Writing a Marketing Resume that Converts

Resume writing advice is scattered all over the web with conflicting recommendations. It's hard to know who to trust. We've determined the best way to write a marketing resume so you can design it hassle-free in a fraction of the time.

We've worked with over 100,000 professionals and helped them secure employment at companies like Google and Apple. We want to give you the tools you need to confidently write a hiring manager approved resume.

Let's put your marketing skills to the test and produce a resume that impresses every hiring manager and recruiter who reads it.

3 Steps for Writing a Marketing Resume

Writing your resume follows the same process as conducting a marketing campaign. The resume writing process consists of researching hiring manager needs, coming up with a value proposition, supporting it with data, and creating a messaging strategy based on your findings. Here's how to do it. 

1. Conduct Market Research

It’s crucial you research your target audience and understand the needs of each hiring manager. Every job opening will be seeking a different type of marketer. Figure out what they need and then adjust your resume accordingly.

The job description is the best place to start. It will generally tell you what type of marketer the company needs and the specific skill set they’re seeking. Read through the job description and keep track of notable keywords and job responsibilities.

Customizing your resume to the job description and incorporating relevant keywords will catch the attention of hiring managers. It will also optimize your resume for applicant tracking systems.

Get a thorough understanding of your target audience and job description. Then, determine what value you can offer.

2. Determine What Makes You Unique

Hiring managers will have a stack of resumes from other job candidates. Determine what makes you different from the rest and come up with your unique value proposition.

Having a unique combination of marketing skills will have a substantial impact on hiring managers. For example, a marketing manager should have a blend of tactical marketing skills, an analytical mindset, and managerial experience.

Experience within specific industries and different size companies is another aspect hiring managers will pay attention to. For example, many startups prefer candidates who have experience with smaller and more agile teams.

Also, companies within the SaaS industry want candidates who have experience with other SaaS companies. This ensures you can translate your experience and make an immediate impact on their team.

Write down this unique value proposition and let it guide the rest of your resume. The verbiage doesn’t need to be perfect since you’re the only one who will be seeing it. Come up with something like this:

• Experience with multiple SaaS startups and an ability to bridge the gap between the technical, analytical, and creative sides of marketing

As you write your resume, ask yourself “Does this piece of information help communicate my unique value proposition to hiring managers?” Leave out any information that doesn’t support your narrative.

3. Support Your Experience With Data

Resume verbiage that includes data is more meaningful to hiring managers. Show them you have an analytical mindset by supporting your accomplishments and experience with data.

Data supported callouts tell hiring managers you understand that all marketing initiatives are measurable. Include marketing metrics throughout your resume — like funnel conversion rates, landing page conversion, or content engagement rates.

Hiring managers will care about different metrics for different marketing roles. For example, If you’re a content strategist, then include metrics like SEO rankings, time spent on site, or content conversion rates.

If you’re a digital marketing manager, then you’re better suited using metrics like digital ad click-through rates, cost per click, or cost per conversion.

Here are some marketing resume samples for different job titles to give you an example:

• Digital marketer
• Marketing manager
• Copywriter
• Content strategist

Generic callouts that aren’t backed by data will make your resume less impressive and decrease your chances of an interview. Here’s an example of what you should and shouldn’t do:

• Bad example: Optimized Facebook ad campaigns
• Good example: Optimized Facebook ad campaigns, increasing click-through rates from 3% to 10%

With this in mind, you’re ready to craft your unique messaging strategy.

Marketing Resume Sections

You’ve done your research and determined your value proposition. Now, it’s time to hone your messaging strategy. There are five main sections to a marketing resume: contact information, resume summary, work experience, technical skills, and education.

Contact Information

This section only needs to include standard contact information. Keep it simple and include the basic personal information needed for hiring managers to contact you and set up an interview.

You have the option of adding a portfolio link, but it’s not required. The rest of your resume will communicate your value to hiring managers.

What to include:

• Name
• Job title
• City and state
• Email
• Phone number
• Portfolio link

Example:

• Alex Smith | Digital Marketing Manager | San Francisco, California
• Asmith@gmail.com | 888-431-2368 | Portfolio Link

Resume Summary

The resume summary is your first opportunity to communicate your narrative to hiring managers. It should highlight your work experience, notable accomplishments, and marketing specialties.

Summarize what makes you a unique candidate and why you’re the right fit for the job. Include major career wins and how you made an impact in previous roles.

This is also an opportunity to showcase your copywriting and communication skills. Keep it concise and impactful to reel in hiring managers and get them to read the rest of your resume.

Example:

• A digital marketing manager with six years of experience leading marketing teams. Well-versed in email marketing, PPC ads, and landing page creation. Led marketing initiatives for a startup SaaS company, yielding a 40% user growth rate and an increase of $1 million in revenue in one year.

Work Experience

The work experience section is the foundation of your resume. It’s all the proof you need to convince hiring managers you can do the job.

Highlight your notable career accomplishments and responsibilities in previous roles. Make sure each bullet point is concise, relevant to the job description, and supported by data.

You should exemplify leadership and team-building experience if you’re seeking a managerial role. You can also explain how you went above and beyond to take on projects outside your scope.

What to include:

• Job title
• Company
• Dates employed
• 3-4 bullet points highlighting your contributions

Example:

Growth Marketing Agency | Marketing Specialist | April 2018 – May 2020

• Enhanced email marketing cadence, increasing qualified leads by 20% in two months
• Optimized A/B testing for landing pages to improve conversion rates by 500%
• Planned organic blog content and rank number one for 20 industry-leading keywords

Technical Skills

The technical skills section is an all-in-one place where hiring managers can see what you’re capable of. It’s simply a list of your technical specialties so hiring managers can quickly scan and see what marketing areas you’re familiar with.

The marketing skills section also helps with optimizing for an applicant tracking system. Look at the job description and pick out keywords that align with your technical expertise. This will ensure that you’re not filtered out and a hiring manager never has the chance to see your resume.

Example:

• Digital marketing channel ads
• Social media marketing
• SEO content marketing
• Landing pages
• Google Analytics
• Adobe Analytics
• HubSpot
• E-commerce
• SEM
• PPC
• Email marketing

Education

The education section is relatively straight-forward. List your educational experience including the name of your institution, degree obtained, and dates attended.

You can also showcase marketing certifications if you have any. Additional certifications will show that you’re invested in your professional development and are continuing your education.

What to include:

• Name of institution
• Degree obtained
• Dates attended
• Marketing certifications (optional)

Example:

• Stanford University | Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing | 2010 – 2014
• Certifications: Google Ads Certification | Facebook Blueprint Certification

Resume Formatting

Proper resume formatting will give you a professional and polished final product. There’s a chance hiring managers will pass over your resume if you don’t take advantage of some easy-to-do design tips.

Here are some areas to consider:

• Resume style: We recommend a reverse chronological resume format. It walks through your experience starting with your most recent job.
• Margins: Margins need to be large enough to print but small enough to keep your resume under two pages.
• Font: A professional and modern-looking font will make your resume stand out.
• Font size: Optimize your font size for readability in both digital and printed resume formats.
• Spacing: Your line spacing should be big enough to ensure your resume doesn’t feel cluttered.
• White space: Leave enough white space between sections to ensure your resume isn’t crowded.
• Color: You can incorporate one or two colors, but make sure your color choice isn’t distracting.
• Resume length: Typically, your resume should be one page. You can extend to two pages if you have extensive experience and are applying for a higher level role.

Now that you've filled in your professional experience and polished your resume, it's time to apply for your dream marketing job.

Stick to the Plan

Follow these tips, and you'll have your resume in the hands of every hiring manager you send it to. Do your research, determine your value proposition, and support every claim with data. You'll have no problem earning a job offer if you stick to this plan.

You can also improve your odds of getting an interview by choosing a hiring manager approved resume template from our online resume builder. They're easy to use and hassle-free so you can quickly shift your focus to job hunting.