Editor Resume Examples to Help You Build Yours

Attention to detail is by far the most important skill to include in a professional resume for an editor job. When you’re proofreading, it’s easy to miss little mistakes, but you need to be able to catch all of those little tiny errors. Proofing is a hard job for people who don’t take their time to read a document thoroughly. You should also highlight your writing skills in an editor resume, as you need strong writing skills to edit someone else’s writing.

One of the elements that will change your resume structure is your resume format. Depending on your career path, you may benefit from the chronological format, which emphasizes work experience, the functional format, which emphasizes skills, or the combination format, which emphasizes both. 

 

Regardless of your resume format, however, you’ll use many of the same sections. Here’s how an editor resume example might look for you.  

 

 

Your resume will start with the resume header. This is where you put your contact information and your professional links, such as a link to a portfolio website or your LinkedIn. There’s typically a graphic design flair in the header as well, which you can get automatically with a resume builder.

 

 

Next is your resume summary or resume objective. This is a 2-3 sentence paragraph at the very top of your resume. The resume summary generally highlights your most important skills and achievements. If you have little work experience, you should opt for a resume objective where you will convey your career goals. 

 

 

Your skills section will likely be pretty full, especially if you don’t have a lot of work history to show. Here are a few top skills you might want to consider:

• Proofreading
• Command of the English language
• Time management
• Copyediting
• Attention to detail
• Collaboration
• General editing skills
• SEO/HTML for online marketing
• Teamwork
• Written and verbal communication
• Multimedia editing
• Microsoft Office, including Microsoft Word
• Public relations knowledge
• Multitasking
• Managing submissions

Note that this includes both soft skills and hard skills, an important part of showcasing why you’re the best person for the job. 

 

 

Your work experience section should include any previous jobs you’ve held as an editor, whether it was officially, such as in the capacity of an assistant editor, in freelance or contract projects, or in previous jobs where you were tasked with editing duties 

 

 

Your education section should include any education or certification you have as an editor. Although you can become an editor with a high school diploma, many people get a bachelor’s degree in a field like English, which should be featured here.

Here are a few more tips to keep in mind while writing your editor resume:

 

Do:

• Mention any large projects that you’ve worked on. These can be important accomplishments that prove your skills.
• List skills that you’re interested in using on a day-to-day basis. These skills will be what the hiring manager uses to place you in the company, after all.
• Discuss any writing projects you have. Sometimes, it’s the best way to show off your writing skills.

Don’t:

• Mention products you’ve signed NDAs for. It’s a good idea to go back through your major projects when you write a resume for the first time and confirm which ones you’re legally allowed to talk about.
• Use the job title “freelancer”, in your work history section. Instead, give yourself a descriptive job title, like “editor”.
• Exclusively show off one type of content management. If you want an editor position that’s higher-up, like a managing editor or senior editor, you want to show off many types of editorial content.