Home Proofreader Resume template
Proofreader resume template
A clean starting structure with example content grounded in what proofreaders actually do day to day, not generic filler. Download and replace the bracketed placeholders with your own details.
Which resume format should you use?
Reverse chronological
You have a steady work history. This is the format almost every recruiter and ATS expects by default.
Functional
You're changing fields or have gaps in your employment. Leads with skills rather than a job-by-job timeline.
Combination
You're early career or have worked consistently but for only a few employers. Blends a skills summary with a shorter chronological history.
This template uses the reverse chronological format: the one most proofreaders should default to, since most Australian recruiters and ATS software expect it.
Professional summary
Proofreader with a sharp eye for detail and a calm approach to tight publication deadlines. Skilled at comparing proofs against final copy, applying house style guides and marking corrections clearly in PDF and manuscript. Comfortable working freelance or in-house across publishing, professional services and education materials.
Key skills
- Proofreading and copyediting
- Content creation and writing
- Adobe Acrobat Pro
- Microsoft Word (track changes)
- PerfectIt
- Chicago Manual of Style Online
- Google Workspace
- Attention to detail
- Written communication
- Time and deadline management
- Digital literacy
- Client relationships and advisory
Experience: example bullet points
- Proofread a 300-page textbook against final copy, correcting typographical errors and ensuring page numbers, headings and captions matched the table of contents.
- Applied a client's house style guide across a 12-part report series, reducing inconsistencies in terminology and formatting.
- Marked up corrections in Adobe Acrobat Pro and queried uncertain changes with authors, resolving queries within a two-day turnaround.
- Used PerfectIt to check consistency of capitalisation, hyphenation and abbreviations across a 50,000-word manuscript.
- Managed multiple proofreading projects simultaneously, meeting all publication deadlines across a six-week period.
Education
Typical entry is a bachelor degree in English, communications or journalism, or a diploma in editing and publishing; some proofreaders hold postgraduate qualifications in publishing.
Keywords an ATS is likely to scan for
Applicant tracking systems match your resume against terms in the job ad before a person ever sees it. Only include the ones that actually apply to your experience, but if a term below matches something you've done, use the same wording the job ad uses.
- proofreading
- copyediting
- house style
- track changes
- Adobe Acrobat Pro
- PerfectIt
- Chicago Manual of Style
- Australian Government Style Manual
- IPEd
- ASEP
- editing
- publishing
- freelance
- deadline management
- client liaison
- quality assurance
Getting past ATS screening
- Match the specific skills, certifications and terms used in the job ad, not just your own wording for the same thing.
- Keep formatting simple: no tables, text boxes, columns, headers/footers or graphics. Parsers frequently drop content placed in these.
- Submit as .docx or PDF unless the job ad specifies otherwise.
- Use standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills) rather than creative alternatives.
- List your core skills and technical competencies in their own section so a keyword scan can find them instantly.
This is a starting point, not a guarantee of interviews. Tailor every bullet point to your own real experience and the specific job ad.