How to Craft a Content Writer Resume (with Examples)

A well-crafted content writer resume is more than a formality – it’s the first piece of writing a potential client or hiring manager will read from you. A strong resume showcases skills, communicates value, and proves you understand how to position content for specific audiences. 

Whether you’re just getting started or trying to level up your writing career, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know to build a professional, polished resume that showcases your content writing skills and gets you noticed. We’ll also give you an example of a content writing resume to help you get started on your own.

Do You Need a Resume as a Content Writer?

If you’re working as a freelance content writer, you might wonder whether you even need a resume. After all, isn’t your portfolio enough?

In reality, a strong resume can open doors, especially when you’re applying for contract roles, applying to agencies, or responding to job ads that still use traditional hiring processes. It gives potential clients or employers a quick, structured overview of your skills, your experience, and the value you bring.

What to Include in Your Content Writer Resume

A strong content writer resume should give a clear, concise snapshot of your qualifications and potential. While the layout may vary depending on your experience level, there are several core elements that every resume should include:

• Contact information: your name, email address, and phone number
• Professional summary: a short statement that highlights your niche, skills, and relevant experience
• Work experience: include both paid and unpaid roles that demonstrate your writing abilities
• Education: list degrees, certificates, and relevant online courses
• Key achievements: awards, publications, or standout results from past projects
• Professional memberships: writing associations or industry groups you’re part of

If you’re a beginner and don’t have much professional writing experience, you can include any writing-related aspects of past employment. For example, if you’re a former teacher, you could list comprehensive lesson planning as research and writing experience. Or if you worked in admin or office support, you could mention preparing professional documents, managing communications, or creating internal guides or presentations.

The goal is to demonstrate transferable skills that show you can plan, write, edit, and communicate effectively, even if you haven’t yet worked as a professional writer.

7 Steps for Building Your Content Writer Resume

Here’s a breakdown of how to write an effective content writer resume:

1. Choose the Right Format

There are several different formats to choose from for your resume. You can write a chronological resume, a functional resume, or one that is a combination of both. Each format has its advantages – a chronological resume highlights your work history and education over time, while a functional resume emphasizes your related skills.

If you’re a relatively new writer with little professional writing experience, a functional resume (or a combination of both formats) is probably the best way to showcase your skills. This allows you to lead with strengths like writing ability or editing experience, even if they come from internships, volunteer work, or unrelated jobs.

2. Decide What to Include

It can be challenging to decide what to include on a resume, especially if you have a varied work history. Generally, your content writer resume should be concise; it’s usually best to keep it to around one page.

If possible, try to tailor your resume specifically to the writing job you’re applying for. This means you may need to emphasize different skills or achievements for each potential role or client. For example, if you’re applying for a position writing content for a veterinary office, it would be appropriate to include your time as a volunteer at an animal shelter, even if it didn’t involve writing. However, this experience would not be relevant to a job as a financial writer, so you would leave it off that version of your resume.

Additionally, even if you don’t have an industry-specific degree, you can include past coursework, online certifications, or professional development that relates to the job you’re applying for. This might include modules on digital marketing, SEO, UX writing, or email strategy – anything that shows you’re actively building your knowledge in the field.

3. Highlight Key Content Writing Skills

Hiring managers and clients often scan resumes for specific skills. Including a well-chosen mix of hard and soft content writing skills helps demonstrate your expertise – and improves your chances of getting through an applicant tracking system (ATS). These systems scan and rank resumes based on how closely they match the language in the job ad.

Here’s a snapshot of key skills to consider, along with examples and where to showcase them:

Pick the skills that best match the job you’re applying for, and back them up with examples.

Want a deeper dive into each of these skills? Check out our blog post on the 10 Content Writing Skills You Need on Your Resume.

4. Provide Concrete Details

To help your resume stand out from the crowd, provide as many concrete details of your experience and professional achievements as you can. For example, if you took the lead on a project or increased website traffic and conversions for a client, be sure to include the specific data in the work experience section. 

Statements like “boosted organic traffic by 20% over three months” or “refreshed existing blog content to reduce bounce rate by 15%” help potential clients or employers understand the value you can bring.

Here are some more ideas for using numbers in your resume.

5. Tailor Your Language and Tone

Always use clear and concise language for your content writer resume – and be sure to proofread for errors and inconsistent formatting before submitting it. 

In addition, visit the website of the organization you’re applying to work with, and try to match their language and tone as much as possible (as long as it’s professional!). For example, if they use a friendly, conversational brand voice on their blog, your summary and bullet points can mirror that tone.

When discussing your previous experience, use bold, engaging verbs (e.g., “crafted,” “supervised,” “implemented”) that reflect initiative and ownership.

6. Optimize With Keywords

Incorporate relevant keywords and phrases from the job description to ensure your resume passes through an ATS.

Look out for repeated phrases in the listing – such as “SEO writing,” “long-form blog content,” or “content calendars” – and include them naturally in your resume, particularly in your summary, skills, and experience sections. This helps your application surface during the initial screening process and signals that you’ve read the job description carefully.

Make sure your resume is tailored to the vacancy in question, not just in terms of experience, but also in the vocabulary and focus areas you choose to highlight.

7. Include a Link to Your Portfolio

Don’t make clients or hiring managers dig – show off your best work up front! Add a live link to your portfolio near the top of your resume, ideally in your contact info or summary section. 

Whether it’s a personal website, a polished PDF, or a platform like Contently or LinkedIn’s featured section, make sure it reflects the kind of writing you want to get hired for.

Need help building or hosting a standout portfolio? Check out our tips on How to Build a Freelance Writing Portfolio That Wins Clients and explore 7 of the Best Portfolio Hosting Sites for Freelancers.

Content Writer Resume Example

There isn’t one single best tool to use to create your content writer resume. You can write it in Microsoft Word and save it as a PDF, or you can use Google Docs, Canva, or other resume-building sites. 

No matter what tool or software you use, be sure to include all relevant information, and ensure the content is presented neatly and is easy to follow. A good tip is to email it to yourself and open it on your own computer to get a better visual understanding of the format.

Below is an example of a fictional content writer’s resume to use as inspiration; you can see an additional example on the LiveCareer website.

Example Resume

Abigail Doyle
📧 abigail.doyle@communications.net | 📞 201-534-5555 | 🌐 abigailwrites.com

Professional Summary
Detail-oriented content writer with 5+ years of experience producing SEO-optimized blog posts, knowledge base articles, and educational content for B2C brands. Skilled in structuring complex topics clearly, aligning tone with audience needs, and supporting organic growth through well-researched, long-form content.

Work Experience

Freelance Content Writer
May 2023–Present

• Created blog articles, pillar content, and case studies for clients in e-commerce, wellness, and SaaS.
• Conducted subject-matter research and keyword planning to support content strategies.
• Edited and updated existing content to improve readability, accuracy, and search performance.

Content Writer, Quinn Cosmetics
April 2021–May 2023

• Researched and wrote 4–6 in-depth blog posts per month, helping increase organic traffic by 20% in 6 months.
• Partnered with the SEO team to identify content gaps and build internal linking strategies.
• Maintained consistent voice and structure across blog, FAQ, and how-to content.

Education
Bachelor of Arts in English Literature, Sutton University, 2018

Certifications

• Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate, 2024
• Content Marketing Certification Course: Grow Better with Content, HubSpot Academy, 2021
• SEO Certification Course, HubSpot Academy, 2021

Key Skills

• Content Writing: Blog posts, how-to guides, evergreen content, long-form articles
• SEO & Strategy: Keyword research, topic clustering, on-page optimization
• Research & Structure: Competitor research, fact-checking, formatting for readability
• Tools: WordPress, Google Docs, Microsoft Word, Ahrefs, Semrush, Jira
• Soft Skills: Time management, content planning, coordinating with internal teams and contributors 

Becoming a Freelance Writer

Do you want to learn more about what it takes to be a successful freelance content writer, including how to find clients? Check out our comprehensive Becoming a Freelance Writer course. It teaches you everything you need to know about launching a rewarding career as a freelance writer. Get your free lessons today!

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How to Become an SEO Content Writer How to Become a Legal Content Writer How to Become a Fashion Writer What Is Content Writing?