How to Make a Bloggers’ CV/Resume as a 1st-Time Freelancer

First, I gathered all my info that usually goes on a CV. That includes:

1. Contact information
2. Technical skills
3. Soft skills
4. Projects
5. Previous jobs
6. Tools & Technologies
7. Education
8. Certification
9. Awards

Of course, I didn’t list everything. I only included the ones related to the freelance work or jobs I want to get.

And good to know: if you’re using this post to help make your own CV, and you followed the steps I shared earlier to pick your specialty, you’ve pretty much finished the first step.

This is the first step I took because I needed the list to write other parts of my CV, not just the sections for each piece of information. For example, my professional summary.

Once I had all my info laid out, it was easier to connect the dots and write my unique value proposition in the summary.

The header is the easiest part of the CV to write. So it’s the next thing I worked on.

According to the CV guides I read, the goal of the header is to make it easy for the client or hiring manager to find and contact the freelancer.

So if you’re also writing your CV, make sure you don’t forget to include your:

• phone number
• email
• social media profiles
• location

Notes:

• If possible, include just one or two social media profiles that are relevant to your career.
• For the location, keep it simple by listing only the city and country where you live. Remember, there’s no need to add your full address because, as a content creator, you usually work remotely. The client or hiring manager just needs to know your general location to understand your time zone, which might be important for the project.

Another detail to include in the header is anything that makes you more identifiable—your website, portfolio, brand, and tagline.

The header is the first thing a client or hiring manager sees. And right at this part, you’ve already got to catch the client or hiring manager’s attention. It needs to make a good impression, especially with your brand and tagline.

So, take note:

• Try not to use cringey words like: Guru, Ninja, Wizard
• Avoid buzzwords like: passionate, disruptive, outside-the-box thinker
• Skip overused phrases like: results-driven, team player, proven track record

Lastly, based on what I found, a good way to format the header is to lay it out this order:

1. First and Last Name
2. Brand and Tagline
3. Email · Phone Number · Location
4. Social Account · Website or Portfolio

Check out my brand and tagline: Content Writer and Blogger | Creating Meaningful Connections with People-First Content

Tip: When I came up with my tagline, I asked ChatGPT to rate it. The first time, it gave me a 7.5 out of 10. LOL. After a few tweaks, I finally got a perfect 10!

My sources say the professional summary isn’t required. Even so, I strongly recommend adding one to your CV.

It introduces your qualifications and highlights your most relevant strengths. Most importantly, it’s where you show your unique value proposition—what sets you apart and why they should pick you.

For example, since the jobs I’m going for are about writing blog content, here’s the professional summary on my CV:

Content writer with 4 years of experience crafting blog posts that keep a blog-wide average engagement time above the 75th percentile of industry benchmarks. Specializes in writing clear, coherent, and well-researched articles that build brand authority. Expert in using WordPress, Gutenberg, analytics tools, and writing software to deliver satisfying user experience for readers.

Ready to write your own summary as a content creator? Here are some key tips from my sources:

1. Make sure your summary matches the job or project you’re applying for.
2. If you’ve been doing this for a while, say how many years of experience you have.
3. Talk about your biggest accomplishment. Be specific and share numbers if you can.
4. Explain what makes you or your content different or effective.
5. Don’t forget to list your top technical skills or tools the job requires, and mention the goals you use them for if possible.
6. Keep it short! It is a summary.
7. Make sure you don’t repeat the same exact details in other parts of your CV.

Note: If you’re stuck writing a summary and unsure what to include, you can ask ChatGPT for help. I asked it to help me write mine based on my experience and projects. First, I provided that information along with my unique value proposition and told it about my best project. After a couple of prompts, it gave me the summary you read earlier. However, its first answer wasn’t exactly what I wanted, so I made a few changes until I had the final version.

Once the client or hiring manager reads your professional summary and sees you’re a good fit, they’ll move on to what matters most: checking your skills, tools, and sometimes your education. These are the things that show if you qualify for the job.

On my CV, this section is split into four parts: technical skills, toolset, soft skills, and other skills. It would have been five if I had taken a course, certification, or any relevant education.

Important reminder: Whether you want to do the same, combine or add some sections, remember that all the information you include should be tailored to the job you’re aiming for.

So how do you build a list of skills and tools for the job or project you’re aiming for?

In my case, I narrow my self-assessment. Instead of considering everything I’ve done in my entire blogging career, I focus on the specific actions I take for tasks similar to those in the role or project I’m applying for.

For instance, since I’m looking for content writing and blogging opportunities, I think about the steps I follow to turn a new blog post from an idea into a published page on my website.

To list the software and apps I use, I followed the same steps.

When you write the skills section on your CV, highlight your strongest ones. Or organize them from what you’re best at to what you’re familiar with. This helps the client or hiring manager see if you’re a good match. That’s what I did!

The “Other Skills” section is where I add skills and tools I know but aren’t directly related to the job or project. I include them to show I’m flexible, which my sources say is a big plus.

For example, in my case, besides the skills I listed earlier, I added something like map creation and infographics design in my CV’s “Other Skills” section. That could show the hiring person that I can create blog posts that go beyond basic content.

Based on my research, the ‘Experience’ section of a CV is the most important part because it shows what you’ve actually done and how it connects to the job you want.

Hiring managers and clients focus on this to see if you’ve done similar work, solved related problems, or been in the same kind of environment. It shows your skills in action, what kind of responsibilities you’ve had, and the impact you’ve made. The experiences listed will help them imagine how you’d do in their company.

If your experience clearly shows results or growth, it can help you separate yourself from others with the same education but less proof of what they’ve done. So, don’t just list your past projects and the tasks you did for each job.

These are the top tips and suggestions I used, and they can make a real difference in the experience section of your CV.

1. Above all, make sure the experience, whether it’s a personal project or a past job, matches the job you’re applying for.
2. Highlight your content creation background. Mention how much experience you’ve gained, like how many blog posts or articles you published, or how many social campaigns you ran successfully. Also, specify the duration, such as how quick it took to publish those blog posts or how long it took for your campaign to show results. Show the client and hiring manager that you’re consistent and productive.
3. Talk about what you’ve achieved. Use numbers, percentages, or timeframes to show the impact. Numbers are more convincing than just words. Say something like “Increased site engagement time to 3.5 minutes in one week by optimizing 200 articles” or “Grew site traffic by 1000% in a few months by publishing 50 new articles.” That helps the client or project manager clearly see the value in hiring you.
4. If applicable, show your expertise in your industry. It gives you an advantage when applying for freelance jobs in the same field. For example, a travel agency looking for help with articles will choose a travel content writer over someone who writes about everything. If you’ve written a lot of travel content, and you mention that, you’re more likely to get hired. So don’t leave it out.

Before I show you examples, here’s a few more reminders:

• Don’t repeat exactly what’s already in the professional summary.
• Try to include proof or links to the projects you mentioned.
• Keep each bullet point concise, ideally under two lines.
• Maintain consistent formatting throughout (tense, punctuation, layout).
• Don’t include too much technical jargon unless it’s directly relevant to the job.
• Avoid passive voice and be clear about what you did and the role you played.
• Lastly, pick strong action verbs to show what you did as a content creator. For example, use words like wrote, produced, designed, or crafted.

Here are some examples of how to describe your experience on a CV.

Once you finish step 4 and step 5, your CV is almost complete. Most of the key info a client or hiring manager needs is already there. But I didn’t stop at just that. As a content creator, things like personality and credibility also count. They should be part of your CV too.

At this point, think about adding extra sections like certifications, awards, affiliations, languages, or interests. Anything relevant that helps you stand out or makes your profile feel more personal.

For example, I included: self-improvement, mountain and traditional architecture enthusiast, responsible AI. I labelled them Passion & Interest.

The final steps: make sure your CV is error-free, neat, and easy to read.

When I proofread my CV, I focused on more than just spelling and grammar. I also:

• Checked sentence construction and use active voice.
• Removed any redundant information.
• Maintained consistent formatting throughout the CV.
• Verified the accuracy of numbers in your experience details.
• Kept each bullet point concise and clear.
• Tested all hyperlinks to make sure they work.

I also double-checked my contact information, especially since I use my own domain for email. I made sure it can send and receive messages. I also checked that it has enough storage for incoming messages.