Overview
Content writing roles are flooded with applications from English graduates, journalism students, and self taught writers. Saying you "love writing" or have "a way with words" is not going to separate you from the pack. What will is showing that your writing has been published, read, and measured.
This resume belongs to Olivia Grant, an English and media graduate from the University of East Anglia. She wrote for her university newspaper, completed a content marketing internship, and ran a personal blog. Her resume works because it presents writing as a professional skill with measurable output, not just a hobby.
What Makes This Resume Work
Published work is quantified. Olivia wrote 35 articles for the university newspaper over two years, covering campus events and student opinion pieces. Four of her articles were the most read pieces of their respective month. She also published 12 blog posts on her personal site, with an average of 800 monthly page views. These numbers transform "I write" into "I write things people actually read."
The internship shows commercial writing ability. During her three month placement at a digital marketing agency, she wrote 20 SEO optimised blog posts for three different client websites. She learned to use keyword research tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs, and two of her articles ranked on the first page of Google within eight weeks. For a junior role, that is a strong demonstration of practical SEO skills.
The portfolio link is easy to find. Just like a designer, a content writer needs a portfolio. Olivia includes her blog URL directly under her contact information. She also mentions that writing samples are available on request, which signals confidence in the quality of her work.
Editing and proofreading experience is included. She copyedited articles for the newspaper and proofread marketing materials during her internship. Many junior content writers overlook this, but attention to detail is a core requirement. Showing that you can review and polish work, not just produce it, adds another layer of value.
Key Takeaways
Publish your writing somewhere and put numbers on it. A personal blog with tracked page views, a university publication with readership data, or guest posts on external sites. Anything that proves people have actually read your work.
If you have any SEO experience, highlight it clearly. Keyword research, on page optimisation, and search rankings are increasingly expected even for junior content roles. Mention the tools you used and any ranking results you achieved.
Include editing and proofreading as separate skills. Being able to write is half the job. Being able to review, tighten, and improve copy is the other half, and many applicants forget to mention it.
