My Sweet November: Day 28 – Writing a Solid Writing Resume

You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve pitched to ads asking me to send in my resume. Before starting this course, 30 Days or Less to Freelance Writing Success, I thought they wanted to see my regular resume.

Oops! Honestly, I hadn’t looked at my resume in a few years before I started this assignment. So much had changed about me. Today, I followed Gina’s directions and tweaked the crap out of mine!

Since completing it, and converting it to a .pdf file, I’ve found I’m pitching more jobs. Since pitching is a numbers game, I’m confident I’ll hear back from at least one of them.

Showcase Your Writing Skills

Clean the Thing Up

Lesson 31: Your Writing Resume got me started by getting rid of all the verbiage that no longer applied to me.

For example, I used to hold the title of Controler for my husband’s business. I no longer have an interest in accounting, but it does show that I have effective management skills. So, I trimmed up the junk I had and tailored it to serve the purpose.

Add Your Writing and Social Media Background

Just like when pitching, remember to honestly talk about your background first. If you’ve been blogging for a while, mention that. Whether it was for a profit or not, be sure to include your writing work first.

I must admit that when I was writing mine, it went against all my resume writing experience to start that way. If you feel a lump in your throat, embrace it! It’s ok.

Trust the process.

My New and Improved Writing Resume

I’ll be honest. Much like my bio, pitch templates, and other stuff, I based my resume off of Gina’s model. She says it’ll change over time, but I felt hers (because it obviously works!) was a great place to start.

My Writing Experience

This is an actual heading I open with. The rest reads like this:

Professional Writer/Blogger and Editor (1/2007 – Present)

• I recently switched my focus from ghostwriting over to writing for the web full-time.
• I regularly contribute to RA Williams Publishing and Transgender Current.
• I’ve built and run my own website and blog. I’ve been writing professionally since 2007.
• Additionally, I write content regularly for other bloggers and internet platforms. Check out my Hire Me page and Professional Writing Pinterest board for samples and client testimonials.
• I have extensive experience working with WordPress and have no problem writing posts in the back end. I have knowledge of SEO and coding as well.
• I love editing all forms of writing and have extensive experience with website copy, editing blog posts, manuscripts, and other forms of writing.
• A Social Media aficionado
  • I have an active Facebook page. 
  • I am a habitual Twitter user.
  • I enjoy creating Pinterest boards.
  • Check out my Google+ profile as well.
  • Don’t forget to connect with me on LinkedIn.

The Rest of My Writing Resume

The remainder is pretty straight forward. I discuss my experience working as the Controller of my husband’s business. I also talk about my career objective in a manner that offers up my experience as an asset to a potential client.

I end with my “Skills” section. Here, I showcase the fact that I am bilingual in Spanish. I think about adding in my bilingual experience by peppering it throughout the document. I’ve ghostwritten many jobs in Spanish. I may decide to change that in the next version.

In Conclusion

Your writing resume isn’t that different from your traditional resume when you think about it. We’re in a different field. Ergo, different things matter.

Try to remember the rules we discussed on Day 6. Brevity is important and you may want to elect to change your spacing to 1.5 to allow for plenty of white space. Do your best to strictly adhere to what the client’s requests are.

In case you’re curious, I’ve made my entire resume available for viewing.

Photo Credit: Resume Word Cloud via photopin (license)