Erin Van Handel

Resume

Wisconsin State Journal

State’s second-largest daily newspaper

2005–present

Copy Editor

Welcome to the hustle of a daily newspaper. I design attractive A1, Local, Nation & World, and Business pages. My time-management skills dazzle, and I often am tasked with producing five to 10 pages per design shift, and occasionally up to 16 pages, under unforgiving daily deadlines.

Words, of course, are the other half of this position. I edit copy, including writing headlines and fact-checking. I act as Slot — the last editor to read copy before it goes to readers and arguably the most important role on the copy desk.

I demonstrate the ability to work independently as wire editor, a position in which I select national and international stories. My reliability earned me the opportunity to develop content for Autos, Jobs, Homes, and Rentals sections — projects that demanded long-term planning.

The long arm of the Internet also touches the copy desk. I post content to Madison.com, south-central Wisconsin’s premier news Web site receiving 10 million hits per month. Web work calls for writing search-engine-optimized headlines and for adding related links to posted stories.

Community Newspapers

Chain of weekly newspapers covering 27 Milwaukee suburbs

2003–2005

I wore many hats at my first job out of school. High productivity and consistently great work earned me a lot of latitude on projects.

Mequon-Thiensville Courant News Editor

I developed story packages with a reporter, photographer, and designer.

Copy Editor

This position was all about copy. I rewrote and reorganized copy as needed, working with reporters and editors to correct and refine stories. My headlines sold stories about everything from local elections to restaurant openings to events at neighborhood schools.

Special Sections Editor

This position gave me my first opportunity to manage projects from beginning to end. I planned special section content, including assigning articles to freelance writers and selecting news releases, and I designed the sections. I coordinated newsroomwide projects, requesting work from more than 20 contributors. I wrote news briefs that successfully promoted reader-participation activities, and I collaborated with the sales department to promote special sections.

Bay Viewer Columnist

The column was my baby. I initiated and managed a news-features column on business in Bay View, a Milwaukee neighborhood beginning urban renewal. Being familiar with the neighborhood and its readers, I helped redesign the Bay Viewer newspaper, brainstorming new features, attracting new contributors, providing feedback on design ideas, and developing a new editorial philosophy.

The Daily Cardinal Media Corp.

Daily student newspaper serving UW-Madison community

2000–2002

Copy Chief

I was elected by the staff to serve as copy chief. As the paper’s gatekeeper, I designed its front page, wrote snappy headlines, and whipped copy into shape. I supervised 15 copy editors and met daily deadlines. I worked 30 hours per week while maintaining a full-time course load and working other (paying) part-time jobs.

Office Manager

After my term as copy chief, I moved to the business side of the Cardinal. I managed the billing database. I billed clients and collected fees, including past-due accounts. I also helped overhaul the newspaper’s advertising guide, which included writing promotional and marketing material.

UW-Madison Libraries

System holding 11th-largest research library collection in North America

2001–2002

Library Communications Intern

UW-Madison School of Business

Business college offering top-ranked undergraduate and graduate programs

2002

Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration Program Adviser

© 2009 – 2010 Erin Van Handel | erin@erinvh.com | (608) 245-3151