Top 12 Journalist Skills to Put on Your Resume

Crafting a compelling resume is crucial for journalists aiming to stand out in a highly competitive field. Highlighting a blend of technical abilities, storytelling prowess, and ethical diligence can significantly elevate your candidacy, showcasing your readiness to tackle the dynamic challenges of modern journalism.

Journalist Skills

1. Investigative Reporting
2. AP Style
3. Multimedia Storytelling
4. Data Visualization
5. SEO Optimization
6. Social Media Management
7. Adobe Creative Suite
8. WordPress CMS
9. Podcast Production
10. Video Editing
11. Fact-Checking
12. Mobile Journalism

1. Investigative Reporting

Investigative reporting is a journalism practice where reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing, often requiring extensive research and the uncovering of secrets to inform the public about abuses of power, injustice, or other significant issues.

Why It's Important

Investigative reporting is crucial for journalists as it exposes hidden truths, holds power to account, and informs the public about issues that affect their lives, ultimately fostering transparency, accountability, and democracy.

How to Improve Investigative Reporting Skills

Improving investigative reporting involves honing critical skills, leveraging technology, and adhering to ethical standards. Here are concise tips for journalists seeking to enhance their investigative reporting:

1. Enhance Research Skills: Master advanced research techniques, including public records searches, data analysis, and utilizing digital tools. The Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) provides resources and training for digging deeper.

2. Cultivate Sources: Build a broad network of trustworthy sources. Establishing rapport and maintaining confidentiality is crucial. Poynter offers guidance on effective sourcing and interviews.

3. Master Data Journalism: Learn to analyze and interpret data to uncover stories. Resources like DataJournalism.com provide courses and tools for enhancing data literacy.

4. Understand Legal Protections and Limitations: Familiarize yourself with the legal landscape, including freedom of information laws and libel. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press offers legal guides and resources.

5. Prioritize Ethical Standards: Adhere to the highest ethical standards to maintain credibility. The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) provides a code of ethics that serves as a guide for investigative reporters.

6. Embrace Technology and Innovation: Use the latest technology to gather and present information. The Knight Lab at Northwestern University offers tools and software that can enhance storytelling.

7. Continuous Learning and Networking: Engage in lifelong learning and connect with fellow journalists. Attending workshops and conferences, such as those offered by The Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN), can provide valuable insights and opportunities for collaboration.

By focusing on these areas, journalists can significantly enhance the quality and impact of their investigative reporting.

How to Display Investigative Reporting Skills on Your Resume

2. AP Style

AP Style, used by journalists, is a set of guidelines for grammar, punctuation, and language usage provided by the Associated Press to standardize news writing and ensure clarity and consistency across publications.

Why It's Important

AP Style is important for journalists because it ensures consistency, clarity, and professionalism across news reporting, facilitating clear communication and credibility with readers.

How to Improve AP Style Skills

Improving your AP Style as a journalist involves familiarizing yourself with the AP Stylebook, practicing regularly, and staying updated with its annual changes. Here’s a concise guide:

1. Study the AP Stylebook: This is your primary resource. Focus on frequently used sections and updates. AP Stylebook
2. Practice Consistently: Write daily, using AP Style guidelines. Compare your work to AP Style-compliant articles.
3. Use Online Resources: Websites like Poynter offer courses and tips on AP Style.
4. Subscribe to AP Style Alerts: Stay updated with real-time changes and tips. AP Stylebook Twitter
5. Join Journalism Groups: Engage in forums or groups like Society of Professional Journalists for peer advice and critiques.

By continuously learning and applying AP Style rules, your proficiency will naturally improve over time.

How to Display AP Style Skills on Your Resume

3. Multimedia Storytelling

Multimedia storytelling for a journalist involves using a combination of text, images, audio, video, and interactive elements to craft and convey news stories in a dynamic and engaging way, aiming to enhance audience understanding and engagement.

Why It's Important

Multimedia storytelling is essential for journalists as it enhances audience engagement by combining text, images, audio, and video to tell more compelling and immersive stories. This multi-sensory approach caters to diverse audience preferences, increases understanding and retention of information, and allows for broader and more interactive storytelling possibilities, ensuring that complex stories are accessible and engaging to a wider audience.

How to Improve Multimedia Storytelling Skills

Improving multimedia storytelling for journalists involves enhancing the integration of various media forms – such as text, audio, video, and interactive content – to create a more engaging and comprehensive narrative. Here are concise tips with relevant resources:

1. Understand Your Audience: Tailor your story to match the interests, understanding, and consumption habits of your audience. Poynter offers insights into audience engagement.

2. Master Storytelling Basics: Regardless of medium, strong narratives have a clear structure and purpose. The Nieman Storyboard showcases excellent examples of narrative journalism.

3. Incorporate Visuals Wisely: Use photos, infographics, and videos to complement and enhance the narrative. Visual.ly is a great resource for visual content inspiration.

4. Leverage Audio Effectively: Podcasts and audio clips can add a personal touch and depth. For techniques, Transom is a valuable resource.

5. Utilize Interactive Elements: Interactive timelines, maps, and data visualizations can increase engagement. Knight Lab projects offer innovative tools.

6. Edit for Clarity and Pace: Ensure each media element is clear, concise, and contributes to the overall narrative. The Poynter Institute provides editing courses.

7. Test on Multiple Platforms: Ensure your story is accessible and engaging across different devices. Google's Mobile-Friendly Test is a useful tool.

8. Learn and Adapt: Stay updated with the latest in multimedia storytelling by following industry leaders and experimenting with new formats. Columbia Journalism Review covers the latest trends and challenges.

By focusing on these areas and continuously seeking feedback and improvement, journalists can significantly enhance their multimedia storytelling skills.

How to Display Multimedia Storytelling Skills on Your Resume

4. Data Visualization

Data visualization is the graphical representation of information, helping journalists convey complex data clearly and effectively to their audience.

Why It's Important

Data visualization is crucial for journalists as it enables them to convey complex information in a clear, engaging, and easily understandable way to their audience, facilitating better comprehension and making stories more compelling.

How to Improve Data Visualization Skills

Improving data visualization, especially for journalists, involves distilling complex information into clear, engaging, and accurate representations. Here are concise tips:

1. Know Your Audience: Tailor your visualization to your audience's knowledge level and interests. Data Journalism Handbook provides insights into understanding your audience.

2. Simplify: Focus on essential data. Avoid clutter. Use tools like Flourish or Tableau to create clean visuals.

3. Choose the Right Chart Type: Match your data with the correct visualization type. Refer to the Financial Times Visual Vocabulary for guidance.

4. Use Color Wisely: Utilize color to enhance comprehension, not distract. ColorBrewer offers color advice for maps and charts.

5. Annotate for Clarity: Annotations can guide readers through the data. The Datawrapper Academy has tutorials on effective annotation.

6. Ensure Accessibility: Make your visuals accessible to all audiences, including those with disabilities. WebAIM provides guidelines for accessible data tables.

7. Test and Get Feedback: Present your visualization to a small audience before wide release. Adjust based on feedback for clarity and impact.

By focusing on these areas, journalists can create data visualizations that not only convey the story behind the numbers but also engage and inform their audience effectively.

How to Display Data Visualization Skills on Your Resume

5. SEO Optimization

SEO Optimization, for a journalist, is the process of enhancing online content to increase its visibility and ranking on search engine results pages, aiming to attract more readers and improve engagement with articles.

Why It's Important

SEO optimization is crucial for journalists as it enhances the visibility and reach of their articles online, ensuring their stories are seen by a larger audience and increasing the impact of their reporting.

How to Improve SEO Optimization Skills

To improve SEO optimization as a journalist:

1. Keyword Research: Identify relevant keywords that your target audience is searching for. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to find these terms.

2. High-Quality Content: Write comprehensive, authoritative articles that answer readers' questions. Engage your audience with storytelling and facts to increase dwell time.

3. Optimize Headlines and Meta Descriptions: Craft compelling headlines with your target keyword. Similarly, write descriptive meta descriptions to improve click-through rates. Moz's guide provides excellent tips on this.

4. Use Internal Links: Link to other articles on your site to guide readers and search engine crawlers. This Search Engine Journal article explains the importance of internal linking.

5. Optimize Images: Use descriptive filenames and alt text for images to improve accessibility and SEO. Google's guide on image best practices is a helpful resource.

6. Mobile-Friendly Website: Ensure your website is responsive and loads quickly on mobile devices, as Google prioritizes mobile-first indexing. Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool can help check your site's compatibility.

7. Secure Website: Use HTTPS to secure your site, as Google prefers secure websites. Let's Encrypt offers free SSL certificates.

8. Social Media Engagement: Share your articles on social media platforms to increase visibility and traffic. Engaging with your audience on platforms like Twitter can also boost your profile.

9. Monitor Your SEO Performance: Use tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to track your website's performance and make data-driven improvements.

10. Backlinks: Aim to get high-quality backlinks from reputable sites in your niche. Guest posting and collaborating with other journalists or bloggers can be effective strategies. Backlinko’s guide provides insights on building backlinks.

By focusing on these strategies, you can effectively improve your SEO optimization as a journalist.

How to Display SEO Optimization Skills on Your Resume

6. Social Media Management

Social Media Management for a journalist involves creating, curating, and managing published content across social media platforms to engage audiences, disseminate news, and enhance personal or organizational brand visibility.

Why It's Important

Social media management is crucial for journalists as it amplifies their reach, enhances audience engagement, fosters real-time communication, and allows for timely dissemination and feedback on news content.

How to Improve Social Media Management Skills

Improving social media management as a journalist involves strategic planning, engaging content creation, and active audience interaction. Here are concise steps to enhance your social media presence:

1. Define Your Goals: Clearly outline what you want to achieve with your social media presence, such as increasing follower count, boosting engagement, or establishing authority in your niche.

2. Know Your Audience: Understand who your audience is, their interests, and when they are most active on social media. Tools like Google Analytics can provide insights into your audience demographics.

3. Create Engaging Content: Produce high-quality, relevant content that resonates with your audience. Use a mix of formats - articles, videos, and infographics. Tools like Canva help in creating visually appealing graphics.

4. Schedule Regularly: Use social media management tools like Buffer or Hootsuite to schedule your posts for consistent activity.

5. Engage With Your Audience: Respond to comments, participate in conversations, and encourage user-generated content to build a community around your brand.

6. Analyze and Adapt: Regularly review your social media analytics to understand what works and refine your strategy accordingly. Both Facebook Insights and Twitter Analytics provide valuable data.

7. Stay Updated with Trends: Keep abreast of the latest trends in social media and journalism to ensure your content remains relevant and engaging. Websites like Social Media Today can keep you informed.

8. Leverage Multimedia: Incorporate multimedia elements like live videos, podcasts, or webinars to diversify your content and engage different segments of your audience.

9. Collaborate: Partner with other journalists, influencers, or brands to expand your reach and bring fresh content to your audience.

10. Maintain Authenticity: Stay true to your voice and values. Authenticity fosters trust and loyalty among your followers.

By following these strategies, you can effectively manage your social media presence, grow your audience, and enhance your impact as a journalist.

How to Display Social Media Management Skills on Your Resume

7. Adobe Creative Suite

Adobe Creative Suite is a collection of software applications for graphic design, video editing, web development, and photography, offering tools essential for creative work in journalism such as creating visuals, editing multimedia content, and designing publications.

Why It's Important

Adobe Creative Suite is crucial for journalists as it equips them with a comprehensive set of tools for creating, editing, and enhancing multimedia content, such as articles, videos, and graphics, thereby enabling compelling storytelling and effective communication with their audience.

How to Improve Adobe Creative Suite Skills

Improving your Adobe Creative Suite skills as a journalist involves focusing on key applications relevant to your work, like Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and InDesign. Here's a concise guide to get started:

1. Learn the Basics: Start with Adobe's own tutorials for a foundation in each app.
2. Stay Updated: Keep your software updated and explore new features. Adobe's What's New page is a great resource.
3. Practice Regularly: Apply your skills to real projects. The more you practice, the better you'll get.
4. Join Workshops: Participate in workshops or webinars. Platforms like Skillshare offer courses tailored for journalists.
5. Use Templates: Save time with Adobe's stock templates for quick layouts and designs.
6. Follow Blogs and Forums: Engage with the Adobe community through forums and blogs. Adobe's Creative Magazine offers insights, tips, and inspiration.
7. Customize Your Workspace: Tailor the Adobe workspace to your needs, streamlining your workflow for efficiency.

Remember, mastering Adobe Creative Suite is a journey. Dedicate time to learning and experimentation, and leverage online resources and community wisdom to enhance your skill set.

How to Display Adobe Creative Suite Skills on Your Resume

8. WordPress CMS

WordPress CMS is a user-friendly, web-based platform that enables journalists to publish, manage, and update content on websites without needing advanced technical skills.

Why It's Important

For a journalist, WordPress CMS is crucial because it provides an easy-to-use platform for publishing content quickly, allows for customization to suit personal or brand identity, and supports a wide array of multimedia elements to enhance storytelling.

How to Improve WordPress CMS Skills

Improving WordPress for journalists involves enhancing security, speed, SEO, and user experience. Here are concise strategies:

1. Security: Implement strong passwords, and use security plugins like Wordfence to protect against hacks and malware.

2. Speed: Optimize website speed through caching with plugins like WP Rocket and image optimization tools like Smush.

3. SEO: Improve search engine visibility by using the Yoast SEO plugin, focusing on keyword optimization and quality content.

4. User Experience: Enhance navigation and readability by adopting a clean, responsive theme and using the Gutenberg editor for intuitive content layout.

5. Multimedia Integration: Use plugins like Envira Gallery for better image and video management, crucial for storytelling.

6. Social Sharing: Increase audience engagement with social sharing plugins such as Social Warfare, enabling easy content sharing.

7. Backup and Maintenance: Regularly backup your website using services like UpdraftPlus and keep WordPress, themes, and plugins updated to ensure stability.

By focusing on these areas, journalists can significantly improve their WordPress CMS, making it more secure, efficient, and user-friendly.

How to Display WordPress CMS Skills on Your Resume

9. Podcast Production

Podcast production for a journalist involves the process of planning, recording, editing, and publishing audio content that is designed to inform, entertain, or educate listeners on various topics. It encompasses everything from conceptualizing episode ideas and conducting interviews to editing audio files and distributing the final product to podcast platforms.

Why It's Important

Podcast production is essential for journalists as it provides a platform to delve deeper into stories, reach a broader audience through engaging audio content, and establish a direct, personal connection with listeners, enhancing the impact and credibility of their reporting.

How to Improve Podcast Production Skills

Improving podcast production, especially for a journalist, involves focusing on content quality, technical excellence, and audience engagement. Here are concise tips:

1. Plan Your Content: Outline your episodes, research thoroughly, and script your podcast if necessary. Keep your target audience in mind and choose topics that resonate with them. BBC Academy offers insights on planning and structuring your podcast.

2. Invest in Good Equipment: Quality audio is crucial. Invest in a good microphone, headphones, and recording software. Consider portable recorders for field interviews. Transom provides equipment reviews and recommendations.

3. Enhance Your Interview Skills: As a journalist, compelling interviews are your forte. Prepare your questions, listen actively, and create a comfortable environment for your guests. Columbia Journalism Review shares tips for engaging interviews.

4. Edit for Clarity and Pace: Use editing software to remove unnecessary parts, add music, and ensure your podcast flows well. Keep your audience engaged by maintaining a steady pace. Audacity is a free, user-friendly editing tool recommended for beginners.

5. Promote Your Podcast: Utilize social media, your professional network, and podcast directories to reach a wider audience. Engage with your listeners through comments and social media. Podcast Insights offers strategies for promotion.

6. Gather Feedback and Iterate: Use listener feedback to refine your content and production quality. Continue learning and adapting to improve your podcast over time. SurveyMonkey can be a useful tool for gathering listener feedback.

By focusing on these areas, you can significantly improve the production quality of your podcast and engage more effectively with your audience.

How to Display Podcast Production Skills on Your Resume

10. Video Editing

Video editing is the process of manipulating and rearranging video clips to create a new work, involving cutting segments (trimming), re-sequencing clips, and adding transitions and other special effects. For a journalist, it's a crucial skill for crafting compelling video stories that engage viewers and clearly convey news narratives.

Why It's Important

Video editing is crucial for journalists as it enables them to craft compelling and coherent stories, enhance the visual and emotional impact of their reports, and tailor content for different platforms and audiences, ensuring effective communication and engagement.

How to Improve Video Editing Skills

Improving video editing skills, especially for journalists, involves focusing on storytelling, mastering editing software, and staying updated on industry trends. Here’s a concise guide:

1. Learn the Basics: Understand the fundamentals of video editing, including cutting, transitions, and color correction. Start with tutorials on platforms like Adobe or Final Cut Pro.

2. Storytelling: Enhance your storytelling skills. Every edit should serve the story you’re trying to tell. The Poynter Institute offers insights on visual storytelling.

3. Audio Editing: Good video relies on good audio. Learn how to improve audio quality and use sound effectively with resources from Audacity.

4. Color Grading: Improve the visual appeal of your videos through color grading. Adobe offers a primer on color grading.

5. Practice: Regularly practice your skills with personal projects or assignments. Feedback from peers can be invaluable.

6. Stay Updated: The industry is always evolving. Websites like No Film School offer insights into the latest trends and techniques.

7. Software Proficiency: Deepen your knowledge of editing software. Lynda.com (now LinkedIn Learning) provides in-depth tutorials.

8. Mobile Editing: For journalists on the go, mastering mobile editing apps is crucial. Adobe Premiere Rush is a good start, and Adobe’s tutorials can help.

By focusing on these areas, journalists can significantly improve their video editing skills, making their stories more engaging and impactful.

How to Display Video Editing Skills on Your Resume

11. Fact-Checking

Fact-checking is the process a journalist undertakes to verify the accuracy and truthfulness of information, statements, and sources before publication to ensure reliability and credibility.

Why It's Important

Fact-checking is crucial for journalists as it ensures the accuracy and reliability of their reporting, upholds the credibility of their work, and maintains public trust in the media.

How to Improve Fact-Checking Skills

Improving fact-checking as a journalist involves several concise steps:

1. Double-Check Sources: Always verify information with multiple, credible sources. Reuters Handbook of Journalism emphasizes the importance of accuracy and verification.

2. Utilize Fact-Checking Websites: Websites like FactCheck.org, PolitiFact, and Snopes can help verify the legitimacy of claims and news stories.

3. Cross-Reference Data: Cross-reference facts and data with reputable databases and research papers. Google Scholar is a valuable tool for accessing a wide range of academic publications.

4. Consult Experts: Reach out to subject matter experts for their insights. This step ensures the information is not only accurate but also interpreted correctly.

5. Adopt Fact-Checking Tools: Leverage digital tools designed for fact-checking. Hoaxy visualizes the spread of claims and fact-checking efforts, while TinEye helps verify the origin of images.

6. Maintain Skepticism: Approach each piece of information with a critical mind. The Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics highlights the need for journalists to be vigilant and fair.

7. Educate Yourself Continuously: Stay informed about the latest fact-checking techniques and digital tools. Platforms like First Draft offer resources and training on verifying online content.

By consistently applying these practices, journalists can enhance the accuracy and reliability of their reporting.

How to Display Fact-Checking Skills on Your Resume

12. Mobile Journalism

Mobile Journalism, often abbreviated as MoJo, refers to the practice where journalists use smartphones or other mobile devices to gather, produce, and distribute news content. This approach enables reporters to be more agile, cost-effective, and immediate in their storytelling, leveraging the technology to report from virtually anywhere.

Why It's Important

Mobile journalism is important for journalists as it enables them to report from the field quickly and efficiently, using smartphones to capture, edit, and share news stories in real-time, thus increasing immediacy and accessibility to audiences.

How to Improve Mobile Journalism Skills

Improving Mobile Journalism (MoJo) involves embracing technology, honing storytelling skills, and staying adaptable. Here's a concise guide:

1. Master Your Tools: Become proficient with your smartphone's camera and audio capabilities. Explore apps like FiLMiC Pro for advanced video control and RØDE Reporter App for high-quality audio recording.

2. Enhance Storytelling: Focus on compelling storytelling. Use apps like Adobe Premiere Rush for editing on-the-go and incorporate various shots to keep your story dynamic.

3. Stay Current: Keep up with the latest in mobile tech and apps. Websites like Mojo Manual offer resources and updates in the field of mobile journalism.

4. Engage in Training: Participate in workshops and online courses. Platforms like The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas offer courses tailored for journalists.

5. Practice Ethical Journalism: Ensure accuracy, fairness, and impartiality in your reporting. Refer to the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics for guidance.

By continuously improving skills and adapting to technological advancements, journalists can enhance their mobile journalism capabilities effectively.

How to Display Mobile Journalism Skills on Your Resume