you hold and any colleges you attended. This is less important in a writing resume than your actual writing clips and samples, but it can still be useful to include.
Play around with your resume until you have something to be proud of. Then, save it as a Word file and as a text file that you can copy and paste into the body of an email (for those employees and clients who do not accept attachments).
3 Responses to “Step Two: Create a Writing Resume”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Not A Member? Register for Free!
Just wanted to say about the using your name as email thing. I have a very common name. I don’t want to. I am a writer, thus a creative person, shouldn’t my persona also be creative. I know my on line persona is. My pen name is Aukxsona every where on the internet. I have aukxsona@gmail.com as my address. I think an email address that is suitable to you is best… as long as it isn’t sexykitten149@bla bla.
Also isn’t there a security risk in knowing someone’s name via their email? I have SPAM all the time that says Dear Aukxsona, I immediately delete. Anyone that knows me will not call me Aukxsona in a personal letter.
You bring up an excellent point. Using a pen name as an email username works very well, because it is still a name. The problem is using an unprofessional username or a username that comes across as unprofessional – and that can include usernames such as imawriter or imagreatwriter.
Unfortunately, you are right that there is a risk in providing your email to anyone. I have been seeing more and more scam ads on places like craigslist, which used to be a very good source for jobs. I still think it’s a calculated risk. Legitimate employers still want to know your name and still want valid contact information. What I do is I have a separate email account that is only for replying to writing job ads. That way, no spammer gets my personal email address. In terms of keeping safe online, I also do not give out my home address or personal information to employers unless I know that they are legitimate. When applying to blind ads (like the ads you see on Craigslist, where very little information is provided about the person posting the ad) I provide as little information as possible.
Oh, and by the way, I just checked out your blog. It’s a great read!