Creating a CV (curriculum vitae) for a content writing job requires highlighting your relevant skills, experience, and qualifications in a way that will appeal to potential employers. Content writing is a broad field that encompasses many different styles and topics, so your CV needs to demonstrate your versatility and ability to produce high-quality written work across various formats and subjects.
It’s important to tailor each CV specifically for the job you are applying to. Research the company and role thoroughly so you can mention any skills, tools, or areas of expertise that would be especially valuable for that position. Look at job descriptions for similar roles to determine what employers in that industry consider important. Your CV should clearly convey that you meet as many of their requirements as possible.
The Format:
Keep it to no more than two pages for a content writing role, unless you have extensive experience to show. Recruiters will not have time to read long CVs.
Use a simple, clear font like Arial or Times New Roman in a size between 10-12 points. Sans serif fonts like Calibri are also professional and readable.
Sections should be concise headings in bold or a slightly larger font to distinguish them. The order is typically contact details, career objective/profile, skills, work experience, education, then other sections as needed.
Bullets points are preferable to paragraphs as they are scannable. Start each with an action verb to highlight your achievements and capabilities.
The Header:
Include your name, phone number, email, LinkedIn URL or portfolio site, and postal address. Social media links can also be relevant.
The career objective/profile is 2-3 sentences maximum selling your top qualifications for the role in a compelling way. Mention proven skills, niche expertise, passion for the industry/subject matter.
Skills:
List relevant technical, creative and soft skills. Example technical skills are CMS platforms, design tools, coding languages. Soft skills are communication, research, attention to detail.
Quantify achievements where possible e.g. “Proficient in HTML, CSS, basic JavaScript and familiar with content management systems including WordPress.”
Work Experience:
Start with your most recent role and work backwards. Include company names, your job title, dates employed and outline responsibilities and accomplishments using bullet points.
Focus on results, like traffic/sales increases, partnerships secured, processes improved through initiatives undertaken. Highlight relevant projects completed and your unique contributions.
For content writing roles, expand on your experience by niche/genre if possible to show diversity. Quantities produced help validate your expertise.
Freelance Projects:
Include clients, timeframes and topics covered if you have independent experience. Publishing credits aid credibility too for creative roles.
Education:
List the most relevant diplomas, degrees, certifications attained and where studied and when. Only include transcript details if a grade requirement exists.
Additional Sections:
You can add ones like publications/awards, languages, computer proficiency, volunteer experience depending on relevancy for the role.
The close:
End with a short professional summary restating your strongest suitability and interest in their company. Thank them for consideration and include preferred contact details.
Following these CV tips can produce a targeted, well-formatted document to effectively market your abilities to potential content writing employers. Keep optimizing it based on feedback and research into different companies and roles. With practice, you can create standout CVs that help get your foot in the door for interviews.