Skills
Journalist Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in journalists, and how to build and show them.
What skills do journalists need?
Journalists need technical skills such as news writing, interviewing, and fact-checking, plus people skills like curiosity and persistence. They also use tools such as Content management systems and Recording devices.
Technical (hard) skills
- News writing
- Interviewing
- Fact-checking
- Research and data
- Multimedia production
- AP Style
People (soft) skills
- Curiosity
- Persistence
- Ethics
- Communication
Tools, equipment and technology
- Content management systems
- Recording devices
- Cameras and smartphones
- Video editing software
- Public records databases
- Social media
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how journalists put their skills to work:
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “News writing” and “Interviewing.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “curiosity,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as Journalism degree near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our journalist glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Journalist training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.