The structure of your resume will be largely defined by the
resume format you choose. If you don’t have a lot of work experience, then you can use a functional resume to highlight your skills. If you have lots of relevant experience, then you can use either a chronological or combination format.
Entry-level marketers are likely to use a functional format as entry-level roles don’t usually need much industry experience.
Your resume is still likely to have similar sections. Here are typical resume sections in most formats:
- Resume summary
- Skills
- Work experience
- Education
Header
The resume header section is usually the first part of your resume. This section contains your key contact information. In this section, you should include:
- Name
- Location
- Phone number
- Email address
You can also include a link to any professional networking sites like LinkedIn to show off your industry contacts. You can also include any links to sites that show off your previous content marketing work, such as freelance copywriting and other marketing experience.
Resume summary
Your resume summary acts as your introduction to the hiring manager or recruiter. In this section, you should include information that grabs the reader’s attention, such as specialist certifications or key accomplishments.
This section is usually two to three sentences long and helps to summarize the contents of your resume. Consider referencing specific marketing skills that might be picked up by Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).
Skills
The resume skills section may be the most important part of your resume if you choose a functional format. Your resume skills section should contain a good mixture of hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills are specific to a marketing role, and soft skills are character attributes that are transferable across multiple industries.
If you’re struggling to think of the correct terms and skills to sum up your knowledge, then consider using these bullet points to inspire this section:
- Email marketing
- Communication skills
- Business administration
- Designing marketing campaigns
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Use of initiative
- Social media marketing
- Creativity
- Attention to detail
- Collaboration skills
- Data analysis
- Market research
- Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
- Campaign budgeting
- Metric analysis
Work history
In an entry-level role, you might not have a lot of experience as a marketing professional. However, you can include a work history section if you have any experience that shows off marketing specialist knowledge.
You should list your experience in reverse chronological order, starting from the most recent experience. This offers the hiring manager or recruiter the most up-to-date information. You can list your professional experience in bullet points, listing some of your key responsibilities whilst working.
Below the job title, you should include these details:
- Company name
- Location
- Date started
- Date finished
You can include any informal experience, such as being a marketing intern or performing volunteer work. This can support your resume and show the hiring manager that you have the relevant skills to qualify for an entry-level marketing position.
Education
If you’re a recent graduate, then your education section might be the most important part of providing that you have enough knowledge and soft skills. Marketing applicants usually need a bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, or creative subjects.
You should include your degree title, school and the year you graduated.
