What skills should a Desktop Publisher put on a resume?

O*NET rates Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Judgment and Decision Making, Active Listening, and Speaking 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 Desktop Publisher list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Actuate DocBook, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe ActionScript, Adobe After Effects, and Adobe Creative Cloud software. 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 Desktop Publisher work?

O*NET records 27 titles for this occupation, including Compositor, Computer Typesetter, Electronic Console Display Operator, and Publisher. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Desktop Publisher need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 44% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Desktop Publisher 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.

Desktop Publisher resume example

A resume for a Desktop Publisher needs to show the work itself: format typescript and graphic elements using computer software to produce publication-ready material. Day to day that means work like this: operate desktop publishing software and equipment to design, lay out, and produce camera-ready copy; position text and art elements from a variety of databases in a visually appealing way to design print or web pages, using knowledge of type styles and size and layout patterns. 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.

Compositor
Computer Typesetter
Electronic Console Display Operator
Publisher
Advertising Associate
Design Editor
Desktop Operator
Desktop Publishing Specialist
Electronic Imager
Electronic Publishing Specialist
DTP Operator
Computer Compositor
Computer Publisher
Desktop Publishing Associate
Desktop Support Engineer
Digital Publisher
Digital Publishing Specialist
Document Design Specialist

O*NET records 27 titles for this occupation in total.

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.

Operate desktop publishing software and equipment to design, lay out, and produce camera-ready copy.
Position text and art elements from a variety of databases in a visually appealing way to design print or web pages, using knowledge of type styles and size and layout patterns.
Check preliminary and final proofs for errors and make necessary corrections.
View monitors for visual representation of work in progress and for instructions and feedback throughout process, making modifications as necessary.
Enter text into computer keyboard and select the size and style of type, column width, and appropriate spacing for printed materials.
Prepare sample layouts for approval, using computer software.
Import text and art elements, such as electronic clip art or electronic files from photographs that have been scanned or produced with a digital camera, using computer software.
Study layout or other design instructions to determine work to be done and sequence of operations.
Select number of colors and determine color separations.
Convert various types of files for printing or for the Internet, using computer software.
Enter digitized data into electronic prepress system computer memory, using scanner, camera, keyboard, or mouse.
Edit graphics and photos, using pixel or bitmap editing, airbrushing, masking, or image retouching.

18 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.

Operate desktop publishing software and equipment to design, lay out, and produce camera-ready copy, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Position text and art elements from a variety of databases in a visually appealing way to design print or web pages, using knowledge of type styles and size and layout patterns, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Check preliminary and final proofs for errors and make necessary corrections, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
View monitors for visual representation of work in progress and for instructions and feedback throughout process, making modifications as necessary, 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.

Actuate DocBook
Adobe Acrobat
Adobe ActionScript
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Creative Cloud software
Adobe Dreamweaver
Adobe FrameMaker
Adobe FreeHand MX
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InDesign
Adobe LiveMotion
Adobe PageMaker
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe PostScript

96 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.

Desktop computers
Laser printers
Notebook computers
Pen tablets
Scanners

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.

deliver items
Actuate DocBook
Adobe ActionScript

What this job rates as most important

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

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

Knowledge areas

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

Computers and Electronics
Communications and Media
English Language

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.

44%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
39%Bachelor's Degree
11%Associate's Degree

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Medium Preparation Needed”. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Common questions

What does a Desktop Publisher do?: Format typescript and graphic elements using computer software to produce publication-ready material. Day to day that includes work like operate desktop publishing software and equipment to design, lay out, and produce camera-ready copy and Position text and art elements from a variety of databases in a visually appealing way to design print or web pages, using knowledge of type styles and size and layout patterns.
What skills should a Desktop Publisher put on a resume?: O*NET rates Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Judgment and Decision Making, Active Listening, and Speaking 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 Desktop Publisher list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Actuate DocBook, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe ActionScript, Adobe After Effects, and Adobe Creative Cloud software. 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 Desktop Publisher work?: O*NET records 27 titles for this occupation, including Compositor, Computer Typesetter, Electronic Console Display Operator, and Publisher. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Desktop Publisher need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 44% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Desktop Publisher 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.