What skills should a Writers and Author put on a resume?

O*NET rates Writing, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, and Critical Thinking 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 Writers and Author list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe Acrobat, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe Dreamweaver, and Adobe Illustrator. 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 Writers and Author work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Advertisement Agency Copywriter, Ad Agency Copywriter, Advertising Copywriter, and Copywriter. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Writers and Author need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 47% 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 Writers and Author 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.

Writers and Author resume example

A resume for a Writers and Author needs to show the work itself: originate and prepare written material, such as scripts, stories, advertisements, and other material. Day to day that means work like this: develop advertising campaigns for a wide range of clients, working with an advertising agency's creative director and art director to determine the best way to present advertising information; vary language and tone of messages based on product and medium. 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.

Advertisement Agency Copywriter
Ad Agency Copywriter
Advertising Copywriter
Copywriter
Freelance Copywriter
Advertising Associate
Advertising Writer
Communications Specialist
Promotion Writer
Search Engine Optimization Copywriter
SEO Copywriter
Web Content Writer
Ad Copywriter
Ad Writer
Advertisement Copywriter
Advertisement Writer
Advertising Specialist
Article Writer

O*NET records 40 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.

Develop advertising campaigns for a wide range of clients, working with an advertising agency's creative director and art director to determine the best way to present advertising information.
Vary language and tone of messages based on product and medium.
Present drafts and ideas to clients.
Discuss with the client the product, advertising themes and methods, and any changes that should be made in advertising copy.
Review advertising trends, consumer surveys, and other data regarding marketing of goods and services to determine the best way to promote products.
Write articles, bulletins, sales letters, speeches, and other related informative, marketing and promotional material.
Conduct research and interviews to determine which of a product's selling features should be promoted.
Invent names for products and write the slogans that appear on packaging, brochures and other promotional material.
Collaborate with other writers on specific projects.
Conduct research to obtain factual information and authentic detail, using sources such as newspaper accounts, diaries, and interviews.
Consult with sales, media and marketing representatives to obtain information on product or service and discuss style and length of advertising written material.
Edit or rewrite existing written material as necessary, and submit written material for approval by supervisor, editor, or publisher.

20 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.

Develop advertising campaigns for a wide range of clients, working with an advertising agency's creative director and art director to determine the best way to present advertising information, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Vary language and tone of messages based on product and medium, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Present drafts and ideas to clients, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Discuss with the client the product, advertising themes and methods, and any changes that should be made in advertising copy, 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 Acrobat
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Creative Cloud software
Adobe Dreamweaver
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Persuasion
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Premiere Pro
Apple Final Cut Pro
Asana
Avid Technology Media Composer
Blackbaud The Raiser's Edge
Campaign Monitor

54 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.

Copy machines
Desktop computers
Laptop computers
Personal computers
Teleconferencing equipment
Universal serial bus USB flash drives
Videoconferencing equipment

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 Photoshop

What this job rates as most important

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

01Writing
02Reading Comprehension
03Active Listening
04Speaking
05Critical Thinking
06Time Management
07Active Learning
08Coordination
09Persuasion
10Social Perceptiveness

Knowledge areas

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

English Language
Sales and Marketing
Communications and Media
Customer and Personal Service
Computers and Electronics

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.

47%Bachelor's Degree
35%Some College Courses
18%Associate's Degree

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 Writers and Author do?: Originate and prepare written material, such as scripts, stories, advertisements, and other material. Day to day that includes work like develop advertising campaigns for a wide range of clients, working with an advertising agency's creative director and art director to determine the best way to present advertising information and Vary language and tone of messages based on product and medium.
What skills should a Writers and Author put on a resume?: O*NET rates Writing, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, and Critical Thinking 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 Writers and Author list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe Acrobat, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe Dreamweaver, and Adobe Illustrator. 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 Writers and Author work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Advertisement Agency Copywriter, Ad Agency Copywriter, Advertising Copywriter, and Copywriter. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Writers and Author need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 47% 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 Writers and Author 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.