As a news director, you might struggle with showcasing your diverse skillset efficiently on a resume. Our guide can help you by providing tailored strategies to highlight your management capabilities, editorial judgment, and achievements in a concise manner that captures the attention of potential employers.
- Sample industry-leading professional resumes for inspiration and news director resume-writing know-how.
- Focus recruiters' attention on what matters most - your unique experience, achievements, and skills.
- Write various resume sections to ensure you meet at least 95% of all job requirements.
- Balance your news director technical expertise with personality to stand out amongst candidates.
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Best practices for the look and feel of your news director resume
Before you even start writing your news director resume, first you need to consider its layout and format.
What's important to keep in mind is:
- The reverse-chronological resume is the most widely used format to present your experience, starting with your latest job.
- Your news director resume header needs to include your correct, professional contact details. If you happen to have a professional portfolio or an updated LinkedIn profile, include a link to it.
- Ensure your resume is no longer than two pages - you don't have to include irelevant experience on your resume just to make it look longer.
- Unless specified otherwise, submit your resume in the most popular format, the PDF one, as this will ensure your news director resume isn't altered.
Different regions expect different formats – Canadian resumes, for example, may look unique.
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If the certificate you've obtained is especially vital for the industry or company, include it as part of your name within the resume headline.
Don't forget to include these six sections on your news director resume:
- Header and summary for your contact details and to highlight your alignment with the news director job you're applying for
- Experience section to get into specific technologies you're apt at using and personal skills to deliver successful results
- Skills section to further highlight how your profile matches the job requirements
- Education section to provide your academic background
- Achievements to mention any career highlights that may be impressive, or that you might have missed so far in other resume sections
What recruiters want to see on your resume:
- Proven experience in newsroom leadership and management, including editorial decision-making and team supervision.
- Strong journalistic credentials with a solid understanding of news gathering, storytelling, and content production practices.
- Experience with digital media strategy, social media platforms, and multimedia content creation.
- Demonstrable track record in ratings growth and audience engagement, showcasing successful implementation of innovative programming strategies.
- Proficiency in budget management, ensuring the efficient allocation of resources for news production and operations.
Advice for your news director resume experience section - setting your application apart from other candidates
Your resume experience section needs to balance your tangible workplace achievements with job requirements.
The easiest way to sustain this balance between meeting candidate expectations, while standing out, is to:
- Select really impressive career highlights to detail under each experience and support those with your skills;
- Assess the job advert to define both the basic requirements (which you could answer with more junior roles) and the more advanced requirements - which could play a more prominent role through your experience section;
- Create a separate experience section, if you decide on listing irrelevant experience items. Always curate those via the people or technical skills you've attained that match the current job you're applying for;
- Don't list experience items from a decade ago - as they may no longer be relevant to the industry. That is, unless you're applying for a more senior role: where experience would go to demonstrate your character and ambitions;
- Define how your role has helped make the team, department, or company better. Support this with your skill set and the initial challenge you were able to solve.
Take a look at how real-life news director professionals have presented their resume experience section - always aiming to demonstrate their success.
- Led a transformative rebranding initiative, increasing viewership by 30% over a two-year period by implementing a cutting-edge digital strategy.
- Fostered a collaborative partnership with diverse teams, coordinating the production of high-impact investigative journalism that later received the Peabody Award.
- Optimized budget allocation for news operations, saving the company $200,000 annually by negotiating cost-effective contracts with vendors and streamlining equipment purchases.
- Orchestrated a comprehensive digital transformation to a multi-platform news distribution model, effectively doubling our online engagement metrics within a year.
- Directed the coverage of the 2020 election cycle, resulting in a 25% increase in ratings for the election night broadcast compared to previous election coverage.
- Initiated a mentorship program for junior journalists that enhanced reporting quality and team morale, witnessing a 20% increase in staff retention rates.
- Drove the adaptation and uptake of mobile live-streaming capabilities, heightening the immediacy of breaking news reporting, and growing the audience base by 50%.
- Developed a partnership with local universities to create a talent pipeline for young journalists, incorporating fresh perspectives into our newsroom.
- Championed a diversity initiative that aimed to foster inclusion in our reporting, resulting in a 35% increase in stories featuring underrepresented communities.
- Implemented an analytics-driven approach to news segment selection, which raised viewer engagement by tailoring content based on audience behavior insights.
- Cultivated an award-winning investigative team that delivered a series on financial corruption in local government, significantly enhancing the station's credibility and viewer trust.
- Spearheaded a successful campaign to secure exclusive interviews with key political figures during the 2012 election, boosting our market share by 15%.
- Led a team of 50+ journalists and production staff, overseeing the curation and dissemination of content across all platform types, leading to a 20% increase in overall content output.
- Inaugurated an investigative unit that tackled environmental and public health issues, securing local and national awards and distinguishing the network as a leader in critical reporting.
- Restructured the evening news format to prioritize viewer interaction and community-driven stories, yielding a 10% bump in viewership and stronger advertiser relationships.
- Pioneered the use of augmented reality in live news presentation, providing a more immersive storytelling experience that attracted a younger demographic and increased viewership by 25%.
- Managed the network’s response to 'fake news' allegations by establishing stringent fact-checking protocols, which restored public trust and secured a 20% rating gain over six months.
- Developed partnerships with tech companies to leverage AI in news analytics, improving content distribution efficiency and personalization for viewers.
- Improved market reach and revenue by spearheading a targeted local news initiative that expanded reporting coverage to under-served areas, leading to a 15% increase in advertising deals.
- Launched a real-time social media engagement strategy, connecting viewers with live reporting and increasing social shares by 40%, which contributed to growing the station's visibility.
- Negotiated key strategic partnerships with both national and international news agencies to broaden our network's access to global stories, enhancing our competitive edge.
- Coordinated the successful launch of a digital-first streaming news service, capturing a significant portion of the cord-cutter market segment and driving a subscriber increase by over 100k within the first year.
- Implemented a cross-training program that diversified skill sets among journalists and producers, improving team adaptability and reducing downtime in content production.
- Piloted a hyper-local news segment initiative which consistently outperformed national news in viewer ratings by appealing to community-specific interests.
The following content includes information from "O*NET OnLine" by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. The data represents the top responsibilities present on the task lists for news director professionals.
Top Responsibilities for News Director:
- Operate and maintain on-air and production audio equipment.
- Check completed program logs for accuracy and conformance with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules and regulations and resolve program log inaccuracies.
- Read news, read or record public service and promotional announcements, or perform other on-air duties.
- Direct and coordinate activities of personnel engaged in broadcast news, sports, or programming.
- Monitor and review programming to ensure that schedules are met, guidelines are adhered to, and performances are of adequate quality.
- Prepare copy and edit tape so that material is ready for broadcasting.
- Coordinate activities between departments, such as news and programming.
- Perform personnel duties, such as hiring staff and evaluating work performance.
- Establish work schedules and assign work to staff members.
- Develop promotions for current programs and specials.
Quantifying impact on your resume
- Include the percentage increase of viewership or ratings during your tenure to demonstrate audience growth.
- List the number of successful news segments or programs launched, signifying initiative and innovation.
- Quantify budget management skills by specifying the amount of budget you oversaw and how effectively you allocated resources.
- Mention exact figures regarding team size to illustrate leadership and team management abilities.
- Highlight the number of awards or recognitions received by the newsroom under your direction to show industry acknowledgment.
- Detail the growth in social media followers or online engagement to demonstrate adaptation to digital trends.
- Specify the reduction in operational costs or increased efficiency under your leadership to prove financial acumen.
- Report the frequency of exclusive stories or breaking news covered, emphasizing journalistic competitiveness.
Action verbs for your news director resume
News director resume without experience: a walk-through guide
If you don't happen to have any relevant experience yet, you can substitute this with:
- Short-term gigs and stunts - like month-long internships, that you have done during your university days
- Contract work - be specific about the relevance and outcomes of each role you include
- Resume format that prioritizes your skills - the functional-skill-based format or hybrid format could work
- Research roles - feature those especially prominently if you've participated in a noteworthy project or your role was of utmost importance to the project's success.
Recommended reads:
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The more trusted the organization you've attained your certificate (or degree) from, the more credible your skill set would be.
Defining your unique news director skill set with hard skills and soft skills
In any job advertisement, a blend of specific technologies and interpersonal communication skills is typically sought after. Hard skills represent your technical expertise and indicate your job performance capacity. Soft skills, on the other hand, demonstrate how well you would integrate within the company culture.
Incorporating a balanced mix of both skill types in your news director resume is crucial. Here's how you can do it:
- In your resume summary or objective, incorporate up to three hard and/or soft skills. Make sure to quantify these skills with relevant or impressive achievements; less
- The skills section should list your technical know-how.
- The strengths section is an ideal place to quantify your competencies by focusing on the achievements facilitated by these skills.
Top skills for your news director resume:
Broadcast Journalism
Video Editing Software (e.g., Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro)
Content Management Systems (CMS)
Social Media Management Tools
Newsroom Automation Tools
Digital Production Equipment
Data Analysis Software (e.g., Excel, SPSS)
Graphic Design Software (e.g., Adobe Photoshop, Canva)
Audio Editing Software (e.g., Audacity, Pro Tools)
Research Tools (e.g., Factiva, LexisNexis)
Leadership
Communication
Critical Thinking
Time Management
Decision Making
Team Collaboration
Adaptability
Creativity
Conflict Resolution
Strategic Planning
Next, you will find information on the top technologies for news director professonals from "O*NET OnLine" by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Top technologies for News Director’s resume:
- FileMaker Pro
- Microsoft SQL Server
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Email software
- Microsoft Outlook
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If you happen to have plenty of certificates, select the ones that are most applicable and sought-after across the industry. Organize them by relevance to the role you're applying for.
What are the best certificates to add to your news director resume + how to curate your education section
The education and certification resume sections are the underdogs of your news director resume.
They showcase to recruiters that you've invested plenty of time to gain valuable and specific know-how, vital for growth.
As far as the resume education section is concerned:
- Detail only advanced education, specifying the institution and timeframe.
- Indicate your forthcoming graduation date if you're in the midst of your studies.
- Consider omitting degrees that don't align with the job's requirements.
- Offer a description of your academic journey if it underscores your notable achievements.
When curating your degrees and certificates on your news director resume:
- Select only accreditation that matters to the role
- Niche knowledge that could help you stand out as a candidate (as is within the past few years), should be listed towards the top of your resume
- Include any pertinent data for credibility (e.g. institute name, graduation dates, etc.)
- Irrelevant degrees and certifications shouldn't make it on your resume. Those include your high school diploma and any specializations that have nothing to do with the technical or soft skills that are required for the job
As a final note, if you feel tempted to exclude your education or certification from your resume, don't.
These two sections could help you have a better competitive edge over other candidates - hinting that your professional journey in the industry may be for a longer period of time.
Recruiters find all of these news director credentials impressive:
The top 5 certifications for your news director resume:
- Poynter ACES Certificate in Editing - Poynter Institute
- Leadership and Management Certificate - Poynter Institute
- National Professional Certification in Producing - NABEF
- Certified Broadcast Television Executive - CBTE, NABEF
- Senior Professional in Human Resources - SPHR, HRCI
The content below includes information from "O*NET OnLine" by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. The data represents the top associations for news director professionals.
Top US associations for a News Director professional
- Country Music Association
- Directors Guild of America
- National Association of Broadcasters
- National Association of Schools of Theatre
- NATPE Global
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Listing your relevant degrees or certificates on your news director resume is a win-win situation. Not only does it hint at your technical capabilities in the industry, but an array of soft skills, like perseverance, adaptability, and motivation.
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Best practices to your news director resume summary or objective
To start, how do you know if you should include a resume summary or a resume objective ?
- Resume summaries are ideal for news director professionals with more experience, who'd like to give a quick glimpse of their biggest career achievements in the top one-third of their resumes.
- On the other hand, resume objectives serve as a road map for recruiters. Candidates use the objective to show how their experience aligns with the news director role they're applying for while showcasing the North Star of their career (or where they want to be as a professional in the next couple of years).
The resume summary or resume objective could be the perfect fit for your news director resume. The function of both is to highlight your professionalism succinctly. So, keep your writing specific: include no more than four sentences and target your application to the role. Here's how these specific resume sections help the news director candidates stand out.
Resume summaries for a news director job
- With over a decade of experience in broadcast journalism and a proven track record as a news director, adept at strategic planning and team leadership. I have notably boosted viewership by 30% through dynamic storytelling and am proficient in the latest digital editing software, bringing a wealth of expertise to manage a top-tier newsroom.
- Highly-experienced news director with 15 years at a major metropolitan news station, recognized for developing award-winning investigative reporting series. I possess a deep understanding of social media trends, multimedia content production, and have successfully led news teams to several regional Emmys.
- Former senior political correspondent transitioning to news director, I bring a unique perspective with 10 years of field reporting experience, including international assignments. Proficient in multimedia storytelling and live reporting, ready to leverage my extensive network of contacts and deep understanding of political landscapes to foster engaging, informative news programming.
- Accomplished documentary filmmaker with 8 years of storytelling expertise, making a career pivot to news director. I have a strong portfolio of producing compelling content on social issues, fluent in multiple editing platforms, and eager to apply my narrative skills to lead a news team in producing groundbreaking news coverage.
- As a recent graduate with a Master's degree in Media Management, I am eager to apply my academic knowledge and passion for current events as a starting point in my career as a news director. I am committed to utilizing my strong organizational skills and fresh perspective on digital media to contribute to an esteemed newsroom's success.
- Transitioning from a successful career in public relations, I aim to bring my 7 years of strategic communication experience to a future as a news director. My objective is to harness my expert skills in media relations and content creation to craft compelling news narratives that resonate with diverse audiences.
Average salary info by state in the US for news director professionals
Local salary info for News Director.” Source: My Next Move, National Center for O*NET Development. Accessed 10/15/2024
| State | Average Salary (in USD) |
|---|---|
| US National Average | $82,510 |
| California (CA) | $105,080 |
| Texas (TX) | $61,830 |
| Florida (FL) | $76,780 |
| New York (NY) | $103,260 |
| Pennsylvania (PA) | $64,120 |
| Illinois (IL) | $75,350 |
| Ohio (OH) | $58,230 |
| Georgia (GA) | $76,630 |
| North Carolina (NC) | $60,590 |
| Michigan (MI) | $58,530 |
Extra news director resume sections and elements
Creating a winning news director resume isn't about following a rigid formula. The key is to tailor it to the job requirements while maintaining your unique personality.
Consider including these additional resume sections to enhance your profile:
- Awards - Highlight industry-specific awards as well as any personal accolades to demonstrate recognition of your expertise and achievements;
- Hobbies and interests - Share your interests outside of work. This can provide insights into your personality and indicate whether you'd be a good cultural fit for the organization;
- Projects - Detail significant projects you've been involved in, focusing on your contributions and the outcomes;
- Publications - If you've authored or co-authored academic papers or other publications, include them to establish your credibility and in-depth knowledge of the field.
These sections can give a more comprehensive view of your capabilities and character, complementing the standard resume content.
Key takeaways
- Your resume layout plays an important role in presenting your key information in a systematic, strategic manner;
- Use all key resume sections (summary or objective; experience; skills; education and certification) to ensure you’ve shown to recruiters just how your expertise aligns with the role and why you're the best candidate;
- Be specific about listing a particular skill or responsibility you've had by detailing how this has helped the role or organization grow;
- Your personality should shine through your resume via the interests or hobbies, and strengths or accomplishments skills sections;
- Certifications go to provide further accreditation to your technical capabilities, so make sure you've included them within your resume.
