
50 Best Resume Tips 2023: Great Tricks and Writing Advice
Don’t have much time, but need a good resume ASAP? Here’s a master list of the best resume tips out there, plus a bonus to make your life easier.
We're about to make a great marketing resume. But first, say hello to Carolyn. She's the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Treats the marketing staff like gold. Long vacations. Flexible schedule. Great pay.
And she's hiring. Trouble is, you're one of 600 marketing resumes on her computer. She doesn't even know you exist. How can you prove you're the next Seth Godin?
You may be born for this job like Rand Fishkin, but you’ll still need a resume that sells it.
This guide will show you:
Here's a sample resume for a marketing manager made using our resume builder.
Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.
Sample resume made with our builder—See more resume samples here.
If you're targeting a more specific job in marketing or public relations, see one of our dedicated guides:
And make sure to give this piece a read for advice on how to write a resume for corporate, business positions:
Still looking for more examples? See:
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Actually, in marketing, it is what you say and how you say it.
Try this: Walk into a presentation in dirty clothes, while chewing gum, and mumble. You might have the best message in the world, but nobody will listen.
Why should it be any different with your marketing resume?
Pick a well-respected, simple marketing resume format like the reverse-chronological layout. It lets hiring managers grasp your value proposition fast.
That's good, because the average resume only gets seven seconds in the recruiter's hands, according to our HR statistics report.
White space is your friend. So are clear, legible fonts and eye-catching headings.
Finally, save your resume in PDF format. PDFs preserve the layout. Other file types can scramble your careful resume architecture.
Want to make sure your resume will hook every recruiter and get you that interview? Get our free checklist and learn what makes a job-winning resume: 46 Things You Need To Do Before You Send Your Resume.
Pro Tip: PDFs are best, but double-check the job offer to make sure they're OK. Some employers will neg even an expert marketing specialist resume saved as a PDF.
"Marketers hate typos and most will judge you based on your font choice. Don’t use comic sans." -Heidi Prior, Travel Media Sales and Marketing Executive, Miles Partnership.
Still not sure the reverse-chronological resume format is best? Check our guide: "3 Resume Formats: How to Choose the Best One [Examples]"
2
Adding contact information to a marketing resume is easy, right? Just tack it on, and off we go.
Not so fast.
While the basics don't take much brain power, there's a lot more to contact info than the obvious. First, cover the classics.
Include:
Keep your info clean, not cluttered. The clips from two entry level marketing resume samples below show the difference.
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Jaime Secada, Jaime.FSecada@gmail.com - 415-749-0073 |
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Jaime Secada 125 Hillview Drive San Francisco, CA, 94016 Email: markether321@aol.com
Phone: 415-749-0073 |
That's the bare bones, but don't stop there.
Add your LinkedIn profile. Make it great by following the tips in our guide to optimize your LinkedIn profile here.
Include a link to your portfolio site. Don't have one? Google "digital marketing portfolios" to get lots of great examples.
When used this way, your contact info can be a CTA to an entire marketing mix, instead of just a name and number.
Pro Tip: Have a Gmail account. This is huge. No Hotmail, no AOL, no Yahoo. If you don't do this one simple thing, you may unintentionally send a message you don’t know your stuff.
Need more inspiration for your perfect marketer resume? Hunting for a professional resume template? See our guide: "How to Make a Resume: A Step-by-Step Guide (+30 Examples)"
3
You should always start your marketing resume with a bang.
Imagine you’re an recruiter. You get 250 resumes. They all look the same. But all of a sudden you see something that grabs your attention like a vise.
One candidate has just what you’re looking for at the very top of her resume.
It’s called a resume summary or a resume objective. But which one should you use?
Use a resume summary when you have plenty of experience and skills.
Use resume objective when you're just starting out, or switching careers.
Now let me show you how you write them.
Take a look at the two marketing manager resume samples below.
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Growth marketer with 5.5 years experience working for a mobile firm. |
See? That could be absolutely anyone. It blends in like a white logo on a white background.
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Experienced growth marketer with a background in sales and 5+ years experience growing conversion rates for a San Francisco mobile carrier. Seeking to leverage leadership excellence to raise KPIs for Symantec. |
See what the second marketing executive resume did? Now let me tell you why the second summary is so effective.
Since it's tailored to the job description, it reaches out and grabs the recruiter. Your marketing manager resume summary is the top of your sales funnel. It's your job to make it easy to fall in.
When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.
When you’re done, our professional resume builder will score your resume and our resume checker will tell you exactly how to make it better.
Don't have experience? Use a resume objective. It works best for career changers, fresh graduates, and those seeking a new niche.
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Inexperienced digital marketer willing to work hard and learn. |
Yuck. Too generic.
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Performance marketer passionate about KPIs and growing customer base. Seeking to leverage strong knack for quantitative measurement, data visualization and results tracking to gain experience with MC Crates. |
That one really shows your passion for the job.
Lots of online experts say to skip the resume summary or objective in a digital marketing resume. What they mean is, don't make it generic. Generic = churn.
Pro Tip: According to Chamath Palihapitiya, CEO of Social Capital, marketing is understanding the value of a product, then moving customers to an "Aha" moment, fast. Your resume should do just that.
Want more advice? Need more professional resume examples? Check out our two guides: How to Write a Resume Profile (Examples)
4
Remember Carolyn? The CEO with the tasty marketing job?
She's crazy about experience.
In fact, she'd rather hire one digital marketer with the right experience than ten with all the education and credentials in the world.
Start by fully researching the company and job. Then take a look into your past and ask, "Do I fit this company like Nike fits the swoosh?"
If the answer is "yes," your next job is to prove it.
In your marketing resume, list your most recent experience first. Make each position a value proposition. Quantify your achievements with metrics that build your case. (I'll show you how in a minute.)
See the two product marketing manager resume samples below.
The experience section below is tailored for a digital marketing manager resume. The position calls for skills in branding and handling distributed platforms. It also values increasing conversions and decreasing churn.
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Digital Marketing Manager Tenquist Digital June 2014 - May 2017
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Digital Marketing Manager Tenquist Digital June 2014 - May 2017
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Tip: the first marketing manager resume example uses action words like spearheaded, enhanced, and collaborated. Need more? See our guide: "+80 Examples of Resume Action Words for Every Profession"
Don't have experience?
Get some.
You can build your own blog to show off your marketing skills.
Not a good writer? Make it a video, a podcast, or a visual portfolio site.
Sound like too much work? Kick off your own PPC campaign on AdWords or Facebook. Target a certain market, then track the results.
With a little elbow grease, even a newbie can have a marketing resume experience section that stands out like the Absolut campaign.
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Freelance Social Media Marketer Secada Marketing, LLC June 2016 - present
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Experience
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Think about the social media marketing resume examples above. What did the first candidate do right? She found a way to do some things that look impressive on a resume for marketing jobs.
Pro Tip: Want to be a marketer? Learn sales first. Take a look through marketing job postings on LinkedIn. Most of them require sales experience.
Need action words to make the best digital marketing resume you can? See our guide: "+80 Examples of Resume Action Words for Every Profession"
5
Getting a job in marketing is all about experience. That means your marketing resume education section doesn't matter. Right?
Wrong.
It's a great way to separate you from the crowd.
Make it presentable and original. Use it to show your personality and drive.
On your resume make sure to Include:
Also, add any extra-curricular activities that show you're perfect for this job offer.
Look at the following example from a marketing coordinator resume:
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2011-2014 MBA University of Pennsylvania
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Maybe you didn't do all the things in the list above. The point is, if you dig a little, you'll find key items to put your education section on a fast conversion path.
Pro Tip: As an online marketer or growth marketer, your online presence is everything. Have you tried Googling your own name? Manage your reputation by culling anything unprofessional and adding relevant content. See this guide for online presence housekeeping tips!
Want to make your marketing resume education section pop like Neil Patel created it? Check out our guide: "How to Put Your Education on a Resume [Tips & Examples]"
6
Skills. You've got 'em. Flaunt 'em.
Remember: Your resume is a mini marketing campaign.
Research the company. Pay close attention to the job description.
Pick most of your skills from the job posting itself. This will happen naturally if you find a company you're passionate about.
Next, brainstorm. Look through online job postings to see what's valued.
Look at the table below. All the marketing skills there are the perfect keywords for a marketing resume.
"Soft" Skills | Marketing-Specific Skills | Software Skills |
Sales | SEO | HTML |
Communication | SEM | CSS |
Analytical | PPC | Adobe Premiere |
Writing | CPC | MS Office |
Negotiation | Email Marketing | Ms PowerPoint |
Creative Thinking Skills | Email Automation | WordPress |
Collaboration | CRO | Ahrefs |
Business Acumen | A/B Testing | HubSpot |
Work Ethic | Paid Social Media Advertising | Google Docs |
Passion | Sales Funnel Management | MailChimp |
Once you've got a list of stellar skills, don't just stick them in your resume's skills section, willy nilly.
Weave them into your experience section. Show how you leveraged them to achieve each accomplishment.
Here's the right and wrong way to put skills on a marketing resume. Imagine you're applying for a job that values teamwork, communication skills, and creativity.
The first snippet below, from a marketing director resume example, nails it. The second is a giant, leaky funnel.
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Sales, Collaboration, Negotiation, Communication, Creativity, Passion for Meeting KPI's. |
SEO (grew organic traffic by 78% in 12 months). |
CRO and A/B Testing (optimized sign-up rates by 37%). |
Social Media Advertising. |
Sales Funnel Management. |
Adept at Using HubSpot and Google Analytics. |
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Analytical, writing, business acumen. |
PPC, CRO, SEO, SEM. |
PowerPoint, MS Office, Google Docs, HTML. |
Event marketing. |
See how the first of the two marketing resume samples above shows metrics that match the job description?
Pro Tip: "After you send your resume, follow up. It shows you're really interested, not just applying to anything you see." -Heidi Prior, Travel Media Sales and Marketing Executive, Miles Partnership. See this guide to learn how.
Need your marketing resume skills section to positively glow? See our guide: 40+ Best Examples of Marketing Skills to Put on a Resume (Proven Tips)
7
What if your best features don't fit under Experience, Education, or Skills?
That's when you need to add a section.
Got certifications like the AMA Professional Certified Marketer certification or a Google Analytics Certification?
ProTip: If you complete courses on digital marketing from Hubspot Academy, you can pin a badge to your Linkedin profile.
What about interests, hobbies, side projects, or accolades?
Generally, too many sections will spoil a marketing resume. Pick one and stick with it. You could call it hobbies, projects, awards, or whatever best matches what you're trying to show off.
Whatever you add, make sure it fits your storyline. If it doesn't boost your message, cut it. It's like Volkswagen said in the 60's: Think Small.
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Side Projects
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Side Projects
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Pro Tip: Link to examples of your work from your marketing resume. Telling the hiring manager about your wins is great. Proving them is better still.
Looking to add a section to showcase your personality? Check out our guide: "+20 Best Examples of Hobbies & Interests To Put on a Resume (5 Tips)"
8
Your best friends will say you don't need a cover letter.
Your best friends are wrong.
If you listen, you'll turn off 45% of all recruiters before they even see your marketing resume.
A cover letter is a way to show your personality and your creative side. And you need to do that, because marketing is half analytical and half creative.
The cover letter lets you demonstrate that second part. It's where you flaunt your inner Jill McDonald.
Create a shortlist from all the sections of your marketing resume. This is the cream of the crop. In this case, it fits a job posting that values branding and email campaigns, plus content marketing.
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Pro Tip: Add references when you send your resume. It instantly shows you're ready and you've done the preliminary steps.
Need some expert advice before you craft your marketing resume? See our guide: "How To Write A Cover Letter [Complete Guide With Examples]"
Making the perfect marketing resume is only half the battle.
Whether you’re a digital marketer, a brand marketer, or a marketing communications manager, you've got to follow through.
Once your resume is finished, proofread it. Typos are a big no-no in the marketing world.
Next, follow up. That may mean finding the hiring manager's contact info. Use findthat.email.
Then, perfect your follow-up email title and know when it gets opened with a free install of MixMax.
Finally, consider placing a friendly follow-up call directly to the hiring manager a few days later. Your call could be just what it takes to pull your marketing resume to the top of the heap.
Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:
See more cover letter templates and start writing.
There's a great guide here that'll show you how to stand out like a lighthouse in a sea of boring. Because the best professional marketing resume in the world won't get you hired if you don't know how to send it, track it, and follow through.
And if you want to see a job-winning marketing manager cover letter, read our dedicated guide and learn how to write yours in no time: Marketing Manager Cover Letter: Sample & Full Writing Guide [20+ Tips].
Or read this guide if you are applying for a marketing internship: Marketing Intern Cover Letter Example & Guide.
Keep these points in mind as you create your marketing resume:
Do you have your own story or ideas about making the best marketing resume possible? Give us a shout in the comments section!
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Don’t have much time, but need a good resume ASAP? Here’s a master list of the best resume tips out there, plus a bonus to make your life easier.
Not sure what your resume should look like to impress recruiters? You’ve come to the right place to find out. See for yourself what the best-looking resume looks like.
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