Showcase your writing skills with published work

Hiring managers want to see evidence of your writing abilities, so be sure to highlight your published work on your resume.

• Published 25+ articles in major publications like The Atlantic and The New Yorker, covering topics such as politics, culture, and social issues
• Wrote a series of investigative pieces for The Chicago Tribune that led to a 20% increase in readership and earned a Pulitzer Prize nomination

If you don't have many published clips yet, you can also include writing samples from your blog, student newspaper, or freelance work. Just make sure to choose your strongest pieces that showcase your skills and style.

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   Emphasize your reporting and research skills

Print journalism is all about uncovering the facts and telling compelling stories, so your resume should highlight your reporting and research abilities.

• Conducted interviews and research for articles
• Fact-checked stories before publication

Instead, provide specific examples that demonstrate the depth and impact of your reporting:

• Conducted over 50 interviews with sources ranging from government officials to community activists for a series on housing discrimination, resulting in a 5,000-word feature story
• Spent 3 months investigating a local corruption scandal, filing 12 public records requests and analyzing over 1,000 pages of documents to produce a groundbreaking expose

   Highlight your versatility and adaptability

Print journalism is a rapidly evolving field, and employers are looking for candidates who can adapt to changing circumstances and wear many hats.

Show that you're a versatile journalist by highlighting your experience with:

• Different types of stories (news, features, opinion pieces, etc.)
• Various media formats (print, digital, social media, etc.)
• A range of subject matter (politics, business, arts and culture, etc.)

Versatile journalist with experience covering breaking news, investigative stories, and human interest features across print, digital, and social media platforms. Skilled at quickly adapting to new topics and formats, from live-tweeting events to crafting long-form narrative stories.

   Show your impact and achievements

Whenever possible, use numbers and metrics to quantify your accomplishments and show the impact of your work.

• Wrote stories that were widely read and shared on social media
• Received positive feedback from readers and editors

These examples are too vague and don't give a sense of your true impact. Instead, try something like:

• Wrote a series of stories on the opioid epidemic that garnered over 500,000 page views and 10,000 shares on social media, sparking a community-wide discussion and leading to new local government initiatives
• Consistently met or exceeded weekly traffic targets, with my stories averaging 25% more page views than the team average

   Tailor your resume to the job description

One of the biggest mistakes job seekers make is sending a generic resume to every job posting. Instead, take the time to tailor your resume to each specific job description.

Here's an example of how you might customize your resume for a job that emphasizes investigative reporting skills:

• Highlight relevant experience: "Spent 6 months investigating corruption in the local police department, resulting in a 3-part series that led to the resignation of the police chief and an FBI investigation"
• Use keywords from the job description: "Skilled at conducting in-depth investigations, analyzing complex data, and cultivating sources"
• Emphasize related achievements: "Won a regional Emmy Award for an investigative series on environmental contamination in low-income communities"

By tailoring your resume to the specific needs and requirements of each job, you'll show hiring managers that you're the right fit for the role.

   Showcase your digital and multimedia skills

In today's media landscape, print journalists need to be skilled at more than just writing. Many employers are looking for candidates who can also produce multimedia content like photos, videos, and podcasts.

If you have experience with digital journalism or multimedia production, be sure to highlight it on your resume. For example:

• Produced a 6-part podcast series on the history of redlining in Chicago, which was downloaded over 50,000 times and led to a 20% increase in website traffic
• Regularly contributed photos and videos to accompany my stories, resulting in a 30% increase in reader engagement and social media shares
• Collaborated with the digital team to create interactive data visualizations and infographics for a series on income inequality, which won a National Press Foundation award

By showcasing your digital and multimedia skills, you'll demonstrate that you're a well-rounded journalist who can thrive in the modern media environment.