MANY Hired

Writer and editor resume keywords

We counted the skills in 172 open writer and editor job postings from 64 employers, including The New York Times, Axios and Glossier. The ones employers ask for most are copy editing (42% of postings), journalism (37%) and generative AI (28%). 43% of the postings mention AI, though often in the company's description rather than as a skill the job needs.

Top skills and tools in writer and editor postings

#KeywordShare of postings
1copy editing 42%
2journalism 37%
3generative AI 28%
4business strategy 28%
5marketing 20%
6communications 17%
7social media 16%
8analytics 13%
9sales 13%
10UX 12%
11campaign management 12%
12video editing 12%
13Premiere Pro 12%
14copywriting 10%
15animation 10%
16logistics 10%
17technical writing 9%
18content strategy 9%
19retail 9%
20video production 8%
21behavioral health 8%
22sourcing 8%
23After Effects 8%
24Figma 8%
25customer experience 8%
26partnerships 8%
27motion graphics 7%
28Illustrator 7%
29compliance 6%
30onboarding 6%

Share of the 172 postings whose description names the skill (plurals and common spellings, such as “JS” and “JavaScript”, count as one).

Soft skills employers mention

reporting · 27%leadership · 17%documentation · 17%communication · 17%collaboration · 15%creativity · 9%attention to detail · 8%empathy · 8%cross-functional · 6%

Show these through results in your bullets (“led a team of six”) rather than listing them as adjectives.

How to use these keywords on your writer and editor resume

  1. Start with the posting, not this list. These are averages across 172 jobs; the one you're applying for has its own priorities. Use this page to spot common gaps, then match the specific posting.
  2. Name skills the way employers do. If you use “copy editing”, “journalism” and “generative AI”, write those exact words. Applicant tracking systems and recruiters search for them, and a close synonym can be missed.
  3. Put each skill in a bullet that shows a result. Naming business strategy inside a bullet about what you achieved with it, with a number where you can, is stronger than listing it alone in a skills section.
  4. Add only what's true. If you've worked with “business strategy”, “marketing” and “communications” but your resume doesn't say so, add it. If you haven't, leave it out: interviews expose padded resumes quickly.

More about writer and editor jobs

Resume keywords for other jobs

How these numbers are calculated

Every figure comes from open writer and editor job postings on MANY Hired, imported from employers' own career pages. For each posting we pick out the skills, tools, certifications and qualifications its description names, then count how many postings ask for each one. A job counts as writer and editor by its title. Updated October 28, 2026.