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Why your resume and LinkedIn profile matter

Whether you’re staying in the journalism field or transitioning to a PR or communications role, your resume and LinkedIn profile need to be compelling.

The decision makers reviewing your materials will be seasoned editors and communications executives who are the most discerning readers imaginable.

Your resume and LinkedIn profile need to demonstrate your past accomplishments and the value you would bring to a position, in addition to being visually appealing and keyword-optimized. They also need to showcase your writing ability—and unlike job candidates who aren’t writers, you will be judged on your writing.

Why it’s challenging to create a journalism resume (or communications resume)

As a journalist or communications professional, you’re skilled in compiling and presenting information, but doing this for yourself can prove tricky.

• Being objective about yourself is difficult. You might be too modest because you’re trying not to sound boastful, or you might be unsure about what to include or omit.
• Resume and LinkedIn profile writing are different from the type of writing you normally do (although one commonality with journalism is the principle of “show, don’t tell”).
• If you are transitioning out of journalism into PR or communications, your resume needs to be carefully targeted. Don’t assume a decision maker will automatically see you as qualified based on having a decade of reporting experience.

Should you hire a writer to write your journalism or communications resume?

• Every writer has a voice, including you! Ghostwritten content won’t be in your unique writing style.
• Many resume writers have HR backgrounds rather than journalism backgrounds, and they produce adjective-packed fluff that editors will hate.
• Editors and communications executives will assume that your resume and LinkedIn profile are samples of your writing and might disapprove if they found out you used a ghostwriter.

Partner with me

As a former newspaper reporter who transitioned into PR before starting my business, I love helping journalists and other professionals with writing backgrounds.

I began my career in journalism, majoring in communications with a concentration in print journalism at the University of North Florida. While there, I interned at The Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville, Fla., as well as two weekly newspapers.

After graduating, I was a reporter for two daily newspapers in Southern California, the Daily Press and Desert Dispatch. I covered local government, military, and environment, in addition to filling in on other beats. During my time there, I received nine awards and honors from the California Newspaper Publishers Association and the Society of Professional Journalists Inland Pro Chapter.

After three years, I left to work at a small PR and marketing firm, where I became its manager. On the side, I started providing resume writing services, eventually leaving the firm in 2008 to focus on my business full time. Since then, I’ve grown the business and earned certifications in resume writing, LinkedIn profiles and strategy, job search coaching, and interview preparation.

My work has been published in Resumes for Dummies and two other books, and my career advice can be found in/on Forbes, Fast Company, Reader’s Digest, Business Insider, Entrepreneur, Money Magazine, the New York Post, Glassdoor, and 50+ other media outlets and blogs.

How I can help you

If you’re a writer, you’ll be eligible for a consulting option I don’t offer to anyone else. I’ve helped a variety of writers, editors, and communications professionals through the process described below.

Resume & LinkedIn Consulting Program

• Kick-off session: We’ll have an in-depth screen sharing session on Zoom to review and discuss your current resume and LinkedIn profile and give you guidance on how to improve them. This can also include a cover letter. We’ll mark up your content with some changes and ideas, and I’ll show you strong examples for inspiration. I’ll also give you templates you can use for formatting.
• Homework: You’ll work on improvements to your resume and LinkedIn profile based on the guidance from the kick-off session. This is self-paced and you can reconvene with me for the next session in a matter of days or in a couple weeks, depending on your schedule.
• Follow-up sessions: We’ll do additional Zoom screen sharing sessions to review and discuss the improvements you made to your documents. I’ll give you my feedback, and we’ll be able to make some final edits. We can also talk about techniques for resume tailoring and keyword optimization, and we can look at your LinkedIn account together to make adjustments to it.
• The typical investment in this program runs ~$500, depending on specifics (I’ll give you a custom quote when we speak). You can pay with any major credit or debit card.

For me to offer you this option:

• You need to have worked in journalism or communications, or have a degree in journalism or English.
• You need to have an existing resume so we have a starting point. It’s fine if you haven’t updated it recently.
• You need to have the discipline to actually do your homework.

You won’t find this program described on other pages of my website—because most people don’t meet the requirements listed above.