Primarily, proposal writers write documents used to convince people to support a project, enter into a business arrangement, obtain grants, or take action. They work for organizations or non-profits. They work with other writers, managers, and graphic artists to write and complete a proposal.
Sometimes, they may have to create project schedules and deadlines, coordinate responsibilities, and prepare presentations. Moreover, they edit and review proposals using feedback. Additionally, they evaluate products, services, and business ideas to aid strategy creation. Proposal writers conduct interviews, attend meetings and gather source information to verify the content of their documents.
Most proposal writers hold at least a bachelor's degree in English, journalism, communications, or a related field and have previous experience writing proposals. Key skills include communication, computer, interpersonal, and organization skills. They must also be able to meet deadlines. Proposal writers earn an annual salary that ranges from $65,101 to $81,701, with an average of $72,701 per year.
How to Become a Proposal Writer
What is a Proposal Writer
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a Proposal Writer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $33.23 an hour? That's $69,111 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 8% and produce 4,700 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Proposal Writer Do
There are certain skills that many Proposal Writers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed Detail oriented, Technical skills and Writing skills.
How To Become a Proposal Writer
If you're interested in becoming a Proposal Writer, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 75.1% of Proposal Writers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 15.5% of Proposal Writers have master's degrees. Even though most Proposal Writers have a college degree, it's impossible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a Proposal Writer. When we researched the most common majors for a Proposal Writer, we found that they most commonly earn Bachelor's Degree degrees or Master's Degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on Proposal Writer resumes include Associate Degree degrees or Doctoral Degree degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a Proposal Writer. In fact, many Proposal Writer jobs require experience in a role such as Technical Writer. Meanwhile, many Proposal Writers also have previous career experience in roles such as Senior Technical Writer or Internship.
What is the right job for my career path?
Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the right jobs to get there.
And if you’re looking for a job, here are the five top employers hiring now:
Proposal Writer Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of Proposal Manager you might progress to a role such as Program Manager eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title Marketing Communications Manager.
Proposal Writer Jobs You Might Like
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Average Salary for a Proposal Writer
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5 Proposal Writer Resume Examples
Build a professional proposal writer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 5+ resume templates to create your proposal writer resume.
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Amber Scott Proposal Writer |
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Amber Scott Proposal Writer Experience Proposal Writer2020 - Present Ernst & Young•Jersey City, NJ
Assistant Editor2018 - 2020 PR Newswire•Jersey City, NJ
News Writer2014 - 2018 WORD-FM•Iowa City, IA
Skills DOESales SupportOnlineLayoutBusiness ProposalsDaily PaperAssignment DeskTechnical SpecificationsCost ProposalsSubject Matter Experts Education Bachelor's Degree Communication2011 - 2014 University of Iowa•Iowa City, IA |
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Learn How To Write a Proposal Writer Resume
At Zippia, we went through countless Proposal Writer resumes and compiled some information about how to optimize them. Here are some suggestions based on what we found, divided by the individual sections of the resume itself.
View Proposal Writer Resume Examples And TemplatesAnd if you’re looking for a job, here are the five top employers hiring now:
Choose From 10+ Customizable Proposal Writer Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Proposal Writer templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Proposal Writer resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Proposal Writer Demographics
Proposal Writer Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among Proposal Writers, 61.5% of them are women, while 38.5% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among Proposal Writers is White, which makes up 78.4% of all Proposal Writers.
- The most common foreign language among Proposal Writers is Spanish at 43.7%.
Find the best Proposal Writer job for you
Proposal Writer Jobs You Might Like
- High Paying Proposal Writer Jobs - $92K and Up
- Work From Home Proposal Writer Jobs
- Entry Level Proposal Writer Jobs
- Part Time Proposal Writer Jobs
- Actively Hiring
- No Degree Proposal Writer Jobs
Top Colleges for Proposal Writers
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
4. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
5. University of Houston
Houston, TX • Private
6. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
7. Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY • Private
8. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
9. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
10. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
Find the best Proposal Writer job for you
Proposal Writer Jobs You Might Like
- High Paying Proposal Writer Jobs - $92K and Up
- Work From Home Proposal Writer Jobs
- Entry Level Proposal Writer Jobs
- Part Time Proposal Writer Jobs
- Actively Hiring
- No Degree Proposal Writer Jobs
Online Courses For Proposal Writer That You May Like
The course provides guidance on developing a strong application that will allow reviewers to better evaluate the science and merit of your proposal. You will learn how to put your ideas into proper words, arrange a clear and concise paper and search grant market for potential funder. You will also learn how to react to negative feedback from reviewers and resubmit your proposal. The course focuses on useful project management tools and possible budget pitfalls...
Crafting Winning Proposals that Get Funded, with Effective Outcomes Statements and Proven Communications Methods...
Market Research is a growing and important field that is used in many industries around the world. Given all the data that is collected whether by organizations, industries, social media, governments, etc, it's important that someone can review and sift through all the noise to provide valuable insights. And that's where you come in as a market researcher. This course will only scratch the surface and provide you a foundational understanding of this field. In this course, you will be able to def...
Top Skills For a Proposal Writer
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 17.6% of Proposal Writers listed Proposal Content on their resume, but soft skills such as Detail oriented and Technical skills are important as well.
Best States For a Proposal Writer
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a Proposal Writer. The best states for people in this position are Washington, Virginia, Oregon, and California. Proposal Writers make the most in Washington with an average salary of $92,014. Whereas in Virginia and Oregon, they would average $89,272 and $88,291, respectively. While Proposal Writers would only make an average of $88,210 in California, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. District of Columbia
$95,920
Avg. Salary
2. Virginia
$89,272
Avg. Salary
3. Wyoming
$84,162
Avg. Salary
How Do Proposal Writer Rate Their Jobs?
Top Proposal Writer Employers
We've made finding a great employer to work for easy by doing the hard work for you. We looked into employers that employ Proposal Writers and discovered their number of Proposal Writer opportunities and average salary. Through our research, we concluded that Accenture was the best, especially with an average salary of $90,026. Express Scripts follows up with an average salary of $69,023, and then comes Science Applications International with an average of $87,220. In addition, we know most people would rather work from home. So instead of having to change careers, we identified the best employers for remote work as a Proposal Writer. The employers include KBR, Science Applications International, and BGC Partners
Proposal Writer Videos
Becoming a Proposal Writer FAQs
How much do proposal writers make?
Proposal writers make an average of about $73,000 a year. However, this salary can vary greatly as the range is anywhere from $12,000 to $100,000 a year. This variation is largely due to factors such as differences in:
Is being a proposal writer hard?
Yes, being a proposal writer can be hard. However, the difficulty level depends greatly on the individual and what experience or prior knowledge they bring to the table. In general, proposal writing does not allow much room for creativity or flexibility, making it very difficult for some people.
Is proposal writing a good career?
Yes, proposal writing is a good career. It pays well, and many people who do it feel very fulfilled. Proposal writing will improve your communication skills, help you learn a lot about your company and the industry within which you operate, and your work has the potential to make a real, tangible impact.
What makes a good proposal writer?
Effective communication is the main skill that makes a good proposal writer. This applies to written communication, of course, and communication with their higher-ups.
Good proposal writers must also adapt well to feedback and possess a working knowledge of the field and company within which they are writing. Following instructions to the letter is also essential, as incorrect formatting or submission could get their proposal immediately rejected.