Content writer resume example
One page. Reverse chronological, no columns, no photo. The portfolio link is the single most important element on this resume, so put it in the header where it cannot be missed, and make sure it opens without a login.
The bullets and skills are this page's own. The name, employer and dates are invented.
Most content writer resumes fail before a human ever reads them, they get filtered out by Applicant Tracking Systems before reaching a recruiter's desk. This guide covers exactly what ATS systems scan for in content writer roles, how to write bullet points that get callbacks, and which keywords you must include. Every example on this page is fictionalized, recruiter-informed, and written to show the level of specificity strong content writer candidates need.
Must-have skills for a content writer resume
These are the keywords ATS systems scan for in content writer job postings. Include every skill you genuinely have, missing even one commonly required keyword can drop your match score below the recruiter's threshold.
Pro tip: mirror the job description exactly
If the job description says "React.js" and you write "React", some ATS systems won't count it as a match. Copy the exact phrasing, acronyms, capitalization, and all, from the posting into your skills section and bullet points.
Strong content writer resume bullet examples
Every bullet below follows the same formula: strong action verb + what you did + quantified impact. Study the structure, then replace the numbers with your real achievements. Generic bullets like "responsible for X" are invisible to both ATS and recruiters, specificity is what gets you shortlisted.
Action
Start with Built, Reduced, Migrated, Designed, Optimized, Led.
Tools
Name the exact tool or method: Long-form articles, SEO writing, Keyword research, Content strategy.
Impact
End with a number: time saved, cost, volume, quality, or people served.
Content Writer - Organic growth
01
Wrote and refreshed 68 articles over eighteen months, growing organic sessions from 24K to 91K a month and lifting the number of page-one keywords from 140 to 610.
Content Writer - Conversion
02
Rewrote nine product pages around customer language pulled from 40 support transcripts, raising trial signups from those pages by 34% with no change to traffic.
Content Writer - Subject-matter depth
03
Interviewed 22 engineers and clinicians to produce technical explainers that legal and compliance approved without revision, cutting the review cycle from three weeks to four days.
Content Writer - Editorial operations
04
Built the editorial calendar and brief template that took the team from 4 to 12 published pieces a month without adding a writer.
Common mistake: weak action verbs
Avoid passive openers like "Responsible for", "Helped with", or "Worked on". These tell the recruiter nothing about your actual contribution. Replace them with ownership verbs: Built, Designed, Led, Reduced, Launched, Architected, Negotiated, Delivered. Then always end with a number.
The bullets above, in a finished resume
Rendered by the same exporter the builder uses, in an ATS-safe single-column template. No tables and no side columns, because that is what the format advice further down this page tells you to avoid.
The bullets and skills are this page's own. The name, employer and dates are invented.
Content Writer resume writing guide
Three areas where most content writer resumes either win or lose against the competition. Read each section carefully, even one improvement here can meaningfully increase your response rate.
The portfolio is the resume
A hiring manager will click your samples before they finish reading the page, so the link belongs in the header next to your email. Send them to a page you control with five or six pieces, not to a Google Drive folder and not to a login-walled Medium account. Pick range deliberately: one long-form piece that ranks, one piece that converted, one technical explainer, one with a distinctive voice. Six good pieces beat forty, and a portfolio that includes something mediocre is judged on the mediocre one.
Numbers exist in this job, so use them
Writers often assume their work cannot be measured and then write a resume of topics covered. Traffic, rankings, time on page, signups, email open rates, publish volume and review cycle time are all real, and most of them are in a dashboard you already have access to. Be honest about attribution. "Grew organic traffic 3x" invites the question of what else changed. Naming the pieces you wrote and the period is more credible than an unqualified multiple.
Sections, in order
Contact with portfolio link, summary, experience, skills, education. If you freelance, group clients under one heading with dates rather than listing each as a separate job, which otherwise reads as constant turnover. Leave out: a photo, your date of birth, marital status and your full street address. City and state only.
Content Writer salary in the United States
National figures for Writers and Authors, the occupation BLS counts this job under. These are percentiles across everyone employed in it, not steps on a career ladder: half of all workers earn more than the median and half earn less.
10th percentile
$44,310
Nine in ten earn more than this
Median
$76,910
Half earn more, half earn less
90th percentile
$139,870
One in ten earns more than this
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), national cross-industry estimates, May 2025, SOC 27-3043. Annual wages, excluding bonuses, equity and other non-wage compensation. Current release at bls.gov/oes.
How to use these numbers
They are national and cross-industry, so your city and sector move them a long way. Use the median as the anchor, name a specific number rather than a range, and justify it with the single most quantified achievement on your resume.
Content Writer resume format and structure
ATS systems parse your resume top-to-bottom. The order of your sections and how you label them directly affect your score. Use this structure:
Section 01
Contact Information
Name, professional email, phone, LinkedIn URL, and city/country. No photo, no date of birth, no full address. Keep it to 2 lines maximum.
Section 02
Professional Summary
2-3 sentences. Years of experience as a content writer, your primary specialty, and your single biggest quantified achievement. No fluff.
Section 03
Work Experience
Reverse-chronological order. Company name, your title, dates (month/year), location. 3–5 bullet points per role, each with a number. Most recent role gets the most bullets.
Section 04
Skills
List Long-form articles, SEO writing, Keyword research, Content strategy, Editorial calendars, and other relevant tools. Group by category if you have 10+ skills. This section is scanned first by most ATS.
Section 05
Education
Degree, institution, graduation year. No GPA unless above 3.5 and within 3 years of graduation. Certifications go here or in a separate Certifications section.
Section 06
Optional Sections
Projects (essential for early-career), Certifications, Publications, Open Source, or Languages. Only include if genuinely adding signal.
Questions
Content Writer resume, frequently asked questions
Answers to the most common questions job seekers have when writing a content writer resume, covering format, keywords, length, and ATS optimization.
Resume examples for other roles
Need a guide for a different job title? Each page includes role-specific ATS keywords, real bullet examples, and a writing guide.
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Sources and references
Where the skills, tooling and pay figures on this page come from.
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