What skills should a Film and Video Editor put on a resume?

O*NET rates Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Learning, and Complex Problem Solving 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 Film and Video Editor list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe After Effects, Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe Director, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Photoshop. 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 Film and Video Editor work?

O*NET records 22 titles for this occupation, including Editor, Film Editor, News Editor, and Video Editor. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Film and Video Editor need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 65% reported their level of education as "Bachelor's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Film and Video Editor 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.

Film and Video Editor resume example

A resume for a Film and Video Editor needs to show the work itself: edit moving images on film, video, or other media. Day to day that means work like this: organize and string together raw footage into a continuous whole according to scripts or the instructions of directors and producers; edit films and videotapes to insert music, dialogue, and sound effects, to arrange films into sequences, and to correct errors, using editing equipment. 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.

Editor
Film Editor
News Editor
Video Editor
News Video Editor
News Videotape Editor
Non-Linear Editor
Online Editor
Tape Editor
Television News Video Editor
ENG Editor
Contract Video Editor
Cue Selector
Digital Media Coordinator
Digital Video Editor
Electronic News Gathering Editor
Movie Editor
Optical Effects Layout Person

O*NET records 22 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.

Organize and string together raw footage into a continuous whole according to scripts or the instructions of directors and producers.
Edit films and videotapes to insert music, dialogue, and sound effects, to arrange films into sequences, and to correct errors, using editing equipment.
Select and combine the most effective shots of each scene to form a logical and smoothly running story.
Review footage sequence by sequence to become familiar with it before assembling it into a final product.
Set up and operate computer editing systems, electronic titling systems, video switching equipment, and digital video effects units to produce a final product.
Trim film segments to specified lengths and reassemble segments in sequences that present stories with maximum effect.
Cut shot sequences to different angles at specific points in scenes, making each individual cut as fluid and seamless as possible.
Review assembled films or edited videotapes on screens or monitors to determine if corrections are necessary.
Verify key numbers and time codes on materials.
Manipulate plot, score, sound, and graphics to make the parts into a continuous whole, working closely with people in audio, visual, music, optical, or special effects departments.
Program computerized graphic effects.
Study scripts to become familiar with production concepts and requirements.

22 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 and string together raw footage into a continuous whole according to scripts or the instructions of directors and producers, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Edit films and videotapes to insert music, dialogue, and sound effects, to arrange films into sequences, and to correct errors, using editing equipment, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Select and combine the most effective shots of each scene to form a logical and smoothly running story, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Review footage sequence by sequence to become familiar with it before assembling it into a final product, 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.

Adobe After Effects
Adobe Creative Cloud software
Adobe Director
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Premiere Pro
AJAX
Apple DVD Studio Pro
Apple Final Cut Pro
Apple QuickTime
Apple Xsan
Autodesk Maya
Autodesk Smoke
Avid Digidesign Pro Tools

37 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.

Audio patch bays
Desktop computers
Digital video disk DVD recorders
Digital video editing systems
Laptop computers
Network routers
Personal computers
Video patch bays
YouTube.com

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.

Adobe After Effects
Adobe Creative Cloud
Adobe Illustrator

What this job rates as most important

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

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

Knowledge areas

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

Communications and Media
English Language
Computers and Electronics
Telecommunications
Fine Arts
Production and Processing
Customer and Personal Service
Engineering and Technology

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.

65%Bachelor's Degree
17%Associate's Degree
16%High School Diploma, or the equivalent

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Considerable Preparation Needed”. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Common questions

What does a Film and Video Editor do?: Edit moving images on film, video, or other media. Day to day that includes work like organize and string together raw footage into a continuous whole according to scripts or the instructions of directors and producers and Edit films and videotapes to insert music, dialogue, and sound effects, to arrange films into sequences, and to correct errors, using editing equipment.
What skills should a Film and Video Editor put on a resume?: O*NET rates Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Learning, and Complex Problem Solving 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 Film and Video Editor list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe After Effects, Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe Director, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Photoshop. 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 Film and Video Editor work?: O*NET records 22 titles for this occupation, including Editor, Film Editor, News Editor, and Video Editor. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Film and Video Editor need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 65% reported their level of education as "Bachelor's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Film and Video Editor 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.