Top freelance reporter sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
How to write a freelance reporter resume experience section
Freelance reporter resume's job experience checklist:
- Use 4-6 bullet points per job title;
- Don’t go further than a decade behind when describing your job history, unless you’re applying for an executive position;
- Combine job responsibilities as well as achievements with numbers in results when you describe your past work;
- Start each sentence with a power verb and avoid overused buzzwords;
- Use either C-A-R or S-T-A-R methodology, when describing your experience.
The work experience samples below come from real Freelance Reporter resumes that got people hired at top companies. You can use them as an inspiration to build your own resume:
- Manage daily coverage of both breaking news and enterprise reporting.
- Write, and when required, voices stories assigned by the program editor.
- Editing video for daily news coverage, special projects, and sweep period pieces.
- Collaborating with anchors, reporters, and producers on video elements of newscasts.
- Effectively collaborates with producers, reporters and managers to produce high quality stories.
- Provide assistance in Control Room when show is being aired.
- Review information and content in order to help manage radio productions.
- Edit news bulletins and revise house style and translations.
- Write material for scripts, programs and links, exercising editorial judgment, maintaining professional journalistic standards.
- Work closely with (social media team) to manage content for other media (Radio, Face book, twitter and website).
- Assist production directors or project managers with scheduling meetings and creating company standards, such as writing guidelines.
- Regularly pitches, shoots, writes, edits and reports at least two packages per shift
- Specializes in national and state level politics with professional experience interviewing governors, U.S. senators/ representatives and cabinet secretaries
- Consistently leads news team in social media content and engagement
- Solo-anchored, produced, and edited one hour newscasts on weekend mornings from December 2016 through June 2017
- Fill-in anchor/ producer for morning, midday and evening broadcasts
- Assist with laying out press releases through Quark Xpress software, and proofread pages of the newspaper prior to printing
- Update The Dodgeville Chronicle's Facebook page with county events
- Photograph sports and community events on a needed basis
- Managing team of 10+ staff and freelancers daily as Executive Producer for client news, current affairs and feature shows
- Curating, producing, reporting and editing digital video news for website, app, socials and clients
- Identifying original editorial strategy to plan news agenda & respond to breaking news
- Producing top-performing video stories based on social media views
- Presenter-correspondent for live shows, business hits & field reports
- Line producing and field producing 'News Stream' voted Asian Academy Creative Awards Best News Programme 2018
- Strategizing, curating and managing News Stream web pages for CNN
- Anchor-live producing special events: HK protests, Hanoi Trump-Kim summit
- Digital reporting for business, tech and environment stories in APAC
- Reporting and producing lives and packages for international clients
- Managing 10+ people as EP on daily news and current affairs shows
- Anchoring live market and business hits, plus news and current affairs
- Delivering global news video and audio stories for the website, app, social media and clients such as WaPo, MSN, Yahoo, Google
- Achieving top performing social media engagements for packaged videos on the legacy of RBG and success of K-Pop band BTS
- Line producing and field producing prime-time CNNI show News Stream: voted Asian Academy Best News Programme 2018
- Delivering original news segments and packages for multiple CNN shows on business, environment and technology
- Curating and managing News Stream videos for the CNN website
- Anchor-live producing special events including Hong Kong protests, Mobile World Congress and Trump-Kim summit
- Airs and monitors weekend programming.
- Broadcasts weather and program information.
- Fixes technical issues and edits audio.
- Produces daily news stories for the web and for KUER's newscasts.
- Produce high-impact, in-depth stories, videos and graphics on a range of business and financial topics. Regularly use FOIA requests, data and court documents to bring stories to life
- Work with a team of reporters on stories and to help shape overall coverage for online and print.
- Collaborate with other newsrooms, including the "Panama Papers" project with the McClatchy DC Bureau and the "Contract to Cheat" project with the (Raleigh) News & Observer and ProPublica.
- Attending and reporting on live sporting action
- Conducting professional interviews
- Writing breaking news, features and opinion articles
- Creating content plans around major sporting events
- SEO and WordPress efficient
- Regular guest on national radio
- Strong understand of key audiences and analytical data
- Newspaper bylines
- Writes 10-15 stories per week with photos
- Reports on ongoing hurricane recovery efforts, to include local, state and federal programs and the revival of the territory's public services, businesses and residents
- Provides steady coverage of the Virgin Islands Legislature, dissecting complex pieces of legislation into concise, easy-to-understand stories
- Engages with the Virgin Islands community to produce weekend enterprise stories that delve into local history, culture and notable residents
- Wrote 10-15 stories per week with photos
- Provided daily coverage of law enforcement in a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, as well as treatment options and victims' stories
- Covered court trials, county and town government meetings, new businesses and community events
- Responded to breaking news events, including car accidents, fires, drug raids and weather emergencies at any hour
- Managed and coordinated a team of 10 staff and freelance writers to deliver unique and colourful content to an audience of 200,000+ daily print readers and more than 2 million digital viewers monthly.
- High-volume content creation and revision: features, briefs, reviews, interviews, and multimedia extras (video, podcasts, and blogs).
- Built a strong personal social media presence with more than 4,000 followers on Twitter.
- Bring traffic to the site by quickly turning around stories. Post between 4-6 articles a day on pop culture, fashion and beauty
- Helped push IBT's fashion coverage by attending/covering New York Fashion Week and landing backstage interviews with designers
- First IBT reporter to attend and interview top models at Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2015
- Find unique angles on aggregated stories; and write original features based on interviews with Brandy Cyrus, June Ambrose, Olivia Culpo, cast of Marriage Boot Camp, Love & Hip Hop, Blindspot and more
- Assisted editor by training new writers on how to use Wordpress
- Handled the company's social media by creating tweets/Facebook posts to promote articles
- Updated the homepage to ensure fresh and relevant content was properly displayed
- Wrote 6-8 stories a day on breaking and trending pop culture
- Helped debunk false tabloid stories by contacting celebrity publicists
- Managed a team of 4 writers and freelancers for the entertainment section
- Wrote 6-8 aggregated stories a day on TV and pop culture
- Produced 2 original stories and/or features a week based on interviews I conducted with Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, Tierra Mari, Katey Segal, the cast of The Walking Dead, Archer, Gotham and more
- First reporter to get site access to red carpet events such as PaleyFest NY and Walker Stalker Con
- Constantly met and exceeded traffic goals by writing fun and engaging stories
- Conducted interviews of entertainment celebrities, doctors, law enforcement and composed future-length articles.
- Provided news coverage of entertainment events and feature stories.
- Enabled cross promotion by working closely with publicists, business managers and talent.
- Created story ideas for three magazines and websites, as well as provided fresh content 24/7.
- Prepared and presented complete, factual, entertainment news.
- Provided complete coverage of court assignments, attending all cases in breaking news situations.
- Conducted interviews of entertainment celebrities, doctors, law enforcement and composed future-length articles.
- Provided news coverage of entertainment events and feature stories.
- Enabled cross promotion by working closely with publicists, business managers and talent.
- Created story ideas for three magazines and websites, as well as provided fresh content 24/7.
- Prepared and presented complete, factual, entertainment news.
- Provided complete coverage of court assignments, attending all cases in breaking news situations.
PRO TIP
Show off real numbers that display your accomplishments in past roles. Instead of listing out your responsibilities as Freelance Reporter, talk about the measurable impact you made to their business. Did you boost their revenue? Increase customer retention? Mention your proudest points on your resume.
Action verbs for your freelance reporter resume
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Freelance Reporter Resume Skills’ Tips & Tricks to Impress Recruiters
Resume skills section checklist:
- Ensure your hard skills section (including technologies) are exactly matching the job description.
- Don’t simply list your soft skills. Apply the “show, don’t tell” principle - let your job achievements speak for themselves.
- Find a way to showcase your skills beyond the skills section.
- Your resume’s skill section is important to ATS systems - so don’t skip it.
Top skills for your freelance reporter resume
Upwork
Quickbooks
Microsoft Office
Email clients
PayPal
Budgeting
Marketing
Design
Communication
Leadership and project management
Teamwork
Problem
Solving
Work Ethics
Flexibility
Adaptability
Interpersonall skills
PRO TIP
When describing your experience, don’t go too far from its terminology. Recruiters use ATS systems to filter resumes based on them having certain keywords, so make sure you use at least a few keywords mentioned in the job description.
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Freelance reporter resume header: Tips, red flags, and best practices
Checklist for your freelance reporter resume header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
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PRO TIP
Some companies, states, and countries have policies about identifying information like photos on your Freelance Reporter resume. Be sure to check all the relevant rules before submitting yours. If you’re in doubt, you can always try contacting the company’s HR department to ask for their policy.
Freelance reporter resume summary best practices
Checklist: What to include in your Freelance Reporter resume summary:
- Years of experience;
- Highlight top 3 skills and proficiencies;
- One big professional accomplishment you’re most proud of, that you can tie with the aforementioned skills;
- Use short, direct sentences - but no more than three - to keep the HRs interested.
Resume summary formula:
PRO TIP
Your summary section should act as a professional taster. Use it wisely. Effectively convey your professional profile and let the hiring manager know that if they hire you, they won’t be disappointed. Make sure to include keywords from the job description too! Elaborate on your abilities further in your experience section. Again, cater to the job description.
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Listing your education, certifications and courses
Resume Education Section Checklist:
- Ensure your hard skills section (including technologies) are exactly matching the job description.
- Don’t simply list your soft skills. Apply the “show, don’t tell” principle - let your job achievements speak for themselves.
- Find a way to showcase your skills beyond the skills section.
- Your resume’s skill section is important to ATS systems - so don’t skip it.
Top certifications for your freelance reporter resume
Complete Guide to Freelancing in 2022: Zero to Mastery
Achieve freelance success on sites like Upwork or Fiverr. Start a home business or side hustle. No experience needed!
Home Business Freelancing Online. Freelancing Home Business
How to earn from home business by freelancing online and start a business. Earn online by freelancing business.
Learn Photoshop, Web Design & Profitable Freelancing 2022
Learn Adobe Photoshop and use it to create amazing website designs and create a high, stable income. No coding needed!
Freelancing on Upwork & Freelancer.com as a Beginner in 2022
Learn how to apply on projects, Win the jobs you want, Earn big on freelance websites such as Upwork and Freelancer.com.
Mobile Video Journalism: Video Editing for Mobile Reporters
Produce TV news stories: Video Reporting, Live Video, Apps, & Gear, Social News, Mobile Journalism - Robb Montgomery
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PRO TIP
There are dozens of certifications that you can claim as a Freelance Reporter. But, some are more effective than others. That’s why you mustn’t include every certificate other applicants might have. Try instead to earn and list a few of the difficult ones.
How to write a freelance reporter resume
There are three basic resume formats you can choose from:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional resume format;
- Hybrid (or Combination) resume format;
The most optimal format for your particular case will depend on your years of experience, as well as whether you’re switching industries or not.
Reverse chronological resumes are best suited for experienced individuals who are sticking to their industry. The experience section takes a central place, and its bullets contain your responsibilities and achievements, coupled with numbers and results.
Functional resumes are used by less experienced jobseekers or career changers. Note that it’s not a format that recruiters prefer, as most are used to the classic chronological alignment. Instead of a list of job titles, functional resumes focus on your skills, and through what experiences you gained them.
Hybrid resumes are great for both experienced and entry-level candidates, as well as career changers. They combine the best of both worlds - most often in a double column format, where one side of the content is focused on your experience, whereas the other - on your skills, strengths, and proudest moments.
Here are more resume tips regarding your layout and style:
- Clear and legible 12p resume font size;
- Use 10’’ resume margins - that’s default for a great resume design;
- Use a one-page template resume length if you’ve got less than 10 years of experience; otherwise, opt for a two-page resume;
- Save your resume as PDF before sending it to the recruiter.
To take it a step further, check out how your resume can stand out without leaning too much on the creative side.
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PRO TIP
Test your draft Freelance Reporter resume by sending it out to peers and mentors in your circles. Ask them to review it as if they are hiring you for a project and implement the feedback afterwards.
Other sections to include in your resume
Depending on the type of company (corporation or start-up; innovative or traditional), job seniority level and your location, you may want to include more sections to your Freelance Reporter resume:
Freelance reporter resume: How to make yours more creative & stand out
When you send your resume to a potential employer, chances are it's the fiftieth one they've seen that day. That's why you need to make your Freelance Reporter resume stand out for the right reasons. That means showing your personality, not just your professional experience. Employers are far more likely to remember a candidate who seems like a genuine person and not a robot. Do this by including your passions (which is also a great place to demonstrate skills on a resume), share your favorite books, or even what your usual day looks like.
What makes a great freelance reporter resume: key takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.
