You're a talented writer with a lot great ideas. But are you drawing a blank when it comes to writing a resume?

Writing a resume is difficult for anyone. But writers face an extra challenge when trying to pull together an effective resume. Let’s face it – traditional resume formats are simply unsuitable for freelance writers who usually work on a project-to-project basis.

Most freelance writers have part-time and full-time jobs to supplement their writing careers. Chances are, your current and past jobs have little to do with writing.

As freelance writers, we work from one project to another, which makes it very hard to list writing experiences in a traditional, chronological resume. Info in the employment history may appear messy, sloshed together in between experience that is unrelated to writing.

The truth is, you can have a great resume that will make use of the writing experience you have, no matter how little.

The Freelance Writer’s Resume Format

The freelance writer’s resume is like your traditional chronological or functional resume, with a twist. Instead of listing your job titles and dates in a Work History, we replace the whole section with Qualifications.

Let’s take a quick look at a chronological work history:

WORK HISTORY

Feb. 02, 2006 Wrote article for Joe’s Tacos.
Feb. 25, 2006 Proofread and edited a 50,000 word manuscript.
March 18, 2005 Conducted research and prepared a report for Puppy Factory.
May 20, 2004 Provided 20 keyword articles for Moe’s search engine page.
April 12, 2005 Ghostwrote six chapters for a science fiction novel.

2000 to 2004 Pizza maker, Pizza Hut, USA
-Bakes 30 pizzas a day.
-Improved taste of pizzas by using less pepper.

1999 to 2000 Ravioli maker, Ravioli Hut, USA
-Baked 300 raviolis per day.
-Improved taste by adding more cheese.

Okay, so it may not be the best work history, but that’s what you have. As we can all see, making pizza and ravioli is great but has nothing to do with writing. Your potential employers won’t care whether or not you've made a gazillion pizza pies – it doesn’t show them what kind of writer you are. So let’s get rid of that.

WORK HISTORY

Feb. 02, 2006 Wrote article for Joe’s Taco Newsletter.
Feb. 25, 2006 Proofread and edited a 50,000 word manuscript.
March 18, 2005 Conducted research and prepared a report of Puppy Factory.
May 20, 2004 Provided 20 keyword articles for Moe’s search engine page.
April 12, 2005 Ghostwrote six chapters for a science fiction novel.

Looks a little bleak, doesn’t it? Now, let’s spice up your writing work history and make it more effective.

WORK HISTORY

Freelance Writer, 2004 to Current
Proofreading and Editing: Experienced in proofreading and editing entire manuscripts, with the ability to edit articles, short stories, novels, and other written materials.
Content Writing: Provided articles for web publications and newsletters and possesses knowledge on writing keyword articles.
Researching: Able to conduct research on the web and prepare technical reports in a timely fashion.

Let’s change the header, Work History, to Qualifications.

QUALIFICATIONS

Freelance Writer, 2004 to Current
Proofreading and Editing: Experienced in proofreading and editing entire manuscripts, with the ability to edit articles, short stories, novels, and other written materials.
Content Writing: Provides articles for web publications and newsletters and possesses knowledge on writing keyword articles.
Researching Skills: Able to conduct research on the web and prepare technical reports in a timely fashion.

Let’s try it another way, just in case you want to be more specific about who you’ve worked for.

QUALIFICATIONS

Freelance Writer, 2004 to Current

• Content writer for Joe’s Taco Newsletter
• Manuscript preparer, able to proofread and edit entire manuscripts
• Web researcher and technical writer for the Puppy Factory
• Keyword article writer for Moe’s search engine page
• Fiction ghostwriter for confidential clients

Use whichever format that you’re comfortable with. You can elaborate and change it around as you see fit. Regardless of what you decide to go with, back up your experience with related knowledge, education, and personal traits using headers like Education, Computer Knowledge, and Personal Qualities. In these sections, you can list writing workshops you’ve completed, your knowledge of computer software, your ability to multi-task, and your positive work ethics. If possible, provide sources and titles for published work in a separate heading.

Your resume should look professional. Avoid using over-decorative fonts or fonts that are too large. Go with plain white paper – colored papers may appear childish. Finally, write a great cover letter to be sent with your resume when prospective clients come knocking on your door. Smile, be pleasant, and win them over with your great personality!