Journalist CV example

Adding contact details to your journalist CV

A small and often underestimated section is your contact details. This is an important section not to be missed! After all, how can your employer contact you if they don’t have your email, phone number, or know where it is you are based? Many candidates forget to add this vital information, leading to lost opportunities.

You’ll want to stay ahead from the jump! Add a clear set of contact details somewhere near the top of your document. You should always strive to separate them from the rest of your text so that they are easy to spot. Consider choosing a bold or larger font.

When you share your contact info, always remember to include the following:

• Your full name – no need for your middle name.
• Location – so the employer knows where you are based.
• Phone number – use a mobile number if you can as it’s easier to reach you.
• Email address – make sure that it is work appropriate.

Example of contact section for a journalist CV

Journalist CV personal statement

Next up, you will need to introduce yourself to the reader. This is where you should write a strong, personal statement. But what exactly is a personal statement? You can think of it as a handshake and a first impression. It is a short section of writing that will highlight all of your most important experience and your career objectives. What’s the difficulty with this section? You will only have around 100 words to do this.

Because of how brief this section will be, you will want to follow a simple formula to ensure you cover all of the most important information needed. It begins with a simple introductory sentence. This should explain a little about who you are and your career objective.

Your second sentence should then give a snappy example of something you have achieved within the field of journalism. Perhaps you have published over 100 articles in a specific topic – this would be the time to mention it! Using a number is a great way to lend a sense of authority to your claim.

Moving on to your third and fourth sentences, you should reserve these for any special skills you have. Add anything that makes you unique! Perhaps you are adept at media ethics or have impressive shorthand note-taking skills! No matter what it is, make sure you add something that makes you stand out and makes the reader want to continue with your CV!

Here are some extra tips for your personal statement:

• Always write in the third person as this gives your writing a sense of professionalism.
• Proofread your personal statement to make sure the language is clear and error-free.
• Use action verbs and positive adjectives to hook the reader and describe yourself.

Example of personal statement for a journalist CV

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How to present your work history on a journalist CV

The work history section of your CV is one of the most important – this is because many readers will skip here to see if you have what it takes to be considered a serious journalist! As such, it’s important that you make this the longest section of your CV, especially if you have the experience to talk about.

As we mentioned before, it’s best to use a reverse-chronological format here – starting with your current or most recent role, then working backwards through time. List up to 6 responsibilities for each role, making sure that each is unique.

What are some other tips for your work experience section? Always make sure that each responsibility you have included is relevant to the job you are applying for. Let’s say the job ad is asking for investigative journalism – you should aim to highlight how you have experience in this field whenever you can.

Another thing to remember is to always use effective language. You should employ positive adjectives when you can to describe yourself. Use words like “effective”, or “punctual”, to let the reader know what you are like as a person. Another good set of language tools to use are action verbs – these replace “responsible for” with more inventive words such as “investigated”, “penned”, or “conducted”.

Example of work experience for a journalist CV

Journalist CV skills

As a journalist, you’ll need a wide range of CV skills to be considered for a position. Crafting an effective journalist CV involves showing all of these. Many employers use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS software) to search through potential candidates and find the ones with the skills they need.

Because of this, you’ll want to add up to 12 skills on your CV in a dedicated section. We would recommend adding a mixture of hard and soft skills. What’s the difference here? A hard skill is anything that you have acquired on the job, or through education. A soft skill can be thought of more like a positive character trait – explaining how you collaborate in a professional setting.

By including a balanced representation of both hard and soft skills, you will show to the reader that you are an eclectic candidate. Put yourself in your employer’s shoes. They will want to find a journalist who has experience in investigative reporting, familiar with various news platforms and with an adherence to journalistic ethical processes – but they will also want somebody who is a good communicator, adaptable, and who works well in a team.

Here are the skills recruiters are looking for to match the journalist job description.

Outlining education on a journalist CV

The final key section of your CV should be dedicated to your educational section. This is where you will be able to show you have the brains to back up your experience and skills. While journalism is a career that relies on a lot of in-person experience – having a good educational background is an additional colour for your CV that will help you during the application process.

Because of this, you will want to outline every relevant qualification that you have. You should begin with your most impressive qualifications – starting with a master’s degree, or undergraduate degree in a relevant field. From there, you can begin to go backwards through time, choosing anything that may add to your experience level. You should also include any professional training courses you have completed over the years.

So, what does the normal education section of a journalist look like? People find journalism through different parts, but many jobs will search for candidates with a degree in Journalism, English, or some kind of writing field. If you have one of these degrees – you should absolutely mention it!

As a side note – try not to mention any bad grades or incomplete courses as these will not add to your application and could hinder it. Instead, focus on qualifications that make it seem as though journalism has always been your plan – and that you prepared for this with your education!

Example of education for a journalist CV