How to create a writing resume
How I did it: It was two in the morning - I had four hours to pull together a resume for a mock interview in speech class, and all I had was some college, a part-time job that came and went in December, and a couple of short-term, completely unrelated volunteer activities. It barely took up two-thirds of the page, and I'd been about as creative with my spacing as I could be. Now what?
For the thousandth time, I consulted my notes for help. The only thing I hadn't checked off yet was awards. Great. Just great. The only awards I'd ever gotten were for poetry, and they were small ones, at that.
I looked to my left and sighed at them - one mug, one second-place ribbon, and one certificate for an honorable mention. Well, it would fill a third of a page, wouldn't it?
Maybe I was just tired, or my muse was playing god. But somehow, the more I looked at that tiny space of achievement, the more it sounded like a good idea. I picked up the mug and noticed a few copies of two obscure journals. Hey! Publications!
By the end of an hour, I'd given my resume a complete makeover. Two workshops I'd taken part in looked really nice under my pending English Major and decent GPA. Several publications and my tiny awards proved I'd learned something, and at least some people thought I could do my job well.
I still had to keep the spacing to fill the entire page, but in the end, I was ecstatic. Not only would this work for class, it would work in life. It was small, but I could build it up. I could keep adding to it. And I wanted to start immediately. To hell with sleep! I wanted to write!
The next day, we traded resumes in class; I was paired with a future phys. ed. teacher, and a few days later, we gave each other blank stares and asked generic interview questions for a few minutes. Afterward, we had a good laugh and talked about our careers for a while. It wasn't quite the sort of interview the professor had in mind, but she didn't stop us. It was fun and interesting, and best of all, I got my resume back with a comment scribbled in green ink in the top left corner - "Very professional! :)"
Lessons & tips:
- If you don't already, you should keep records of where your writing goes and when, and what happens as a result (rejection letter, publication, award, etc.). You should also keep track of the dates you went places or did things relating to your writing. I used to think I was nuts for doing this, but it made putting together a resume a breeze!
- If you're not sure what all goes on your writing resume, ask a friend to help you out! They can also give suggestions on how to make it look more professional, and maybe even catch that misplaced apostrophe!
- Remember - even though this is for writing, it's still a resume. All the usual resume rules about formatting apply.
- As with all resumes, you'll also want to keep the job in mind - if you have the room/experience to do so, tailor your resume to match as best you can!
- Keep it current! Look at your resume from time to time and update it as needed. The last thing you want is an outdated resume when you need it asap.
