Professional Journalist CV Template

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Table of contents

Journalist CV Template
Journalist Resume Questions
Using a Job Description to Create a Standout Journalist CV
How to Employ the Job Description in Your Journalist CV

There are lots of journalists out there, all with varying degrees of skill, experience, and technological know-how. If you are going to stand out from the crowd of people applying for the journalism job you want, it’s going to take more than a shiny college degree and some experience in the field. Your curriculum vitae needs to really pop to get the attention of the managing editor at your next paper. To learn how to construct your CV in a way that makes the biggest splash, study the journalist cv template below.

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Journalist CV Template

Johan Johannes
123 Fake Street | City, State, Zip Code
E: email@email.com P: 000-000-0000

Professional Summary

Experienced multimedia journalist with a background in investigative reporting. Expert in interviewing, reporting, fact-checking, and working on a deadline. Excel at cinematic storytelling and sourcing images, sound bites, and video for multimedia publication. I work well with photographers and videographers when not shooting my own stories, and love to collaborate on large, in-depth features.

Work Experience

Multimedia Reporter – Company Name – March 2014 – Present

File three social media or web stories each day and three expanded stories per week for digital and print editions.
Create, edit, and share photos, videos, and livestream videos.
Collaborate with other reporters, photographers, and videographers for bi-monthly multimedia features, exposés, or biographical pieces.
Introduced use of Periscope, Snapchat, and Instagram to our newsroom.
Generated an interactive social media following of more than 65,000 in the past two years.

Breaking News Reporter – Company Name – September 2012 – March 2014

Reported breaking news throughout the Denver Metro.
Traveled extensively throughout the region to uncover stories.
Managed mobile photography and videography equipment.
Collaborated with photographers, camera operators, and others in the field.
Built relationships with relevant sources on the beat, including city and county officials, school board members, and law enforcement.

Staff Reporter – Company Name – September 2012 – March 2014

Reported local news and updated stories based on reports from the field.
Covered some community events.
Maintained community events calendar (print version and website version).

Education and Training

Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, News Reporting and Editing – 2012
Indiana University, City, State

Skills

Excellent reporting skills
Above-average photography and videography skills
Extensive knowledge of social media reporting, networking, and relationship-building
Outstanding interview and research skills
Multitasker, in the newsroom or in the field
Fact-checking and self-editing skills
Team player

Hobbies and Interests

Keeping up with breaking news and current events fills most of my time, but for personal enjoyment, I like to snowboard, rock climb, and water ski. I volunteer some of my time each spring and summer to lead teen adventure trips to the outdoors. Some of my most rewarding experiences have come from helping city kids get out into nature for the first time and guiding them to chronicle their experiences. I also enjoy urban hiking and finding all of the little out-of-the-way places in every new city I visit.

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Journalist Resume Questions

With many publications expanding their online presence, it is more important than ever for aspiring journalists to include digital skills on resumes. You should have a general section labeled “Skills” on your resume. Along with soft skills, you should include proficiencies with various types of software.

Look at our journalist resume sample for an idea of how to do this. In addition to listing specific types of software, such as Tor Browser, FiLMiC Pro, and oTranscribe, you can write generally about being knowledgeable about videography and social media.

The qualifications section, also referred to as the summary statement, gives the hiring manager a first glimpse into who you are. Put yours at the top of the page, just like on our journalist resume sample. You want to keep it to between four and six sentences or bullet points. Include the most valuable information in this section. Most employers only spend fewer than 10 seconds reading a resume, so the qualifications section may be the only chance you have to make an impact.

The experience section should be the longest part of your resume, which is the case on our journalist resume sample. This gives you the best chance to fill it with keywords to help your resume get through an Applicant Tracking System, ATS, which scans documents for the most desired information and keywords pulled from the job description.

Include your two or three most recent positions. You should mention the title of the position you held, the name of the company you worked for, and the dates you worked there. Instead of discussing general responsibilities, bring up accomplishments when you can. For example, you should not stop at simply mentioning how you published an article on a certain topic. Discuss how many people viewed and shared the article on social media.

The journalist resume sample does not include an accomplishments section, but you can easily add one onto yours with the help of our resume builder. This tool allows you to create a great document in mere minutes.

Only include a separate section if you have at least three accolades to discuss. In lieu of actual awards, you can discuss special projects you led or praise you earned from colleagues.

Put your education at the bottom of your submission, similarly to our journalist resume sample. List the specific degree you earned, as well as the school you got it from. If you went to college, then there is no need to include high school information. You can include the date you graduated, if you want. However, there is generally no need to put a date if you graduated more than a couple years ago. Another option is to include specific academic honors you earned. Do not put an actual GPA.

Using a Job Description to Create a Standout Journalist CV

A Sample Journalist Description

Job Summary

Journalists are the backbone of Peak City Insights. Our investigative journalists’ research skills, interview techniques, and attention to detail make our paper the credible news source that it is. As the newest addition to our multimedia division, you will collaborate with other reporters, photographers, and videographers to cover and share the stories that are most relevant to our readers. Your input will help steer the direction of our breaking news and regional coverage, and your interactions with the community via social media will help bring the public’s voice to our publication.

Job Responsibilities

Peak City Insights is a local and regional paper with a global outlook. Some of your responsibilities will include:

Keeping current (up to the minute) on local, breaking news, especially local policy and events.
Traveling to cover breaking news.
Securing and conducting difficult interviews.
Cultivating and maintaining relationships with local officials, school board members, law enforcement, and other public figures.
Fact-checking your own work.
Collaborating with camera operators in the field.
Shooting and streaming live video for social media and web.
Shooting and editing photos and videos for web and print editions.

Job Skills

We are searching for a journalist who has the following qualifications.

Degree in journalism
At least five years of combined newsroom and field experience
Photography skills (print quality)
Videography skills (smartphone/social media as well as professional equipment for web)
Experience building a social media following
Multitasker
Commitment to journalistic excellence and integrity
Curiosity and follow-through to dig deep and cover the stories that matter

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How to Employ the Job Description in Your Journalist CV

Although you may be applying to several jobs in the same field, resist the tendency to copy and paste the same curriculum vitae and cover letter into each application. When you tailor your CV to each job description that you reply to, it helps you in two ways. First, it shows how well you fit in with the company culture. Using the same terminology as the job ad and highlighting skills and accomplishments that fit in with the description, as the journalist cv template above does, connects you as a job seeker with the open position in the hiring manager’s mind. Second, using keywords lifted straight from the posting can help your CV get through automated, software-based filters and onto the managing editor’s desk.

When writing your skills, work history, and professional summary sections, reference the job description’s stated requirements and required skills. Take note of qualities that are mentioned more than once in the job ad because these are probably the most important skills. The journalist cv template highlights social media experience, relationship-building, and collaboration because these traits are emphasized in the job description.

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