Top freelance writer CV examples to use this year

Freelance writers are the cornerstone of SEO writing, content marketing and much more, so how do you create a CV that shows this?

Tell employers you have what it takes to become a successful freelance writer, by highlighting exemplary writing skills, knowledge of SEO, WordPress, content management and digital marketing.

Keep reading this guide to create a great freelance writer CV to secure your dream role today!

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The structure of a freelance writer CV will heavily depend on the type of CV format you choose. There are three main kinds of CVs. Here is a guide:

• Chronological: Chronological CVs focus on work experience and are good for writers with professional writing experience.
• Functional: Functional CVs focus on skills and are good for first-time job candidates applying for content writing roles.
• Combination: Combination CVs highlight both skills and experience and are beneficial for content writers with many years of experience.

Header

Before you write the body of your CV, include a CV header section. This section contains your primary contact details, allowing the hiring manager or recruiter to contact you with application updates. Here is the information you need to include:

• Full name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Location

If you have lots of experience in several writing jobs, then provide a link to professional networking profiles such as LinkedIn in your CV header. This is a good way to provide the hiring manager or recruiter with more information about previous clients or key writing accomplishments.

Professional summary or career objective

Once you’ve created a header, begin with a professional summary. A professional summary serves as a first introduction to your skills and experience. You can introduce how many years of content writing experience you have and any key skills that you believe the hiring manager or recruiter will value.

This section is only two to three sentences long, so it’s best to stick to your core competencies and try not to over-explain.

If you don’t have any experience writing for digital marketing agencies or similar employers, use a career objective. An objective is similar to a summary in that it’s two or three sentences long but instead summarises your career goals and key objectives, as well as your top skills. You can explain why your skills compensate for lack of experience and explain how the role aligns with your career goals.

Skills

Depending on the type of CV format you choose, your skills section might be the most important part of your CV. Regardless of the CV type, the best CV will have a comprehensive skills section that mentions all of the necessary hard skills and soft skills to be a good writer.

Hard skills are role-specific skills, whereas soft skills (such as collaboration and attention to detail) are transferable across several industries. You can use the job description and advertisement to select skills that align with the employer’s vision of the perfect candidate.

If you can’t think of the right skills to include, then consider using these bullet points as inspiration:

• Time management
• SEO optimisation
• Proofreading
• Project management
• Social media strategy and social media platforms
• Technical skills
• Microsoft Office, Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Resilience
• Self-management

Work history

If you choose a chronological CV format or the hiring manager requests lots of experience, then your work history section may be the most important part of your CV. List your experience in reverse chronological order, starting from your most recent position. This gives the hiring manager the most up-to-date information about your skills and experience.

Use 3-5 short bullet points to summarise your primary responsibilities and achievements from each job. You should also include the company name and your start and finish dates (e.g., January 2019-January 2022).

If you have a portfolio or personal website that showcases your previous copywriting experience, then you can provide a link to this in your work experience section. This can help to support your bullet points.

Education

To become a freelance writer, hiring managers will expect you to have certain academic qualifications. This can include a bachelor’s degree in English, creative writing or marketing.

Here is what you can include in this section:

• Degree name
• University name
• Graduation year
• Notable achievements (Dean’s list, honours list)
• Any related certifications (e.g., marketing, technical writing)

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Do:

• Use keywords from the job advertisement and description (e.g, specific skills or requirements) in your CV to help pass applicant tracking systems (ATS) that employers use to scan CVs.
• Proofread your CV before you submit it to ensure there are no errors.
• Use a CV builder or CV template to help structure your CV in a professional presentation.

Don’t:

• Go overboard on explaining experiences and skills that aren’t as relevant to the job you want.
• Forget to use a professional font for your CV like Times New Roman or Arial.

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