Journalism CV Example

You know what it takes as a journalist to gather information and report it in an engaging way, and now it’s time to write a CV highlighting your top skills and qualifications.

With your strong foundation and our helpful tips, you’ll be all set to present a compelling journalism CV to employers.

1. Format your journalism CV professionally

It takes just 7 seconds for recruiters to get a lasting impression from your CV and decide whether they’re going to carry on reading.

So make your journalist CV layout readable and pleasing to the eyes.

Here’s how to layout your CV properly:

1. Decide on the best font for your CV by using a consistent font style, colour, and size.
2. Put your contact information at the top of your CV, including your LinkedIn profile. Make sure your social media accounts are set up professionally to give a good impression.
3. List your journalist experience using a reverse chronological CV format (with the most recent work experience first) so your experiences seem relevant.
4. Use bullet points to list your responsibilities, duties, and accomplishments in your previous roles.
5. Include a bullet-point list of your journalism skills so the employer can see at a glance whether you’re fit for the job.
6. Make use of white space to give employers short breaks for their eyes and make your journalism CV more readable.
7. Just as you’d recheck an article before sending it to print, proofread your journalism CV so it’s free of mistakes and typing errors.

2. Begin with a captivating journalist CV personal statement

Your CV personal statement is one of the first sections employers read, so use it to make a good impression and demonstrate your excellent writing skills.

First, start with an impactful description of yourself, followed by an outline of your work experience as a journalist.

Next, highlight your greatest skills and motivations for applying.

Stating your career objective and what you hope to contribute to the company also helps make a good impression. For example, if the company you’re applying to seeks more social media presence, tell them how you can help them achieve this goal.

Also, ensure your personal statement stays between 2 and 4 sentences so your target employer stays engaged all the way through.

Here’s an example of a short but compelling personal statement for a journalist:

3. Highlight your journalist CV skills

Writing and grammar skills aren’t the only things that make an exceptional journalist. You’ll need to prove you have well-rounded abilities with the skills on your CV to convince your target employer you’re the right person for the position.

Hard skills (also called technical skills) are specific abilities, knowledge, and experience that make you an effective journalist. Your journalism hard skills help you collect information from your sources, manage your projects, and publish the final results.

You also need to be familiar with technical requirements and standards for doing research and making reports. So, list the tools of your trade that you’re experienced in, such as using audio and video recorders, editing software, and word processors.

Here are some journalism hard skills you can include in your CV:

• Writing
• Editing and proofreading
• Reporting
• Digital journalism
• Livestreaming (Facebook or YouTube)
• Word processing tools such as Google Docs and Hemingway Editor
• Video and photo editing software programs like Adobe Express or Adobe Premiere Pro
• Research
• Fact-checking

Soft skills are a mix of character traits and social skills showing how you relate to others in professional settings.

Here are some essential soft skills to include on your journalism CV:

• Critical thinking skills
• Communication
• Listening skills
• Coordination
• Decision-making skills
• Interpersonal skills

In addition to your skills section, incorporate your soft skills in your work experience section with examples to show employers how your abilities contribute to your work success.

Here are some examples of a journalist’s communication skills and decision-making abilities shown in their work experience bullet points:

Examples of soft skills in a journalist CV's work experience section

• Decide which reports will be on live broadcasts
• Coordinated with 3 researchers, 2 writers, and 2 cameraman teams with live reports
• Conducted 10 interviews with high-ranking government officials

4. Highlight your work experience

Unless you’re writing a recent graduate CV, your work experience section will take up the most space. Employers spend the most time going over your work history to find out what you’ve accomplished and what you can contribute to the company if you get the job.

Use the work experience section on your CV to showcase how your skills helped you perform your duties and responsibilities in your past roles and what you achieved.

Rather than over-using the terms “responsible for” and “tasked with”, use impactful action words such as ‘investigated’, ‘won’, ‘supervised’, or ‘achieved’.

Starting each bullet point in your journalism’s work experience section with good CV action verbs also adds energy to your CV and shows the reader you’re proactive and a leader in your field.

Here are some examples of how you can highlight accomplishments from your journalism career:

• Conducted interviews of foreign delegates, which was used for 2 international broadcasts
• Covered the oath-taking ceremony of the new city mayor which was nominated for two university awards
• Won “Best Reporting” in Free Media Awards

Hard numbers help quantify your accomplishments, whether that’s a percentage increase in readership, the reach of your social media content, or the number of articles or posts you’ve created.

For example, instead of just saying you publish articles on social media, show the exact number of how many views and interactions your posts have generated.

Here are three examples of hard numbers in your work experience section:

• Led the research for an investigative documentary on YouTube about combating fake news, which garnered 1M+ views
• Published 3 social media news posts each day, generating 500 average shares across different platforms
• Supervised the training for 4 batches of interns each year