Freelance Writer Resume—Example & Writing Guide for 2024
Freelance Writer Resume—Example & Writing Guide for 2024
Your friends work from anywhere they want, and you’re stuck in the office? Change that. This freelance writer's resume will get you where you can work on your terms.
Certified Professional Resume Writer, Career Expert
Your vein strikes under a shower, and you can’t live a day without writing in your diary. You can’t miss a copywriting update, and your last money goes on fine liners.
Well, you’re a flesh-and-blood writer, not just a random guy who enjoys sitting by a desk and leaving work promptly at 4 PM. You’d instead prepare copywriting masterpieces on a paradise island. So, what stops you? Create a freelance writer's resume that takes you wherever your artistic soul can go.
In this guide:
A freelance writer's resume sample better than most.
How to make the perfect freelance writer job description for resumes.
How to write a resume for freelance writers that stands out.
Expert tips and freelance writing resume examples to boost your chances of landing a freelance writer job.
I had an interview yesterday and the first thing they said on the phone was: “Wow! I love your resume.” Patrick
I love the variety of templates. Good job guys, keep up the good work! Dylan
My previous resume was really weak and I used to spend hours adjusting it in Word. Now, I can introduce any changes within minutes. Absolutely wonderful! George
Dedicated freelance writer with 3+ years of experience creating spotless copy for blogs, websites, and landing pages. During self-employment, rewrote HP website content, helping to increase their monthly organic traffic by 40%. At ScribbleTalk, created a blog from scratch, growing website organic traffic by 30% monthly. Looking to join VerbVilla as a freelance writer to apply creative skills and vast web writing knowledge.
Work Experience
Freelance Writer
Self-employed
October 2022–Present
Collaborated with renowned brands like HP, JBL, and Uber Technologies.
Rewrote HP website content, helping to increase their monthly organic traffic by 40%.
Reviewed content specifications to meet deadlines and quality requirements. Was offered a 15% bigger payout from a client due to exceptional standard adherence.
Delivered all work on time and completed 20% of projects 1 week before a scheduled date.
Key achievement:
Helped create a dedicated content strategy for a new JBL Pulse product, recording 800+ more unique website visitors monthly, with 500+ new buyers.
Content Writer
ScribbleTalk, Remote
September 2020–October 2022
Prepared informative, engaging content for various assets such as blogs, websites, landing pages, and social media.
Created ScribbleTalk blog from scratch, growing website organic traffic by 30% monthly.
Crafted entertaining social media content for ScribbleTalk’s Facebook and Instagram, building a 10,000+ follower base during 5 months.
Ran regular keyword research and analytics for the brand. Identified and covered 20+ new keywords monthly.
Key achievement:
Suggested and implemented website content reorganization, leading to a 20% higher conversion rate after 1 month.
Education
Bachelor of Arts in General English
University of Pennsylvania, PA
September 2016–June 2020
GPA: 3.72
Initiated writer’s group for students, leading writing workshops occasionally.
Wrote 5 articles about schooling and gained publications in 2 widely-read newspapers.
Skills
Excellent writing
SEO principles
Research
WordPress
Asana
Trello
SEranking
Google Search Console
Communication
Teamwork
Time management
Outside-the-box thinking
Languages
English—Native
French—Advanced
Certificates
Adobe Digital Publishing by Adobe Systems, 2023
Content Marketing by HubSpot Academy, 2022
Interests
Blogging: running own blog about content marketing strategies and best writing practices
Reading: studying books about various types of digital writing: content writing, copywriting, technical, UX, blogging, and email marketing.
Freelance writers prepare various content for different channels: website content, blog posts, press releases, emails, grant proposals, or newsletters. A freelance writer’s resume should prove you can manage diverse content types that bring quantifiable results.
Let’s break down the freelance writing resume structure to help you make an equally good resume sample. Here’s what to do:
1. Set the Best Freelance Writer Resume Format
Writers tend to fall into two camps: they either prepare a plan for writing in advance or go with the flow, writing by the seat of their pants. While creative tasks don’t necessarily require a strict plan, documents do.
To start with your freelance writer resume, prepare a solid resume format that makes your writing seamless and flowing:
Include these resume sections: Header, Summary, Experience, Education, Skills, and Additional.
As a writer, you likely love to scribble and doodle when possible. But, this time, keep your piece neat and easy to read.
In the end, consider saving your resume in PDF or DOC. PDF works best as it keeps everything in line and prevents a crossover between what you’ve worked out and what a recruiter will see.
2. Make Your Freelance Writing Resume Summary a Captivating Intro
As a writer, you likely were born with an innate ability to convince with words. Not your case? Chances are, you’ve learned it through schooling, coursing, or self-learning.
Us, writers, are magicians, too. We have that unique flair to clothe things into words that make them anything we wish. So, why not use your talent to craft a resume that sparks interest from the very first lines?
Begin with an encouraging resume summary that draws. Here’s how:
Start with an adjective (dedicated, reliable, passionate).
Call out your job title (freelance writer).
Summarize years of experience (3+, 4+...).
Charm them with 2–3 achievements (rewrote HP website content, helping to increase their monthly organic traffic by 40%).
Say how you’ll contribute (toapply creative skills and vast web writing knowledge).
Read through these examples:
Freelance Writer Resume Summary—Example
So, what’s the diff? Can you spot it with the unaided eye?
The first is a striking example of hitting a hiring manager from the word go. This sample provides concrete accomplishments that speak for your candidature. No waffle, just the proverbial meat of the matter.
The other one? It doesn’t really prove you’re a great writer. It’s amazing if people read your emails and share your social media posts. But how does it translate into performance? Did an email CTR increase thanks to your involvement? Did your social media post reach a wide audience thanks to valuable shares?
Now, variant two. You’re a beginning writer, learning to play with words and lightly engage your readers. In such a case, use a resume objective and discuss achievements from previous projects.
Freelance Writer Resume Objective—Example
The first example shows a jobseeker is motivated in their job search and oriented toward contributing to the company they want to join. Despite limited experience, they exposed achievements that speak for their candidature.
The bad one? It is too self-oriented. Whether writing a resume summary or objective, think about the company you want to join rather than your goals and motivations. Focus more on how the firm can benefit from your employment and which of your skills might be of value to them.
3. List the Perfect Freelance Writer Job Descriptions
Copywriting rule #27: don’t use weasel words. When writing headlines, subheads, or body copy, don’t you dare to write vague phrases. There’s no place for maybes.
The same rule applies to resume writing. With limited space (and the recruiter’s time), you shouldn’t mince words. Give them concrete examples of your writing expertise, and make your words bright like you did all Udemy copywriting courses.
The next thing to prove your writing familiarity through? The work experience section with killer job descriptions and dynamic phrases.
Seeing the freelance writer job description for the first time? No worries. The below samples will help to wrap your head around it.
But first, catch a few tips on how to put freelance work on a resume:
Study the job ad carefully, like the most renowned idiom dictionary.
Spot demanded freelance writer skills and duties as quickly as you would behold a glaring grammar error.
Think of situations where you’ve used those skills. Put them into words; you know how to do it.
Create resume bullets with key highlights. Pick the best achievements and add exact numbers for evidence.
And the promised examples:
Freelance Writer Job Description for a Resume
So you see the difference. Even if you don’t have quantifiable achievements on your record, try to make them as precise as possible. Furthermore, you can always show off any successes from previous gigs or projects if you're a fledging writer.
4. Catalogue Your Most Astonishing Freelance Writer Skills
Freelance writer job adverts are pretty straightforward. They often state that the ideal candidate should be well-versed in creating unique content that invitingly interests the reader.
So basically, they look for a modern-age Hemingway, wearing a funny cap and loose pants and engaging fellas with fun stories.
Do you have that ease? Show them. List skills that help you thrive in this role and prove you have the toolkit to work out any type of content they want to design.
Skills for a Freelance Writer Resume
Excellent writing
Impeccable grammar
SEO principles
Computer knowledge
Client outreach
Research
WordPress
Asana
Trello
SEranking
Google Search Console
Storytelling
Proofreading
Bookkeeping
Organization
Communication
Receptiveness
Teamwork
Time management
Outside-the-box thinking
Word limits? Any. Use as many unique skills as possible, but make sure you don’t make up a tale. Be real unless they want another Jean de La Fontaine.
The ResumeLab builder is more than looks. Get specific content to boost your chances of getting the job. Add job descriptions, bullet points, and skills. Easy. Improve your resume in our resume builder now.
Nail it all with a splash of color, choose a clean font, and highlight your skills in just a few clicks. You're the perfect candidate, and we'll prove it. Use our resume builder now.
4. Turn Your Education Into an Interesting Read
Whether reading a book, a newspaper, or a blog article, you can always come upon a paragraph or two that bore you to death. Repeatable sentences, treading-water descriptions, or simply dull contents make you want to pray to a Writing God for a better future.
In your resume, no single line should be ill-conceived. Make every resume section appealing so a recruiter doesn’t have to jump over bland phrases. This applies to the education section, too.
Freelance Writer Education—Example
See? You can expand on your education, adding some highlights to it. Just as if you tweaked a concise copy to make it more convincing.
5. Conclude Your Freelance Writer Resume With Added Sections
You might feel you’ve already exhausted the subject, describing your work experience, skills, and education history. What else could help you get that dreamy freelance writer job under the palm trees?
Yet, your friend said added sections could take your resume to the next level and help you finish it with grace. Like a captivating P.S. that makes you want to leave everything and reply to the message you received. So, stretch a point and apply a few interesting facts about yourself.
Whoa! You’re there, having an appealing, on-point resume. Concise, relevant, and accurate. So, what’s next? Pack your luggage and expect to live a life of leisure in a freelance mode!
Want to try a different look? There's 21 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.
Key Points
For a freelance writer resume that takes you to the Balearic Islands or wherever else you crave:
Follow the freelance writer's resume template that does that one job up for grabs.
Accentuate your freelance writer achievements. Weave themin your resume summary, work experience, education, and added sections.
Disclose your most fabulous freelance writer skills. Don’t build tension; tell them straight away. Psst, just make sure they overlap with the job posting requirements.
Write up a freelance writer's cover letter. Don’t cut corners; make it another reason to hire you.
Questions or doubts about writing a freelance writer resume? Not sure how to approach your freelance writer resume sections? Drop a comment. We’ll answer promptly!
About ResumeLab’s Editorial Process
At ResumeLab, quality is at the crux of our values, supporting our commitment to delivering top-notch career resources. The editorial team of career experts carefully reviews every article in accordance with editorial guidelines, ensuring the high quality and reliability of our content. We actively conduct original research, shedding light on the job market's intricacies and earning recognition from numerous influential news outlets. Our dedication to delivering expert career advice attracts millions of readers to our blog each year.
Marta Bongilaj is a career expert and a Certified Professional Résumé Writer. She's a member of the National Career Development Association and the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches. She has a vast marketing background, which helps her give relevant advice on bringing out candidates’ strongest points and making their resumes a compelling read. In her articles, she underlines the importance of showcasing the most prominent skills, experiences, and qualifications in a resume to stand out in increasingly competitive job markets. Marta provides on-point tips on how to promote one’s candidature efficaciously at every career stage. Holding a philology degree, she believes that concise, persuasive language lies at the core of a successful resume. If you seek advice on marketing yourself to employers, no matter your recruitment stage, you’ve come to the right place.