What skills should a Archivist put on a resume?

O*NET rates Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Speaking, and Active Learning among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Archivist list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Adlib Information Systems Adlib Archive, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe InDesign. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Archivist work?

O*NET records 16 titles for this occupation, including Records Manager, Registrar, State Archivist, and Accessioning Archivist. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Archivist need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 84% reported their level of education as "Master's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Archivist role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Archivist resume example

A resume for a Archivist needs to show the work itself: appraise, edit, and direct safekeeping of permanent records and historically valuable documents. Day to day that means work like this: organize archival records and develop classification systems to facilitate access to archival materials; provide reference services and assistance for users needing archival materials. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Records Manager
Registrar
State Archivist
Accessioning Archivist
Digital Archivist
Film Archivist
Museum Archivist
Reference Archivist
University Archivist
Archives Tech
Archives Specialist
Archives Technician
Digital Asset Archivist
Image Archivist
Processing Archivist
Project Archivist

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

Organize archival records and develop classification systems to facilitate access to archival materials.
Provide reference services and assistance for users needing archival materials.
Prepare archival records, such as document descriptions, to allow easy access to information.
Create and maintain accessible, retrievable computer archives and databases, incorporating current advances in electronic information storage technology.
Establish and administer policy guidelines concerning public access and use of materials.
Direct activities of workers who assist in arranging, cataloguing, exhibiting, and maintaining collections of valuable materials.
Preserve records, documents, and objects, copying records to film, videotape, audiotape, disk, or computer formats as necessary.
Research and record the origins and historical significance of archival materials.
Locate new materials and direct their acquisition and display.
Authenticate and appraise historical documents and archival materials.
Coordinate educational and public outreach programs, such as tours, workshops, lectures, and classes.
Specialize in an area of history or technology, researching topics or items relevant to collections to determine what should be retained or acquired.

13 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Organize archival records and develop classification systems to facilitate access to archival materials, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Provide reference services and assistance for users needing archival materials, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Prepare archival records, such as document descriptions, to allow easy access to information, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Create and maintain accessible, retrievable computer archives and databases, incorporating current advances in electronic information storage technology, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

Adlib Information Systems Adlib Archive
Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Creative Cloud software
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Premiere Pro
Apple Final Cut Pro
Archivists' Toolkit
Archon
Corel Paint Shop Pro
Database software
DiMeMa CONTENTdm
Dynamic hypertext markup language DHTML

32 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

Compact digital cameras
Data input scanners
Desktop computers
Digitizers
Inkjet printers
Laptop computers
Personal computers

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

edit documents
Adlib Information Systems Adlib Archive
Apple Final Cut Pro

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Reading Comprehension
02Active Listening
03Writing
04Speaking
05Active Learning
06Critical Thinking
07Complex Problem Solving
08Judgment and Decision Making
09Service Orientation
10Monitoring

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

History and Archeology
English Language
Customer and Personal Service
Computers and Electronics
Administration and Management
Administrative
Education and Training
Law and Government

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

84%Master's Degree
6%Bachelor's Degree
6%Post-Master's Certificate, awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master's degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Extensive Preparation Needed”. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Common questions

What does a Archivist do?: Appraise, edit, and direct safekeeping of permanent records and historically valuable documents. Day to day that includes work like organize archival records and develop classification systems to facilitate access to archival materials and Provide reference services and assistance for users needing archival materials.
What skills should a Archivist put on a resume?: O*NET rates Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Speaking, and Active Learning among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Archivist list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Adlib Information Systems Adlib Archive, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe InDesign. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Archivist work?: O*NET records 16 titles for this occupation, including Records Manager, Registrar, State Archivist, and Accessioning Archivist. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Archivist need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 84% reported their level of education as "Master's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Archivist role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.