A resume is a résumé—a record of your work experience. It is your opportunity to showcase your skills and interests while also giving a potential employer some insight into what makes you special. When it comes to creative writing, the skills you should include on your resume are very different from those you would include in a journalistic résumé. The following will discuss some of the key skills you should include on your creative writing resume and where you can find out more about the types of jobs available in the industry.
The Basics
Regardless of the type of creative writing you are applying for, you should always include your email address, phone number, and the URL of your website or blog on your resume. It would also be wise to include a digital version of your biography (or curriculum vitae)—a short summary of your professional history. You should also indicate whether you have a portfolio of your work or would be willing to send it to prospective employers. More and more often, creative writing schools and majors are encouraging students to develop their portfolios and include them in their resumes. A well-designed digital portfolio will help prospective employers get a feel for your work and can also be easily accessible online.
Gathering And Analyzing Information
As a writer, you will be using your creative talent to create literature—to entertain, interest, or inform your audience. Therefore, it is essential that you develop the ability to research and synthesize information effectively. In today’s world, a lot of information is freely available online. However, finding relevant, accurate information can be time-consuming. You should be able to demonstrate that you can identify the most appropriate sources of information and accurately summarize the information you find.
Research And Synthesis
As a creative writer, you will frequently be required to conduct extensive research on a topic. While this may seem easy enough, diving into a topic without proper preparation can sometimes leave you overwhelmed or even unable to put the project together effectively. To ensure you do not fall into this trap, it is important to research the topic thoroughly and be sure you have all the necessary information before you start writing. To make things even more complicated, a lot of creative writing jobs require you to take detailed notes while you are researching a topic. These notes can then be used to create a rich analysis of the topic which you can incorporate into your final product.
Delivery
An editor will almost certainly be reading your work before it is published—to make sure it is of a high standard and that the content is appropriate for the target audience. While a professional editor can help you improve your work and ensure it reaches its maximum potential, it is up to you to drive the process and make the ultimate editorial decisions on your work. Therefore, it is essential that you learn to deliver your work on time and in the best possible condition. For online courses, this generally means that you should learn how to use a word processing program to format your work professionally and learn how to submit it online for review.
Editing
Once your work is complete, an editor will be in charge of making it better—of ensuring that everything is written correctly and that the flow of the text is seamless. While the role of an editor is incredibly valuable and can help you improve your work significantly, it is still up to you to take the reins and make the final decisions on your work. Once you have submitted your work for an editor to review, you can expect to wait up to two weeks for a response.
Research
As a writer, you will always be required to do some research before you start your project. For non-fiction content, the ideal scenario is that you already have an idea for the topic you are researching and simply need to identify and analyze primary source material to confirm your facts. For fiction writers, especially writers of narrative non-fiction, it is important that you learn to use libraries and archives to find relevant and reliable information. By keeping track of all your sources, you can also ensure that you accurately cite them throughout the text of your work—a vital step in editorial journalism and academic writing.
Creative Writing Resume: Where Can I Find Out More About The Jobs Available?
While the above information should clearly delineate the skills you need to enter the creative writing field, where can you go to find out more about the jobs available? The best place to start is LinkedIn—the world’s largest professional network—where you can connect with over 300 million professionals worldwide. With over 30 job listings at any given time, you can use the site to your advantage in your job search.
Summary
To bring this article to a close, let’s review the most essential information you need to include on your resume for creative writing jobs:
- Contact information
- Contact information
- Research and synthesis skills
- Delivery skills
- Editing skills
- Research skills
Having this information will place you in a better position to shine and make the right impression on prospective employers. Just make sure you put your best foot forward and present yourself in the best way possible! Good luck out there.