How To Write An Editorial Assistant Resume (With Example)

Updated 30 September 2022

The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers, researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed's data and insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.

Editorial assistants assist a publishing team with various administrative tasks, including document editing and filing. When applying for a position as an editorial assistant, emphasise your relevant abilities and experiences to add value to your candidature. You can accomplish this by creating a well-written resume that includes sections on your education and work experiences. In this article, we discuss what an editorial assistant resume is, outline steps to help you write one, provide an example and template you can use as a guide and share tips to write an effective resume.

What is an Editorial Assistant resume?

An editorial assistant resume is a document that you can use to show potential employers your skills, experience and accomplishments. This is usually a part of the application process for a job. When writing your resume for an editorial assistant job, consider emphasising how your previous responsibilities are relevant to the publishing industry. You can do this by listing relevant positions or internships you have held and mentioning your educational background.

How to write a resume for an Editorial Assistant role

Here are the steps you can follow to write a resume for an editorial assistant position:

1. Choose your resume format

Choose a structure for your resume before you start writing. A resume format refers to the way you arrange information within the document. Selecting a format is important, as some structures present your skills and knowledge differently. The three common resume formats are:

Chronological: This format emphasises your work experience by adding it at the start of the resume. You might use a chronological structure if you have substantial work experience relevant to the editorial assistant position.
Functional: A functional resume focuses on your skills. You may prefer this format if you have less relevant experience or are new to this field.
Combination: A combination resume is a hybrid of both the chronological and functional structures, allowing you to highlight your skills and experience equally. You can choose this format if your work experience and skills match the job requirements.

2. Create a header

Place your contact information at the top of your resume document. This includes your name, residential address, phone number and email address. If relevant, you may also include your professional portfolio website or social media links to share some of your past work. Having your contact information in the header makes it easy for the hiring manager to notice if they want to communicate with you.

3. Write a summary statement

To introduce yourself to the hiring manager, write an effective summary statement. A summary statement is a brief description highlighting your skills and experiences in the publishing industry. Consider mentioning how many years you have been working as an editorial assistant or any achievements in your career. When writing this summary, use action verbs and express your enthusiasm about how you can be a great addition to the organisation.

4. Include your work experience

Create a section to include your previous experience. This section outlines your work experience, emphasising positions in related professions. Writer, editor, proofreader and other content publishing jobs are relevant to the editorial assistant position. Within each experience entry, include the job title, company name and employment date. Then, in bullets, list your primary duties and any accomplishments you achieved during your employment period. Use action verbs when describing the duties you performed in each role.

5. Describe your education

Mention your highest level of education to show employers what knowledge and training you have. This may include a college degree or continual learning programmes, such as certifications. Consider listing your education in reverse chronological order, adding your highest qualification first. Include the name of the degree, the institution name you obtained your education and the year of degree awarded.

6. List relevant skills

Choose some of your best abilities relevant to an editorial assistant position to add to your skills list. A skills list typically has between five to 10 traits and can include a combination of technical and soft skills. When selecting your skills, mention those you are confident about and apply for the position you are pursuing.

7. Review your resume

Once you finish writing your resume, review it to see if it sounds appropriate and professional. While reviewing, you can double-check to correct any grammatical or spelling errors. This is especially important as part of the editorial assistant's job duties involve editing written content and having attention to detail. Before submitting your resume, you can also consider asking someone else to review it to let you know if they have any suggestions.

Resume template for an Editorial Assistant role

Here is a template you can use when writing an editorial assistant resume:

[Full name] [Residential address]
[Contact number]
[Email address]
[Your professional portfolio, if relevant]

Summary statement

[Write a two to three-line paragraph emphasising your professional achievements and skills relevant to the editorial assistant role.]

Work experience

[Job title]
[Company name],[Job location]
[Job duration]

[Key responsibility]
[Key responsibility]
[Key responsibility]

[Job title]
[Company name],[Job location]
[Job duration]

[Key responsibility]
[Key responsibility]
[Key responsibility]

Education

[Name of the qualification] [Year of attendance]

[Institution's name] [Institution's location]

Skills

[Relevant skill]
[Relevant skill]
[Relevant skill]
[Relevant skill]
[Relevant skill]

Example resume for an Editorial Assistant role

Here is an example resume for an editorial assistant role:

Nidhi Sharma
Dwarka, New Delhi
nidhisharma@email.com
nidhisharma.website

Professional summary

Motivated editorial assistant with a detailed understanding of the publication process. Skilled in proofreading and AP style guidelines. Recognised for strong attention to detail in spotting spelling and grammatical errors.

Work experience

Editorial assistant
DBCF Writing Press, Mumbai
April 2019-present

received the Exceptional Typo Spotter award for detecting typing errors in content
reviewed submitted manuscripts to ensure they abide by AP style and industry guidelines
helped in-house editors review books, academic journals and other materials

Editorial intern
SportFit Magazine, Gurugram
August 2018-March 2019

researched content for magazine articles
fact verified 10 articles a day to provide accuracy in publications
checked and sorted daily mails and informed upper management about high-priority mail

Education

Bachelors of Arts in English
Education University, Uttar Pradesh
June 2018

Skills

attention to detail
AP style
proofreading
teamwork
organisational skills
proficient in publishing rules
flexibility
self-motivated

Tips to write an effective resume

Here are some tips to help you make your resume effective:

Provide sample pieces. As editorial assistants often write copy for an organisation, it is helpful to provide samples of your past work, either by sharing a document file or your professional portfolio website link.
Use keywords. When writing your resume, use industry keywords, such as editing and publishing, to help your document bypass an applicant tracking system in the review process. You can also find relevant keywords in the job description that you can include in your resume.
Customise your resume. Each time you apply for a new editorial assistant position, adjust your content to best fit the responsibilities and company.
Submit a cover letter. Consider submitting a cover letter with your resume to expand on your content and demonstrate your eagerness for the position.

Skills to include in your resume

Here are the skills you can in your resume for an editorial assistant role:

Writing skills

Having exceptional command of the English language can help you succeed as an editorial assistant. Ability to read texts and determine whether they communicate information to the target users rationally and clearly while adhering to the style guide's specifications is important for this role. It also involves ensuring that the content's tone, voice and structure are appropriate. Writing skills also involve knowledge of sentence structure, grammar rules and proper punctuation and how rules vary depending on the writing style.

Creativity and Curiosity

Editorial assistants are often curious about the subject they proofread and their role also involves making creative headlines and introduction paragraphs to get the readers' attention. Advertising and marketing professionals rely heavily on creativity and curiosity to create compelling copy for website landing pages, company branding, magazines and other types of content used to influence a target audience. Creativity and curiosity help editorial assistants deliver high-quality creative content to the client's requirements.

Attention to detail

The foundation of editing is ensuring that work is error-free. This requires meticulous attention to detail, including detecting minor punctuation errors and ensuring that the content's structure and flow of ideas are proper. Editorial assistants understand all the style guide's components and apply them to each piece of content they review. They may also require to be familiar with multiple style guides and switch between them throughout the course of their workday, which requires exceptional focus and dedication to their work.

Organisation

Because editorial assistants often work on multiple projects concurrently and may collaborate with a variety of different writers, they require exceptional organisational skills to structure their workday according to the task priorities. Additionally, this career is extremely deadline-driven. Sometimes, they may require meeting deadlines to achieve the company's targets. This makes the ability to stay organised and composed under pressure critical for editorial assistants.