Cracking stories and chasing leads is all in a day’s work for a journalist, but when it comes to penning your own journalist resume, where do you start?
If you’re struggling to tell your professional tale, worry not – we’ve got a trove of tips to help you craft a compelling narrative.
Take a squiz at our journalist resume example below for a bit of inspiration to kick-start your own portfolio.
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Journalist Resume Example
This Journalist resume example acts as a great guideline for structuring your own.
Its professional format and clear presentation make it an ideal example for creating a smooth reading experience for recruiters.
Next, we’ll break down the steps to develop your own interview-winning Journalist resume.
Journalist resume structure & format
Resume structure
A well-organized resume is your ticket to job interviews.
Ensure you include these sections in your resume to impress recruiters:
- Contact details: Your name and best contact information.
- Resume summary: A brief but powerful summary of your key skills and experiences.
- Core skills: A focused list of skills relevant to Journalist jobs.
- Work experience: A detailed account of your past positions, starting with the most recent.
- Education: Your educational qualifications.
- Additional info: Optional section for extra credentials or interests that support your application.
How to format your Journalist resume
To make a strong impression, your resume format must be both professionally stylish and easy for recruiters to read quickly.
Here are our vital formatting tips to make your resume both appealing and reader-friendly.
- Resume length: Keep your resume concise, aiming for 1 to 2 pages. With recruiters swamped by resumes daily, keeping it brief can help you stand out.
- Font & colour scheme: Opt for a straightforward font that’s easy on the eyes, avoiding fancy ones that could be hard to read. Stick to a black-text-on-white background, but don’t hesitate to add a touch of colour to make your resume pop.
- Page layout: Divide the page into clearly visible sections using bold headings or borders, so that readers can quickly pinpoint the information they want.
- Break text up: Break up text with concise bullet points and brief paragraphs, ensuring busy recruiters can easily absorb the info.
- Photos: In Australia, photos aren’t compulsory, but you can include a small headshot at the top if you want.
Quick tip: Achieving a professional look for your resume can be difficult and time-consuming. If you want to create an attractive resume quickly, try our Resume Builder and use one of our eye-catching professional resume templates.
Contact Details
Seeing who you are and how you can be contacted is essential for potential employers, so it’s critical that your contact details section is both clear and accurate.
Include these four crucial elements at the top of your resume, but ensure they don’t take up excessive space:
- Your name and professional title: Choose a title that aligns with your career objectives, such as IT Support Specialist or Video Editor.
- Email address: Use a professional email address (e.g. aaron.davis.work@gmail.com). Avoid using old or informal emails like big.boy.aaron@gmail.com.
- Phone number: Provide your mobile number for easy accessibility. Make sure to double-check that the number is correct.
- Location: Specify the broader area where you are seeking employment, such as Cairns, Perth etc.
Optionally, you may consider adding the following details:
- Webpage links: Include links to professional sites like LinkedIn or your personal portfolio, ensuring they are current and professionally relevant.
- Photograph: While not typically required, a professional photograph may be advantageous in creative fields. If you decide to use one, ensure it is compact on the page, and professional in appearance.
Refrain from adding personal data such as your date of birth, full address, or gender. These are not necessary for recruitment decisions and simply clutter your resume.
Journalist Resume Summary
Your summary is short but powerful paragraph which sits at the top of your resume, providing a sales-pitch on your suitability for the job.
To grab the attention of busy recruiters and get them excited about your resume, use these tips:
- Keep it short: Keep your summary between 3 to 5 sentences long so it can be read within seconds. Save the detail for your work experience section.
- Tailor to target jobs: Enhance your resume’s impact by incorporating key skills and keywords from the job adverts you’re applying for, making it easier for recruiters to notice your relevance.
- Avoid using cliches: Thinking about calling yourself a “hard working team player who thinks outside the box“? Don’t! These phrases are meaningless and don’t provide employers with the facts they want.
Journalist resume summary example
What to include in your Journalist resume summary
- Summary of your experience: Give an overview of the types of jobs that you’ve done, companies you’ve worked for, and how much experience you have.
- Relevant skills: Demonstrate your suitability for Journalist positions by emphasising your most relevant skills for the role.
- Qualifications: Ensure to briefly note any qualifications relevant to Journalist roles, indicating your suitability for the position.
- Benefits of hiring you: Employers want to see the value you offer to their organisation, whether it’s through cost savings, enhanced productivity, or increased customer acquisition.
Quick tip: Choose from hundreds of pre-written summaries across all industries, and add one to your resume with one-click in our Resume Builder. All written by recruitment experts and easily tailored to suit your unique skillset and style.
Core skills section
Make your resume more noticeable with a dedicated core skills section.
Use bullet points to highlight the skills most in demand for Journalist positions, and keep descriptions brief, ideally under four words, for easy scanning by busy hiring managers.
Skills for your Journalist resume
Investigative Research – Delving into complex topics, uncovering facts, and gathering crucial information to craft fact-based, compelling narratives.
Interview Techniques – Conducting effective interviews with various individuals, from experts to everyday people, to extract pertinent information and diverse viewpoints.
Multimedia Storytelling – Crafting engaging stories using multiple formats such as video, audio, and photography to enhance digital storytelling.
News Writing – Producing clear, concise, and accurate news articles under tight deadlines, adhering to the principles of journalism.
Copy Editing – Ensuring all journalistic content is free from errors, factually correct, and adheres to the publication’s style guide.
Live Reporting – Confidently reporting on events in real time, providing audiences with immediate insights and updates.
Social Media Savvy – Utilising social media platforms to disseminate news, engage with audiences, and source potential story leads.
Content Management Systems – Using CMS tools to publish and manage content online, including formatting articles and embedding multimedia elements.
Shorthand – Taking fast and accurate notes during interviews or press conferences to ensure no details are missed.
Media Law Knowledge – Understanding the legal considerations surrounding journalism, including defamation, contempt of court, and copyright laws, to report responsibly.
Quick tip: Our Resume Builder contains thousands of in-demand skills for every profession that can be added to your resume in seconds – saving you time and greatly improving your chances of landing job interviews and getting hired.
Work experience section
Your work experience section is crucial in demonstrating your value to potential employers.
Organise your past positions in reverse chronological order, emphasising your most recent 3-5 years of professional experience.
Structuring your jobs
To make your responsibilities clear to recruiters, present your previous jobs in the following format.
Outline
Introduce each job with a concise 1 to 2 line outline that covers the employer’s business, your role within the structure, and the key goals of your position.
Key responsibilities
List 5-8 bullet points detailing your main responsibilities within the job, highlighting important skills, knowledge and tools that you use.
Keep each point brief and show who you interact with, and how you contribute to the organisation.
Key achievements
Lastly, prove impact by highlight 1-3 key achievements that you made within the role.
Struggling to think of an achievement? If it had a positive impact on your company, it counts.
For example, you might have increased company profits, improved processes, or helped a customer to achieve their goals.
Add numbers to quantify your achievements if you can.
Example job for Journalist resume
Outline
Working for The Business Times writing compelling and engaging articles for their free-to-read business publications. Responsible for writing content that keeps industry participants up to date with the latest news and trends in risk, custody, fund administration, securities financing, collateral management, technology, and regulations.
Key Responsibilities
- Source and write engaging, accurate and exclusive news including quality daily and breaking news
- Write detailed full-page features for the fortnightly magazine
- Conduct extensive market analysis to back up news stories
- Maintain positive relationships with relevant contacts in the financial services industry
Quick tip: Create impressive job descriptions easily in our Resume Builder by adding pre-written job phrases for every industry and career stage.
Education section
Include your education near the bottom of your resume.
List your academic qualifications in bullet points, focusing on those most applicable to Journalist positions.
If you possess considerable experience, you can keep this brief, however if you have less experience you should provide detailed insights into how your education has prepared you for the position.
This section can include:
- University degrees
- Industry specific qualifications for Journalist jobs
- Vocational education and training (VET) diplomas
- Senior Secondary Certificate of Education (SSCE)
Additional information (optional)
Consider placing an additional info section at the bottom of your resume for extracurricular details that might make you more attractive to employers.
This section can showcase hobbies, awards, publications, or a catalogue of technical skills.
Ensure anything you list here is relevant to your job or notably remarkable.
Refrain from mentioning generic hobbies such as watching TV or hanging out with friends, as they do not enhance your professional profile.
Constructing a compelling Journalist resume requires effort, but by following the steps provided, you can assemble a resume that prompts replies from recruiters and generates multiple interviews.
Be sure to revise your resume carefully upon completion and tailor it for each application to confirm your alignment with the job requirements.
Good luck with your job search!