Top 12 Freelance Editor Skills to Put on Your Resume
In today’s crowded marketplace, a freelance editor needs a resume that crackles with proof of skill. Not bland claims. Real capabilities that show judgment, speed, and polish across formats. Below are twelve core skills that signal you can handle deadlines, guard style and facts, and keep both voice and structure intact—no fuss, no wobbles.
Freelance Editor Skills
- Proofreading
- Copyediting
- Adobe InDesign
- SEO Optimization
- CMS Platforms
- AP Style
- Chicago Manual
- Grammarly
- Fact-Checking
- Microsoft Word
- Project Management
- Google Docs
1. Proofreading
Proofreading is the final pass that hunts down errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, spacing, and formatting before anything goes live. For a freelance editor, it’s meticulous, slow-breath work—refining clarity while guarding the author’s intent.
Why It's Important
It keeps the work clean, the author credible, and the reader focused on meaning rather than mistakes. Accuracy builds trust. Trust keeps clients coming back.
How to Improve Proofreading Skills
Build a process that sharpens attention and reduces noise:
Practice with variety: Long reports, short blurbs, technical docs, creative copy—each teaches you something different.
Catalog common pitfalls: Your frequent offenders become faster to spot once you name them.
Use tools wisely: Grammarly, Hemingway Editor, and similar aids are great first passes, not final arbiters.
Read aloud: Your ear trips over what your eyes cruise past.
Take breaks: Rested eyes catch what tired ones miss.
Single-focus passes: One pass for punctuation, one for numbers, one for headings—less cognitive clutter.
Keep current: Track updates in major guides like the Chicago Manual of Style and the AP Stylebook.
Join professional groups: EFA and CIEP offer resources, peers, and reality checks.
Seek feedback: Another editor’s notes reveal your blind spots.
Train concentration: Short sprints, timed sessions, mindful resets—precision thrives on focus.
Repeat the method. Tighten the loop. Quality rises.
How to Display Proofreading Skills on Your Resume
2. Copyediting
Copyediting clarifies meaning, fixes grammar and mechanics, smooths flow, and aligns voice and style for the intended audience. As a freelancer, you adapt your depth of edit to the brief—light touch to heavy lift—without erasing the writer’s sound.
Why It's Important
It turns workable text into readable text. Consistency, accuracy, and logic shine. The message lands; the brand holds.
How to Improve Copyediting Skills
Refine judgment, speed, and style knowledge:
Master style guides: APA (7th), Chicago (17th), and MLA (9th). Know their core rules and where they differ.
Edit daily: Short practice builds quick eyes; long projects build stamina and structure sense.
Take courses: Programs from ACES, CIEP, and similar bodies sharpen skills and credibility.
Read broadly: Journalism, technical docs, marketing, fiction—range improves flexibility.
Join communities: EFA, ACES, CIEP, and forum groups keep you current and honest.
Use tools: ProWritingAid, Grammarly, and Scrivener help, but your judgment rules the final call.
Stay curious. Style evolves. So should your practice.
How to Display Copyediting Skills on Your Resume
3. Adobe InDesign
Adobe InDesign is the publishing workhorse for books, magazines, reports, brochures, and interactive PDFs. Freelance editors use it to finesse layout, manage styles, wrangle long documents, and deliver press-ready or digital files.
Why It's Important
Clean typography and consistent layouts elevate readability and brand trust. InDesign lets you control both with precision—and speed.
How to Improve Adobe InDesign Skills
Turn features into muscle memory:
Work through official tutorials: Learn core tools, then advanced features like GREP styles, master pages, and cross-references.
Reverse-engineer templates: Study how pro files use styles, grids, and color to keep complex docs consistent.
Join communities: InDesign Secrets and user forums surface time-saving tricks and fixes.
Take structured courses: LinkedIn Learning and Udemy cover everything from basics to book workflows.
Commit shortcuts to memory: Your speed jumps when your hands stop hunting menus.
Automate with scripts: Batch tasks, style cleanups, and reflows can be scripted to cut hours down to minutes.
Stay updated: New releases often add real workflow wins. Read the release notes, not just the splash screens.
Practice on real projects. Short briefs. Long books. Your instincts will catch up.
How to Display Adobe InDesign Skills on Your Resume
4. SEO Optimization
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the craft of making content discoverable. Editors shape headlines, structure pages, and tune wording so search engines understand the piece—and readers find it.
Why It's Important
Visibility drives traffic. Traffic drives results. Editors who understand search intent and structure give content a fighting chance.
How to Improve SEO Optimization Skills
Blend strategy with clean execution:
Keyword intent: Map language to what readers actually seek. Favor clarity over stuffing.
Write for humans first: Helpful, credible content earns time-on-page and links—signals that matter.
Title tags and meta descriptions: Clear, concise, keyword-smart. Promise value, then deliver it.
Mobile-first thinking: Short paragraphs, scannable headings, fast-loading assets.
Page speed basics: Compress images, limit heavy scripts, and keep layouts lean.
Thoughtful linking: Internal links guide readers deeper; external citations signal credibility.
Measure and iterate: Track performance with analytics, then revise based on what the data shows.
Structured content: Use clear headings, lists, and, when appropriate, schema basics to help machines parse meaning.
Good SEO reads smoothly, answers questions, and respects the reader’s time.
How to Display SEO Optimization Skills on Your Resume
5. CMS Platforms
A Content Management System (CMS) lets you create, edit, schedule, and publish content without deep coding. Editors commonly work in WordPress, Drupal, headless systems like Contentful, and similar tools.
Why It's Important
Knowing your way around a CMS saves time, reduces handoffs, and prevents layout or formatting surprises. Fewer bottlenecks. Cleaner launches.
How to Improve CMS Platforms Skills
Focus on practical, day-to-day actions you’ll use on real sites:
Master the editor: Blocks, embeds, media handling, reusable components, and style presets.
Use structure well: Categories, tags, taxonomies, and content models that keep sites navigable and sane.
Workflow discipline: Drafts, approvals, version history, and scheduled publishing without last-minute chaos.
SEO and metadata: Titles, descriptions, alt text, slugs, canonical tags—get the small things right.
Accessibility checks: Headings in order, contrast, descriptive links, and alt text that actually describes.
Media optimization: Compress images, crop thoughtfully, use consistent naming, and add captions where useful.
Staging and previews: Always preview across devices. Catch layout gremlins before publish.
Security and backups (basics): Strong roles and permissions, regular backups, updates on schedule.
Editors who can both edit and ship are gold to busy teams.
How to Display CMS Platforms Skills on Your Resume
6. AP Style
AP Style (Associated Press) standardizes grammar, capitalization, punctuation, numbers, and more for news and public-facing writing. Freelance editors lean on it for press releases, journalism, and newsroom-adjacent content.
Why It's Important
It delivers clarity and consistency across outlets. Readers move faster; editors argue less.
How to Improve AP Style Skills
Keep your reflexes sharp:
Learn the fundamentals: Numbers, titles, dates, capitalization, and common exceptions trip up even pros.
Practice: Apply rules on live projects and short drills to build speed.
Watch for updates: AP revises annually. Follow official updates or their social feed.
Use style checkers: Add-ins and grammar tools can flag AP-aligned issues; verify suggestions before accepting.
Read AP-style work: Daily exposure cements patterns.
Engage peers: Groups like ACES surface edge cases and best practices.
Learn the rule. Know when to bend it for clarity.
How to Display AP Style Skills on Your Resume
7. Chicago Manual
The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) is publishing’s comprehensive reference for grammar, usage, citations, and manuscript prep—especially in books and academic-adjacent work.
Why It's Important
It enforces long-form consistency. Notes and bibliography, author-date, capitalization minutiae—CMOS holds the line.
How to Improve Chicago Manual Skills
Build depth and fast recall:
Use the latest edition: The 17th is current. Keep a list of your most-referenced sections.
Apply on real projects: Style sticks when you solve actual problems.
Study gray areas: Hyphenation, capitalization of specific terms, and citations with odd source types.
Join editor communities: EFA, ACES, and CIEP discussions surface tricky rulings and helpful interpretations.
Keep learning: Webinars, workshops, and Q&A resources clarify edge cases.
Track updates: Minor clarifications do roll out—stay aware.
With CMOS, precision is a habit. Build it page by page.
How to Display Chicago Manual Skills on Your Resume
8. Grammarly
Grammarly is an AI-driven assistant that flags grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style issues. For freelancers, it’s a speedy first sweep—not a replacement for editorial judgment.
Why It's Important
It catches low-level errors fast and suggests phrasing improvements, freeing you to focus on structure and meaning.
How to Improve Grammarly Skills
Tune it to your work and make better calls:
Customize your dictionary: Add client- and industry-specific terms to reduce false flags.
Set goals per document: Audience, formality, and intent shape better suggestions.
Use the plagiarism checker when relevant: Especially for web content and academic-adjacent work.
Study the explanations: The why behind a suggestion sharpens your own editing instincts.
Override confidently: Your style guides and client rules beat any automated nudge.
Helpful assistant, not the boss. Keep your hand on the wheel.
How to Display Grammarly Skills on Your Resume
9. Fact-Checking
Fact-checking verifies names, dates, claims, quotes, statistics, and sources. It protects credibility and wards off misinformation—nonnegotiable in serious editorial work.
Why It's Important
One error can ripple. Careful verification preserves trust with readers and clients.
How to Improve Fact-Checking Skills
Work methodically and leave a trail:
Use authoritative sources: Primary documents, academic databases, official agencies, reputable outlets.
Cross-verify: Confirm key facts with at least two independent, credible sources.
Watch for bias: Check multiple viewpoints, especially on contested topics.
Track updates: Data changes. Re-check stats and evolving stories before publish.
Build checklists: Proper names, titles, figures, units, links, and attribution—tick them off.
Use digital forensics basics: Reverse image search, source provenance, and date validation.
Document your sources: Notes and bookmarks make future revisions faster and cleaner.
Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast. Accuracy beats haste.
How to Display Fact-Checking Skills on Your Resume
10. Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word remains the standard for manuscripts, reports, and collaborative drafts. Track Changes, Styles, and robust formatting make it indispensable for editors.
Why It's Important
Clients expect it, teammates use it, and it handles long-form structure reliably when set up well.
How to Improve Microsoft Word Skills
Trim clicks and tame documents:
Leverage add-ins: Grammar and style tools can speed first-pass cleanups.
Memorize shortcuts: Navigation, selection, and formatting feel instant once they’re in your fingers.
Customize the Quick Access Toolbar: Park your most-used commands up top.
Master Track Changes and Comments: Clear markup builds client trust and speeds approvals.
Use Styles consistently: Heading hierarchy, body text, captions—one source of truth.
Advanced Find/Replace: Wildcards and pattern matching make global fixes painless.
Automate with macros: Repeatable cleanups and formatting sweeps become one-click jobs.
A well-styled document is easier to edit—and impossible to break.
How to Display Microsoft Word Skills on Your Resume
11. Project Management
For freelance editors, project management is scoping, scheduling, communicating, and delivering on time—across multiple clients and shifting priorities.
Why It's Important
It prevents scope creep, protects quality, and keeps deadlines from fraying. Your calm process is part of the product.
How to Improve Project Management Skills
Make the invisible work visible and managed:
Set clear objectives: Define scope, deliverables, style requirements, and deadlines up front. Think SMART goals.
Communicate consistently: Regular check-ins, written summaries, and clear approvals reduce churn.
Use task tools: Trello, Asana, or similar boards help track drafts, versions, and dependencies.
Protect your calendar: Time-block deep work, pad for revisions, and set milestone buffers.
Track finances: Quotes, invoices, deposits, and change orders—keep them clean and centralized. FreshBooks or QuickBooks can help.
Keep learning: Courses on editing workflows and PM basics (LinkedIn Learning, Coursera) sharpen your system.
Close with feedback: Short retros improve estimates and processes for the next round.
Smooth projects aren’t accidents. They’re designed.
How to Display Project Management Skills on Your Resume
12. Google Docs
Google Docs is a collaborative word processor that lets teams draft, comment, suggest, and version in real time—any device, anywhere.
Why It's Important
Clients love the frictionless collaboration. Edits are transparent. Nothing gets lost in email threads.
How to Improve Google Docs Skills
Edit faster, track better, and keep structure tidy:
Use add-ons: Grammar, style, and readability tools can speed early passes.
Learn shortcuts: Navigation, headings, comments, and formatting go twice as fast with keys.
Suggesting and comments: Keep edits reversible and questions clear with threaded comments and tags.
Version history: Name milestones and restore with confidence.
Document outline: Enforce heading structure and jump through long docs without scrolling.
Templates: Create branded, consistent starting points for repeatable work.
Voice typing: Useful for rough drafting or capturing ideas quickly.
Explore and citations: Research, cite, and keep sources tidy without leaving the doc.
The tool fades into the background when your workflow is tight.
How to Display Google Docs Skills on Your Resume
