Digital Marketing resume examples & templates

True to form for any marketing communication tool, a job-winning digital marketing resume is about connecting with your audience — the prospective employer — in the right way, for the right place and time. 

Entry-level

Mid-career

Senior-level

Use this template

Use this template

Use this template

Marketing Intern

Marketing Associate

Marketing Analyst

Marketing Coordinator

Marketing Consultant

SEO

Social Media Manager

Digital Marketing Manager

To support and enhance everything you already know how to do well, Resume.io tips can help you successfully funnel this applied knowledge when seeking to impress a prospective new employer. 

This guide, along with our digital marketing resume example, will address:

• What digital marketing professionals do, how much they earn and what the job outlook is like
• How to write a resume that capitalizes on your specialized expertise
• The best format for a digital marketing resume that matches your qualifications and career goals to what this specific job and employer require
• Advice on each section of your resume: summary, work history, education and skills
• Professional resume layout and design tips.

What do digital marketing professionals do?

Simply put in this definition by Hubspot: “Digital marketing encompasses all marketing efforts that use an electronic device or the internet.”  In other words, it can be any form of marketing that exists online.

Almost anything and everything about digital marketing can seem new at any given time, except for that very phenomenon. As entrepreneur Amine Rahal wrote in a Forbes YEC Council forecast of emerging trends, “Digital marketing is an evergreen industry where change is the only constant. As we move into 2021, it's crucial that we, as marketers and entrepreneurs, stay on top of the latest industry developments.” 

Digital marketing job market and salary

The average annual salary for digital marketing managers is $67,961, according to Payscale.com. This falls within a wide range from $47828, the annual compensation rate reported by entry-level digital marketing specialists, to $149,651 for those in marketing vice-president roles.

Somewhat lower average incomes for digital marketing professionals in the U.S. are reported by Glassdoor.com. This source puts the median annual salary at $57,260, within a range from $35,000 to $94,000.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not categorize digital marketing jobs separately but reports median annual income figures for these occupations in May 2020: advertising and promotions managers —  $133,460 and marketing managers —  $142,170 in May 2020.

The BLS outlook for overall employment of advertising, promotions and marketing managers is favorable, as organizations strive to maintain and expand market share. Job growth of 6% is projected from 2019 to 2029, faster than the average for all occupations. 

How to write a digital marketing resume

Most resumes stick with a tried-and-true outline because it works. Your digital marketing CV should contain the following elements:

• The resume header
• The resume summary (aka profile or personal statement)
• The employment history section
• The resume skills section
• The education section

Your journey to excellence as a digital marketing professional gives you a leg up in crafting a resume that delivers substance and style in the same neat package. So much of the knowledge and experience you’ve acquired along the way is directly applicable to this very self-marketing project.

And that’s exactly how to approach the most important sales pitch you might ever write! Answers to these questions will inform your strategy in the same way as always: who am I writing this for, and why? 

It’s a safe bet you already have mastery over the three critical aspects that mystify many job applicants in other fields.

1. Research

Your target audience is the employer — specifically the hiring manager — in the same way you normally research customers or other stakeholders.

Investigate everything you can about the job you are applying for and the organization. Seek to fill in blanks about the workplace, the people, the corporate culture and brand.

2. Customize

Your research is the basis for tailoring the content, style, language and tone of your digital marketing resume accordingly.

Your targeted resume thus becomes a functionally adaptable document, at the ready to change up when each new job opportunity arises. And your marketing communication gifts keep on giving when each different resume version is engaging, relevant, compelling and above all, purposeful.

3. Optimize for ATS

Your knowledge of SEO and keyword use is golden here, dovetailing with steps 1 and 2 above. You likely understand better than most how e-algorithms come into play when human readers are searching for and selecting online content.

Unfortunately, countless worthy resumes for any given job post never find their way to the point of being seen by a recruiter’s human eyes. Most large organizations nowadays rely on Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) as the digital filter for resumes submitted online. Each document file is scanned for keywords and ranked against all others on that basis. Only the highest-ranking resumes pass through the ATS for review by hiring staff. The rest are efficiently eliminated.

As you might have guessed, the best source for ATS-proofing your resume is the job post you are responding to. You can’t go wrong scrutinizing the listed job requirements to determine precisely what hiring managers and their digital gatekeepers are looking for. Your expertise will then come in handy when it comes to incorporating as many resume-tailored keywords as possible, in your own relevant context and natural-sounding language.

Best resume format for digital marketing 

Choosing the best resume format for your digital marketing resume is an important step. As with most occupations, it will depend on the career path you’ve been following and where you are aiming to take it next. A key consideration is the type of position you are applying for and how best to bridge your past and future from the hiring manager’s perspective. It’s part of the same custom-tailoring strategy this guide keeps coming back to.

Should you emphasize where you’ve worked and the people who were part of the scene? The projects and campaigns that shaped your success stories? Or the specialized skills, talents and passions that make you a stand-out digital marketer that any organization would be lucky to nab?

The most commonly used chronological resume format works well for job seekers whose work history has mostly followed a linear pattern with one employer at a time. In that section of your resume, progressive job experience and accomplishments are organized by employer/workplace in reverse order from most recent to earliest dates. 

Alternative resume formats are sometimes better suited to those who are new to the workforce or changing careers, or whose occupational background is more diverse. Self-employed professionals working on a freelance or contract basis might opt for a project-based “functional” resume format. Other functional resumes emphasize specialized technical skills or modes of artistic expression, rather than work history. 

Digital marketing specialists who have worked independently or in specific niche markets might consider adopting the functional resume, or even a hybrid (combination) document that reflects their background and goals. The choice is yours.

Digital marketing CV summary example

Your CV summary — sometimes called the (resume profile or resume summary)  — requires the same audience-directed angle and persuasive tone to portray yourself in a positive light. You are the brand and the “buyer” needs are those of the employer you seek to impress.

For marketing professionals, adopting the face, voice and personality of an organization or brand should be second nature. In doing so, your message resonates with the target audience by focusing on what customers need and portraying that in a positive light. 

This compact space on your CV has a very big and important part to play. It’s where your personal and professional essence can shine through if you make the most of every limited word without selling yourself short. You have just two or three almost-complete sentences to hit the high notes, concisely but convincingly. Skip the “I” subject and launch straight into active, results-oriented verbs. Use language that’s clear, descriptive and fluid, but not flowery. Express enthusiasm, confidence and energy in a tone that’s earnest and authentic, never pretentious.

Think of the summary as a resume synopsis that neither duplicates nor downplays the highlights found elsewhere, notably in the work history section. It takes your abilities and accomplishments a step further in conveying “who I am” from a “what I’ve done” perspective. Soft and hard skills can come across seamlessly in statements such as: “Led team members in delivering well-researched, high-quality content to consistently meet or exceed new subscriber goals.”

Employment history sample

If your career has been following a consistent series of employee positions in digital marketing, then the conventional resume structure leading off with your work history, in reverse chronological order, is suitable. (Alternatives were touched on in the preceding guide chapter).

Your current/most recent job appears first and your earliest job comes last, going back no more than four or five positions. If there are work history lapses or stints in unrelated occupations, relevant positions should take precedence.

Each job entry starts with the employer name, location and when you worked there. Below that is a bullet point list of four or five contributions. Emphasize what you do or did, rather than your functional responsibilities. That calls for specific and direct action verbs in the simple past or present tense: “launched,” not “responsible for the implementation of” or “spearheaded,” instead of “in charge of organizing and running.”  

Your language should showcase accomplishments, rather than intent, citing measurable results and outcomes. Was there an impact on web traffic or revenues? Were readers or customers persuaded or influenced by a call to action?

Generally, only relevant digital marketing work experience belongs on your resume. Of course, there are exceptions. Say your sights are set on a gig writing blogs for a landscape design business, and you used to work weekends in the Home Depot garden supply department. Especially if your digital marketing work experience is otherwise on the thin side, this might be worth including.

Digital marketing CV education example 

In scenarios where an employer requires you to have formal education, the typical educational requirement for digital marketing specialists is a bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications or graphic design. Google AdWords or some other specialty certifications may be needed also, and perhaps a master’s degree for manager or director positions. 

Generally, you will list the relevant degrees earned from colleges you attended in reverse chronological order, from highest to lowest levels. If you have space left on your one-page resume, be sure to mention scholastic awards or other special achievements and honors. 

Any diplomas, certifications and internships relevant to your training and professional development also belong in this CV section. Don’t overlook anything that sets you apart as a continuous learner to keep pace in the ever-evolving digital marketing sector. 

There are instances when you might consider reversing the order of your resume work history and education sections. It might make sense if you are short on digital marketing experience (and are just entering this field), your educational background is particularly impressive or relevant, or you are a freelancer starting out or branching out in a sideline career. 

Skills example section

This part of your resume is about marketing the skills you’ve mastered to meet anticipated employer demand. Staying ahead of learning curves comes with the territory of being a digital marketing specialist, along with your research skills. And because you also know a thing or two about marketing, the notion of marketing yourself in the skills and work history sections of your resume is hardly a stretch.

Make the most of your up-to-date digital marketing skills by letting recruiters know what you know that your next employer needs and wants. 

According to the Digital Marketing Institute, these nine soft skills can mean the difference between a good and a great digital marketer.

1. Intuition
2. Curiosity
3. Social skills
4. Persuasion skills
5. Analytical skills
6. Comfort with technology
7. Ability to adapt
8. Multitasking skills
9. Creativity

Resume layout and design: first and lasting impression

Digital marketing specialists are used to ensuring their work always looks as good as it reads, even if someone else takes care of the design and formatting. Again in a fashion appropriate for the target audience — hiring staff — your goal as a workforce hopeful is a clean, reader-friendly resume layout and design. 

There are no hard and fast rules for choosing font style and size, text formats and even possible touches of color in graphic elements. Just be mindful of the design principles for adequate margins, line spacing and white space for proportion and balance to offset the text-heavy sections. 

Your instincts and talents may be reliable for creating a stylish-looking resume that does justice to the content quality: eye-catching but impeccably neat, polished and gimmick-free. But if you don’t have the time or inclination to do so from scratch, Resume.io offers an easier way with our online resume builder tool. Check out our collection of field-tested resume templates in a range of style categories. Choose one you like, click to select, and start entering your own replacement text. You’re relieved from fussing over the most tedious aspects of design and formatting, while still able to add your own stamp of originality.

Most online job applicants realize it’s important to download and save their resume as a PDF, the most commonly used default file format for ensuring compatibility between desktop and mobile devices. However, there are exceptional instances where PDF files may not be preferred or accepted, so always double-check the online submission instructions (online application systems may sometimes demand Word files, so choose a resume builder that accommodates this).

Key takeaways for a digital marketing resume

• Few occupations today are as rapidly evolving or as resilient to unforeseen economic challenges as digital marketing. As the demand for skilled digital marketing specialists remains unprecedented across all business sectors and industries, job opportunities and competition will go hand in hand.
• The constant need to future-proof your professional skills translates to your value proposition to prospective employers in a winning resume.
• The bar is set high for digital marketers to create a top-flight resume, while they also have a greater advantage being up to the task of research, custom-tailoring and ATS optimization.
• In particular, online advice from expert trend-watchers can be a rich source of ideas for a digital marketing resume geared to the most in-demand skills.
• Using the online resume builder and professional resume examples at resume.io lets you focus on writing worthy resume content with eyes on the prize, still with room for your own creative stamp.