You have broken stories under deadline pressure, built source networks that others could not match, and produced work that moved audiences and occasionally moved policy. But most media organisations — from national broadcasters to digital-native publishers — now route applications through ATS before an editor ever reads a word of your work.
Journalism job postings have evolved significantly as the industry has digitised. A broadcast background may score poorly against a digital-first posting that filters for SEO, analytics, and CMS vocabulary. The journalism skills overlap, but the ATS keyword profiles do not.
Digital journalism vocabulary must be present: SEO, search engine optimisation, headline optimisation, keyword research, evergreen content, breaking news, live blogging, social media. CMS platforms: WordPress, Drupal, Arc Publishing, Vox Media CMS, Brightspot. Name every CMS you have published on.
Analytics vocabulary signals digital maturity: Google Analytics, Chartbeat, Parse.ly, unique visitors, page views, bounce rate, time-on-page, engagement rate, social shares. Audience metrics are increasingly present as ATS filters at digital publishers — if you have worked with them, name them.
Are your CMS platforms and digital analytics tools named explicitly?
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Style guide and editorial vocabulary: AP Style (essential for US journalism), house style, editorial standards, fact-checking, source verification, freedom of information (FOIA/FOI), defamation, contempt of court. These signal professional standards awareness — and increasingly filter at regulated and compliance-conscious employers.
Beat and specialism vocabulary matters for specialised roles: investigative journalism, data journalism, data visualisation, Flourish, Datawrapper, multimedia, podcast production, video journalism. Photography/videography: Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro, Audition. Name every format and medium you produce in.
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A journalist who names every platform, every style guide, and every digital skill will consistently pass ATS filters that other journalists — with deeper editorial experience — fail. The story that gets you the interview is the resume, not the bylines.
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The most common causes are missing digital vocabulary (CMS names, SEO, analytics) and absent AP Style or editorial standards language. Print-focused resumes score poorly against digital-first postings regardless of editorial quality.
Yes — explicitly. AP Style is a standard ATS filter at US news organisations. Also list any other style guides you follow: Chicago, house style, Reuters. Use the exact name.
Every publishing platform you have used: WordPress, Drupal, Arc Publishing, Brightspot, Vox CMS, Substack. Each is a separate ATS keyword — "CMS experience" matches none of them.
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