Journalist CV Example & Writing tips, Questions, and Salaries
Those who have a career based on writing, like reporters or journalists, may still struggle with the specific format and style a CV demands. Most jobs, including those in the media industry, still require candidates to prepare an outstanding job application file and CV.
Hiring managers expect you to master this style of writing to help demonstrate your value to a potential employer. You can master this writing technique and find job success by looking at our journalist CV examples.
123 Fake Street, City, State, Zip Code
E: email@email.com P: 000-000-0000
Talented and immensely creative journalist with a commitment to high-quality research and writing. Proven history of achievement in the industry with more than 10 years of professional experience. Dedication to sound investigative research methods and a strong desire to know the truth of the matter. Excellent reporting and interviewing skills and award-winning writing techniques. Experience writing and reporting across a variety of platforms, including print, television, and online social media.
- Demonstrated skills in written communication with multiple award-winning pieces and a strong willingness to revise and edit my work.
- Top research and investigative skills with excellent attention to detail and observational ability and a talent for finding obscure information.
- Always complete all assigned tasks on time and meet necessary deadlines, even when given an assignment at the last minute.
- Motivated self-starter and highly skilled creative thinker, which gives me the tools to stay focused on an assignment and see it from a new perspective.
- Strong computer proficiency in most major software programs and social media platforms that are used by writers and journalists, like Word, InDesign, Publisher, and Facebook.
- Investigate questions and timely story ideas in the community as developments happen and create news stories detailing breaking events.
- Compose a variety of stories for print news and an additional online edition of a local newspaper by using research notes, assignment details, and other resources.
- Supervise up to six newsroom interns every college semester and guide student writers with the basics of working for a major organization.
- Published an online daily blog devoted to reporting news about the local area’s music, culture, and food scene.
- Interviewed community members for potential story ideas and feature writing assignments related to the arts and entertainment community.
- Recognized by the regional journalist association as a top online blogger for the year with an audience that had more than doubled within six months.
- Reported on assigned story ideas from an editor about crime and policing in the metro area and sought additional topics by using the police scanner.
- Revised and edited news stories as they were written to continue to meet the publication’s high level of standards for reporting.
- Achieved several awards for top reporting skills and writing in the local area and nationally.
Outside the office, I enjoy additional writing time in a different genre: historical fiction. I have written three self-published novels about the early colonial time period of America. I write stories of families based on the unique experience that early settlers faced in this country.
Questions for Your Journalist CV
What technical skills should you put on a journalist CV?
Being a journalist is so much more than just knowing how to write and perfecting your grammar skills. Hiring managers want to see a well-rounded applicant who showcases the right blend of technical skills. As you list your skills, go beyond the basics.
Make sure you include ones related to computers, internet, and video editing. You also want to demonstrate your ability to adapt to technical changes and your familiarity with digital sources, such as RSS. Take a look at the journalist CV sample for more examples of technical skills you may want to put on your CV.
Should you include references on a journalist CV?
Current best practices for CV templates do not recommend including references. This was an old practice that has gone out of style. If a hiring manager wants references, he or she will ask you for them. Instead, use the space in your CV to sell yourself and provide proof that you are the best fit for the job. Use our step-by-step resume builder to make it easy to put together your CV. It takes you quickly through the process.
How can you highlight team experience on a journalist CV?
While writing may seem like a solitary job, being a journalist involves knowing how to work as a team. When you are part of a news team, you have to work with many other people to ensure the news goes out in a timely manner.
A hiring manager wants to see you have teamwork skills and the ability to work with others to get tasks done. You can show this by including teamwork in your skills section, along with drawing attention to past work experiences that required you to work with others to accomplish goals. Be sure to point out specific instances where your teamwork skills were especially useful and beneficial to past employers.
What can you do to make your journalist CV stand out?
Journalism is a very competitive industry. In order to get a hiring manager’s attention, you have to make your CV stand out. The best way to do this is to present the information in an organized manner and to keep your wording concise. A short and to-the-point CV is something that catches the eye.
It allows a hiring manager to quickly read through it, so he or she can get all the information about you. Hiring managers may overlook long CVs because they have many to get through and simply do not have the time to wade through excess information. Consider how the journalist CV sample looks when creating your own.
How do you write the header of a journalist CV?
The header of the journalist CV sample shows exactly what you need to have in your CV. Make sure to use your full name and avoid nicknames. Keep this very professional and clear. Do not forget to include multiple ways to contact you, including your phone number and email address.
If you have a website showcasing your writing work, then you can also include that here. However, keep this section precise. Do not include anything else except your contact details.
Journalist CV Must-Haves
What Does a Journalist Do?
A job as a journalist can be an exciting career with a variety of unique job responsibilities each day. The main focus of this job is to research, write, and report stories about news and events. Journalists may work with television media, print sources, or online publications.
Each day, journalists spend time conducting research about specific story ideas and topics. They may need to contact essential people and participate in interviews to uncover information. Then, as you can see in the journalist CV example, they spend the rest of their time developing and writing a story.
During the writing stage, a journalist may need to go back and revise and edit her or his words until everything is right. Finally, the story is submitted to an editor for approval and publication.
Tips for Creating a Great Journalist CV
If you want to be considered for the next journalist job you want, it’s essential to get your CV right. Here are some things to do to achieve this:
- Make sure your writing skills are demonstrated as excellent throughout your CV; even though it’s a different style of writing, you can still impress a hiring manager.
- Give examples of any awards or recognition you’ve won and earned during your writing career to show off your commitment to superior results.
- Highlight any times during your writing career where you improved readership or drew significant interest from your audience to a piece or your blog.
- Make sure you spend a good deal of time on properly reviewing and proofreading your CV so you don’t embarrass yourself and make a spelling or grammatical mistake.
- Demonstrate strong and varied word choice throughout your document by choosing impactful verbs to bring your former job duties to life.
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