Content writers are in high demand, and if you’re still not sure what a content writer does, you can read all about it here. With the rise of content marketing, blogs and other forms of marketing, content creation has become more popular than ever. The internet has made it easier than ever to share ideas with the world, and content writers are a key part of that.
Content writing is a lucrative field that offers many opportunities for employment. However, it’s important to understand what you’re getting into before you start applying for jobs as a content writer. Recruiters are looking for top-notch candidates with good experience and skills. That is why a good resume is important.
Well, you are in luck. In this article, we’ll cover everything from how to write a great resume to how you can use it to land a good job.
Different Categories of Content Writing Jobs and What they Entail
Content writing jobs are divided into many categories, and if you are new to this industry, you might find it hard to find the niche that works best for you. Here, I’ve listed the most common jobs and what they entail.
a. Copywriting
Copywriting is the art of writing short, concise and persuasive content to sell your product or service. Companies that are starting a new website or blog, will need the services of copywriters. Copywriting is not easy. You need to capture the attention of your audience in just a few words. And when you write, it’s not just about getting the words right — it’s also about making sure they’re the right words for your audience and your business goals.
b. SEO Writing.
As an SEO writer, you are one of the most sought-after writers in the industry. It involves writing copies that rank highly on search engines like Google. This means that you will have to research relevant keywords, write high-quality content that matches users’ intent, and optimize headers for easy ranking. SEO content mostly contains short sections with bold headings and subheadings that help reader engagement and search engine algorithms. This kind of content writing requires good technical knowledge and takes great care with keyword analysis.
c. Scriptwriting
Most people know scriptwriting as a form of writing done in movies and theatres, but it’s also done in content writing as scripts for video and digital advertising content. As a scriptwriter, you may draft scripts for short advertisements, instructional videos, interviews, or podcasts. If you have prior scriptwriting experience, then you should try laying your hands on this category of content writing.
d. Social media posts.
We live in a generation where social media has almost taken over everything, and businesses are choosing to put more effort into their social media presence. As a freelance writer, you should really take advantage of this. Writing social media posts has to do with planning, writing and scheduling content across different social media platforms. To succeed in this category of writing, you will need to have a good understanding of social media management.
e. Email Writing.
This category of writing is used for email content marketing, where companies try to capture their audience’s attention by creating a more personal connection. Email content writing is a bit technical, and you need to know the right words to use to catch the audience’s attention authentically.
f. Technical Writing.
These are content written on technical matters like software, robotics, finance, cryptocurrency, engineering, etc. Some writers focus more on attracting users to a product, while others focus more on explaining the technicalities to people who are willing to learn, mostly in the form of product descriptions, manuals, e-books, or FAQs.
g. Blogging
This is a type of content writing sub-category. Here, you will create blog posts for businesses as part of their content marketing strategy. However, it can be a personal activity.
As a writer, you can make money by owning an individual blog or by being a guest blogger on someone else’s blog. Once you grow a community of readers, there are a lot of ways you can monetize your blog as a freelance writer.
h. Editing/proofreading.
Technically, this isn’t really a content-writing job. But if you are a content writer, you will definitely be interested in editing.
Editors or proofreaders can provide their services to brands that want their content checked, or to individuals who need editors for their books.
Content Writing Jobs you can get Under the Aforementioned Categories
With great copywriting skills, here are the types of jobs you can get:
(i) E-commerce Copywriting: It’s also known as B2B writing. This mainly has to do with writing product descriptions.
(ii) Website Copywriting: If you’ve ever noticed the short, quick writing you read when you come across a web page? That’s website copywriting.
(iii) Niche Copywriting; A copywriting niche is when a copywriter only writes for a specific market or industry. For example, you can choose to only write for eCommerce businesses or only for SaaS companies.
(iv) Ad Writing: This is just like copywriting. Advertisement scripts are written by talented copywriters.
(v) SEO Copywriting: SEO copywriting is all about creating useful, compelling, and valuable content that targets specific keywords so that other people will gladly promote it on social media platforms.
(vi) Social Media Copywriting: Social media copywriting involves crafting the messages that companies use in their social media posts.
(vii) Email Copywriting: Email copywriting is the process of writing an email for a current or prospective customer with the intention of encouraging conversion.
(viii) Technical Copywriting: Technical copywriting involves writing marketing materials like case studies, brochures, website copy, and product guides for technical industries like construction, manufacturing, or IT.
Features of a Content Writing Resume
Generally, a resume contains different sections that will show various details of your professional experience, qualifications, education, certification, awards, etc. However, you should be careful not to fill up your sheets with too much unnecessary information.
Employers are interested in resumes that are concise and have a neat layout. So when you are cooking up that content writer resume today, make sure it contains the following;
a. Header
This is where you write your full name, date of birth, marital status, and contact information. If you have a portfolio, you can include the link too.
b. Summary
This should contain words that will grab a hiring manager’s attention. But don’t beat around the bush; instead, go straight to the point. Use relevant adjectives to describe yourself and add your job title. It’s basically a summary of all you listed earlier.
c. Work Experience.
Here, you will talk about your achievements in your field, e.g.,“ Writer-Cat’s and Dog’s Vet Company.” Always make sure to start with a recent job and job title, mention the company where you worked, and use bullet points to describe your accomplishments.
d. Education
Most content writers are self-taught. There is really no need for formal education to be a content writer. You don’t need a degree in journalism to be a blog writer, nor do you need a degree in mass communication to be a social media manager. However, there are ways to back up a degree, even if it’s unrelated to a content writer position.
e. Relevant skills.
It’s known that content writers are in high demand. Therefore, you need to have great skills like, SEO Optimization, research, editing, graphics, etc.
This section in your resume will be written as a listicle. You can also include some soft skills like; effective communication, leadership, great teamwork etc.
Other sections you can add to your resume include a cover letter, certifications, volunteer work, languages, professional memberships, and interests.
Wrapping Up
Are you a writer looking for new job opportunities? Then you should join writing communities where you will be able to learn from fellow writers, improve your skills, meet your next employer, or even get freelancing gigs.
Such a writing community is the Hera Marketing writing community. We are a goal-focused community of content writers and editors. We also share tips and resources like this one where we talked about mistakes to avoid as a content writer. Feel free to join us today!
We have worked with over 24 startups to drive conversions through increased community presence and relevant blog posts that we help distribute. To understand our process, book a 15 - 30 minutes meeting with us.
