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Writing assistant skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted experts

Lyn Brands,

Lyn Brands

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical writing assistant skills. We ranked the top skills for writing assistants based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 12.2% of writing assistant resumes contained writing process as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a writing assistant needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 writing assistant skills for your resume and career

1. Writing Process

Here's how writing assistants use writing process:

Led one-on-one conferences with undergraduate and graduate students at various stages of writing process, assisted in editing academic essays
Counseled students on the Writing Process Edited Reports, Essays, and Research Papers Consulted weekly with Professors in workshops

2. MLA

Here's how writing assistants use mla:

Presented and directed workshops on conducting research, peer review, MLA and avoiding plagiarism, and language awareness.
Visit classrooms to conduct MLA, Writing Center Info, and critical thinking exercise for ENGL 1003 classes.

3. Group Sessions

Here's how writing assistants use group sessions:

Tutored students in writing individually and in group sessions about the art of reading and writing and how to perfect it.

4. APA

American Psychological Association, also known as APA Style, is a standard layout used for all social science research fields and is designed mainly for scientific writing. Typically, this style has different parts, including the title page, introduction, methodology, discussion, conclusion, citation, and reference. It can be used in further research, including education, sociology, psychology, social sciences, and many more. One of its advantages is that it clarifies the research document and citation so that the author or writer can avoid plagiarism.

Here's how writing assistants use apa:

Helped students in writing at an academic level and in the use of APA style.
Collaborated with co-consultants to develop an instructional guide for APA styling, formatting, and citation.

5. Literature Reviews

Here's how writing assistants use literature reviews:

Completed literature review Performed evaluation research and developed grant narratives Executed community and institutional needs assessments
Provided technical writing assistance with publication of HIV-related research, including literature reviews, writing, and editing.

6. Academic Support

Academic support is the assistance granted to students on top of the regular teaching in the classroom.

Here's how writing assistants use academic support:

Provide one-on-one academic support in multiple subjects.
Provide academic support to students that need additional assistance writing scholarly papers and doctoral dissertations.

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7. ESL

Here's how writing assistants use esl:

Tutored both ESL and native speakers in planning, organization, thesis development, grammar, and mechanics of writing.
Worked with English Second Language Students, successfully enabled all ESL students passing status in their ELWR exam/essay portfolios

8. Database

A database is a collection of data and information which makes it easy to view, access, and manage. Databases save a lot of time and can store huge amounts of data. Databases make sorting data easier and stores it in certain fields which narrows the searching criteria. A database usually contains tables, graphs, and columns to display data.

Here's how writing assistants use database:

Acted as administrator on university database system for scheduling appointments with specialists and student satisfaction survey.
Assisted with the creation of demographic reports from the center's student database, designed to identify trends in service utilization.

9. Lab Reports

Here's how writing assistants use lab reports:

Help students improve written assignments-Copy edit essays, presentations, lab reports, etc.-Facilitate helpful conversation about successful writing techniques
Acquired close attention to detail and communicative skills while peer-mentoring fellow biology students and reviewing their lab reports

10. Writing Support

Here's how writing assistants use writing support:

Provided customized reading and writing support to disabled Vietnam veteran enrolled at Western Technical College.
Provide differentiated writing support for undergraduate and graduate students to refine their communication skills

11. Research Paper

Here's how writing assistants use research paper:

Provided supplemental instruction to students in re-constructing and reformatting essays and research papers and proof-read for grammatical and structural errors.
Assisted undergraduate students in creating outlines and developing thesis statements for research papers, short stories, and scientific abstracts.

12. Exam

Here's how writing assistants use exam:

Tested students' ability to present an oral exam in the target language (Spanish).
Prepared students for the CUNY ACT Exam.

13. Legal Research

Here's how writing assistants use legal research:

Performed Legal Research, Writing opinions, Assisting Judge, interaction with public and personal.
Conducted legal research and writing for Professor Michael Epstein on mass media law and business law

14. PowerPoint

Here's how writing assistants use powerpoint:

Analyzed client needs to create guidelines for designing PowerPoint presentations for pharmaceutical promotions consistent with company standards.
Facilitated students with their PowerPoint presentation, and some grammatical errors.

15. Press Releases

Here's how writing assistants use press releases:

Compose brochure text, press releases, newsletters, and other technical documents.
Collaborated with artists, to develop biographical information and press releases.

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What skills help Writing Assistants find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on writing assistant resumes?

Lyn Brands

Associate Professor, Arkansas Tech University

-Problem-solve their own situations

-Foreign language fluency

What soft skills should all writing assistants possess?

Lyn Brands

Associate Professor, Arkansas Tech University

-Open to constructive criticism

-Adaptive to change

-Take oral instructions well/attentive

-Self-motivated

-Willingness to learn

-Ability to get along with others

What hard/technical skills are most important for writing assistants?

Brandi Lawless Ph.D.

Department Chair & Associate Professor, University of San Francisco

Learning proper citation guidelines (AP, APA, MLA) is like learning a language. It has to be exact and ends up being an important skill. Research skills (quantitative and qualitative) can also be useful in finding and citing evidence for any type of writing. Students who take my qualitative methods class often comment on how interviewing skills translate into various job skills--talking with clients, writing narratives, etc.

Do you want to know more?

List of writing assistant skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a writing assistant resume and required skills for a writing assistant to have include:

Writing Process
MLA
Group Sessions
APA
Literature Reviews
Academic Support
ESL
Database
Lab Reports
Writing Support
Research Paper
Exam

Legal Research
PowerPoint
Press Releases
Class Assignments
Alumni
Academic Papers
Front Desk
Drop-In
Scheduling Appointments
Sentence Structure
One-On-One Sessions
Facebook

Fiction
Professional Development
Anthropology
Class Discussions
Philosophy
Non-Profit Organization
Student Papers
Crla
Clinical Study Reports
Cuny

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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