Wondering how to write a digital marketing resume that will help you stand out from the competition?
Your digital marketing resume will determine if you make it to the next step in the hiring process, whether that’s a phone screening or a more formal virtual or in-person interview. It is your first opportunity to make the case for why you are the right person for the job. As such, it’s important to devote time and energy to crafting, editing, and tailoring your digital marketing resume so you make the best impression possible.
One of the first things to do before you start writing your digital marketing resume is to familiarize yourself with the specific job description. This includes the skills required and desired, and any other pertinent information listed in the job posting. In today’s hiring world, many organizations use software to sort through resumes looking for specific keywords to determine which ones make it to the hiring manager for review. Failing to incorporate those critical words or phrases could result in your resume being filtered out before an actual human gets a chance to review it.
Looking for a digital marketing job?
So, let’s get started.
BEGIN WITH AN EYE-CATCHING SUMMARY
Starting your digital marketing resume with a few sentences or bullet points that tightly capture your top professional qualifications, experience, certifications, and accolades is a great way to immediately convey the value you could add to an organization.
One way to approach your resume summary is to think of five reasons you would make a perfect fit for the digital marketing job you’re seeking. This summary is your opportunity to showcase your most relevant and impressive credentials, giving hiring managers – who are likely reviewing dozens upon dozens of resumes – a reason to pause and put yours at the top of the interview pile.
Some ideas of what you can include here are:
Your core strengths and abilities most relevant to the role
Past related experience and pertinent transferrable skills
Notable accomplishments and metrics
HIGHLIGHT YOUR TOP SKILLS
After your name, contact information, and summary you should devote a section on your resume to your digital marketing skills. The skills and abilities you spotlight should reflect those listed as required and desired in the job you are applying for. This is a great place to add any specific keywords from the job listing.
Some of the top digital marketing skills you might want to include relate to search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM), content curation, customer relationship management (CRM), basic design skills, social media, A/B testing, developing and deploying email campaigns, and marketing automation tools. In terms of key soft skills, employers typically look for digital marketers with strong analytical and communications abilities, adaptability, attention to detail, and creativity to name just a few.
KEEP PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE TIGHT AND RELEVANT
Keep your job responsibilities short and to the point. Focus on impact over tasks performed. Your employment history should not be used as a laundry list of all your various duties and responsibilities. The experience and information that you include should all closely connect to the case that you are making that you are the best fit for the job.
This is another great place to play up those job description keywords. For example, if you’re applying to a job where you will need to oversee a marketing budget and you’ve done that in previous roles, include that as one of your responsibilities.
You can also use the experience section to highlight any success stories involving key performance indicators (KPIs) or other metrics. Some options to consider could center around how you helped increase organic search, conversion rates, web leads, or email open rates.
ENSURE YOUR EDUCATION SECTION MAKES THE GRADE
How you position your education section will likely depend on how much related professional experience you have. For example, recent graduates will likely have more details in this section, and it will probably be higher up. But as one progresses in their marketing career, the education section can be scaled back. (Including an impressive grade-point average, for instance, might be fine when seeking a first professional job but not once that individual has some experience.)
The education section can typically be kept to the university, college, or technical school attended, year of completion or graduation, and the degree received. (Beyond formal education, it is wise to include any digital marketing certifications in this section as well.)
SOME FINAL TIPS
As mentioned, your digital marketing resume is your chance to make a potentially long-lasting positive impression. But if you include a typo, that could be the extent of any impression you’ll make. With that said, it is critical that you proofread your resume. Use spell-check, ask a friend or family member to look over your resume, and consider using a voice-over automation tool so you can hear your words read back to you.
While not always required, it can be helpful to include a cover letter with your digital marketing resume to allow you an opportunity to expand upon your capabilities. Traditional wisdom suggests candidates keep their resume to one page. But depending on your experience, it could be difficult to capture everything you’ve done in just one page. A cover letter can give you extra space to make the case for why you would be the right fit for that specific digital marketing position with that specific employer.
And depending on the type of digital marketing job you’re pursuing, consider including a link to your digital portfolio if you have one.
WORK WITH A SPECIALIZED DIGITAL MARKETING RECRUITER
While having a stellar digital marketing resume will only help you, working with a specialized recruitment agency can further advance your chances of landing your dream digital marketing job.
The specialized recruiters at 24 Sevens are experts in helping professionals in the creative, marketing, digital, fashion, beauty, and retail industries propel their careers.
Our recruiters handle the job search legwork for you, at no cost! We can help you better understand how to tailor your digital marketing resume for the job you want and prepare you for upcoming interviews, and once you’ve received an offer we can even communicate on your behalf and be an advocate for you.
From big-name brands to emerging startups, our team is tapped into a vast network of organizations looking for full-time and freelance digital marketing professionals today.
Browse our open jobs and contact a recruiter today.
This post was updated on October 31, 2022
