Tuesday 9 June 2015

#27 CV for the Creative Writer, Aspiring Writer.. etc

Have you ever written a CV with just your writing accomplishments or jobs?

If you want to look for a writing job just for a little extra cash, or if it is your passion to do, I have a couple of easy steps to make the writing process a little easier to bare.

It's pretty much like a regular CV or Resume, the same structure etc.. but you list chronologically the jobs you did, the subject matter of what you wrote, and any other details, for example if it was an interview.. etc.

So lets get to the steps:

Step 1: Be specific. Instead of putting something like 'Wrote for 'title of magazine'.. as much as the magazine maybe prestigious, you always need to write what you did. So you can put that you wrote for the magazine-- what kind of piece was it? Did it involve interviewing a particular person? What was the topic on? Was it a regular column? Was it a feature? A lot of writing establishments are more focused on what you write as well as how you write-- every place has a particular niche that they fall into and if they see you write what they like, they will most definitely take you on board.

Step 2: Short and sweet. As much as you applying for a writer's job.. people that look over CV's never READ it.. they SCAN it. So.. it goes for anyone applying for their job with a CV.
So what do you need to do? 
Use the magical bullet points. If you write in paragraphs.. unless you have a little grace and the person that is looking over it actually is considerate and reads it... your CV will be overlooked.
As much as it will be short.. let it be short and punchy. So instead of writing 'I did an interview with so so concerning pasta bakes'
You can write 'Interviewed award winning chef... about pasta bakes' 
Do you kind of get where I'm coming from? 
Maximum 3 bullet points unless you've done a lot and make sure it is catchy and relevant to what you want to apply for.
You have to really sell yourself, and you will be noticed.

Step 3: Keep your Portfolio updated. I once applied for magazine writer position and they asked me to bring my portfolio of writing--- I didn't really think that they would need a portfolio, but luckily, I do have my trusty folder of all of my articles and things that I have written over the years-- but when going to an interview, It's always good to  go with your most recent pieces, because it reflects your current writing style, etc. You never know when they can ask, so if you have yet to update your portfolio.. do it now!


3 Short and simple steps-- I hope this has helped a budding writer who is frantically applying for writer jobs-- do not worry I'm not far from you!

x

No comments:

Post a Comment