Even if you aren’t looking for a job as a writer, including information in your resume about your published writing can improve your chances of landing an interview – and a new job. Published work shows employers that you have the knowledge, skills and commitment to complete large projects. Whether you’ve written a series of articles for the local newspaper or a 400-page tome on an obscure subject, including a relevant publication history helps set you apart from other candidates.
Include an overview of your publication history in the summary of qualifications at the top of the resume. For example, list “Author of full-length book on money management,” or “Contributed to 10 journal articles in the field of astrophysics” among your other qualifications.
Insert a publication section after listing your previous employment positions. Use the same header style as the earlier sections.
List your publications in reverse chronological order. Include the name of the book or article, the publisher and date of publication, as well as the names of any co-authors. If you were the sole author of the publication, you can leave your name off.
Categorize your publications if you have multiple types. List all of your books, essays, journal articles and magazine articles in reverse chronological order in their own section, with subheadings.
Include the URL for the publication if it is an online only publication. If you are submitting your resume electronically, you can include a link to the publication.
Tip
Limit your publication history to writing that relates to your career objectives. If you have a scholarly article that has been accepted by a journal, but not yet published, include it in your resume and indicate that it is under review and when you expect that it will be published. Prepare a portfolio of the publications that you included in the resumes. Hard copies are useful for the interview, but also prepare electronic versions that you can send via email upon request. Use the citation system that is most widely used in your industry; when in doubt, list your publications using AP style.
