Question:
When sending a resume to an editor or when applying for a job as a
techical writer, how does one list one'swritten work? What kind of
heading do you put your work under---Publications, Writing History--??
Also, what exactly do you say about them? Do you list the titles of
the articles, where and when they appeared, etc.? Any suggestions
would be most appreciated.
Answer:
- i guess it would depend on the type of resume youre writing, and th job
youre seeking. my resume simply states: june 1994, signed as a
contracted author with kensington publishing corp, new york, ny. but
then, im an educator....
- Then, under that, I list projects, by employer, as on any resume.
One or more bullets under each project list software used, documents
created, and other relevant info. On one IBM project I wrote one manual
(out of a full library intended for a product) and wrote parts of six or
seven more. On another project, I wrote an online reference for thirteen
different executables (OS/2 programs). After the (collective) title of
the document, I listed all the programs in parentheses.
I list SOME publications (in paragraph form) under the freelance
section of my resume. But I send specific clippings or reproductions,
almost all of which include the name and date of the publication, and my
name, address, phone number, and e-mail address.
- Your best bet is to look at an acting resume. Unlike "real world" resumes,
"art" resumes are broken down by category rather than a chronological
accouting of where you've been all these years.
Create headings such as "Fiction", "Non-Fiction", "Magazines", "Books",
"Articles", etc. Format your entries by date, name or title of publication,
name or title of work and perhaps the name of the editor. Follow all other
resume rules such as no more than a page -- page and a half MAX, minimum
one-inch margins all around and lots of "white space". Points or bullets are
better than small paragraphs. Samples of your work and references should be
included ONLY if requested. Stay away from fancy fonts and graphics and use
at minimum 11 point type.
- As an instructional developer (read: educational and curriculum
developer/technical writer/editor of absymally-written professors' work),
and as a freelance writer who writes fiction and cat-related nonfiction --
the former hasn't been published yet, the latter has -- I handle this two
ways in my resume.
Under Professional History, when I speak about my writing and developing
skills, I put under the bulleted list of job duties a short list of
projects I have developed and managed. I head it as "Projects include:"
and list the five most impressive projects I've worked on. I make it clear
these aren't the only projects I've done, but these are the biggest and
most impressive projects. I figure that long descriptions of the projects
are best left demonstrated by my portfolio.
After the education section (which I have after Professional History), I
have a heading titled "Publications and Presentations", which includes a
grab-bag of classes I have taught, presentations I have given, things I
have published that are not job related, and one line: published freelance
writer. I have yet to have an employer fail to ask me about that.
Remember: the purpose of the resume is to give the prospective employer
something to SCAN (the average screener takes about 10-15 seconds to read
a resume), so refrain from writing your autobiography. Hit the highlights,
land the interview, and wow them with your portfolio.
