Shaping perceptions and driving awareness. As a social media manager, you are the voice of your company in the online world. You not only decide what to say, but also how, where and when to say it.
.jpg)
.jpg)
When it comes to writing your social media manager resume, those communication skills will need to be on point. If you cannot communicate your worth on your resume, it will be tough to convince a potential employer that you can compose a succinct tweet or powerful Facebook update.
As a leading international resource for successful career moves, Resume.io can help you craft a job-winning resume that reflects your professional mastery of words. We’ve developed more than 300 occupation-specific resume writing guides and resume examples to put your next career move in closer reach.
In a resume, as in social media, your words are all you have. So how does a social media manager craft a resume that showcases every aspect of the multi-faceted role? We’re about to show you how to build a winning social media manager resume that will go viral. Besides learning how to highlight your experience, both data-driven and creative, you’ll be sure to use role-specific language to showcase your personal blend of hard and soft skills. We will help you to reach the hearts and minds of your dream employer, while also making sure you make it past the digital resume screening gatekeeper first.
This resume writing guide, along with the corresponding social media manager resume examples, will cover the following topics:
- Role of social media managers and the job market outlook
- General writing tips for a healthcare resume
- The best format for structuring your healthcare resume
- Advice on each resume section: header, summary, work history, education and skills
- Professional resume layout and design hints.
On a resume, as on social media, your words are all you have. But how do you craft a resume that showcases every aspect of your multi-faceted role? This guide will show you how to:
- Build a winning social media manager resume that will go viral.
- Highlight your experience, both data-driven and creative.
- Ensure that you use role-specific language to pass the ATS test.
- Showcase your personal blend of hard and soft skills as a social media manager, with real examples.
Along with our sample resumes and builder tool, we will help you to reach the hearts and minds of your dream employer, while also making sure you make it past the ATS gatekeeper first. You are used to beating the social algorithms. Now it is time to hone your resume to beat the job search algorithm.
What does a social media manager do?
Social media requires a targeted approach to a specific audience. Perfecting the message and mechanics of your resume works in much the same way. Consider how massive the market is, with the number of daily social media users reaching 4.8 billion at last count. With every person spending an average of three hours online, it might seem that hard to reach your audience. But social media managers are not only competing with their direct rivals.
Social media managers build their communities by engaging, informing and inspiring their audience. They take their brand on a social media journey by getting internal stakeholders to buy in to their strategy and cultivating a culture of employee advocacy within their company.
Creativity is critical in the production of content, but it does not come without an analytical eye and a focus on profitability (or brand positioning if your company doesn’t use social media marketing for direct sales). Efficient organization and the ability to prioritize tactical decisions are key to success. No wonder managing social media is one of the most popular roles in the new online economy.
The social media manager job outlook
Opportunities for experience social media managers are increasing alongside the above-average annual growth rate of activity in their industry. Given that many companies are still catching up with the growth, it is a role that will be in high demand for many years to come. Employers are not only looking to understand whether someone is a fit for their culture; they want to see whether applicants are able to capture their brand “voice.”
Buffer reported in 2019 that 73% of marketers believe their efforts through social media marketing have been “somewhat effective” or “very effective” for their business. This underlines the rising importance of social media marketing as a business tool and the corresponding managers - as vitally important specialists.
How to write a social media manager resume
Your social media resume should follow the same commonly used resume structure that applies to all occupations, including these components:
- Header
- Summary
- Employment history section
- Education section
- Skills section
Before we delve deeper into each of these resume sections shortly, here are some general considerations.
When you are fighting for attention on social media, everyone is your competitor. Social media managers need to adapt their message to specific platforms and audiences. When writing your resume, there are some similar considerations:
- Understanding the specifics of your market
- Getting past the ATS in a keyword-driven industry
- Communicating the balance between skills and behaviors.
With engagement being prioritized over metrics such as “likes” and “shares” (easily faked), communicating in the right voice is critical to turn customers into loyal fans. A potential employer’s first experience of that voice will be in your resume. But what elements of the role should you include?
For inspiration and ideas to help you create your social media manager resume, check out these other writing guides and examples in the marketing category:
- Digital Marketing Manager resume sample
- Marketing Manager resume sample
- Marketing Associate resume sample
- Art Director resume sample
- Digital Marketing resume sample
- Event Planner resume sample
- Content Writer resume sample
- Marketing Consultant resume sample
- Magazine Editor resume sample
- Blog Writer resume sample
- Content Marketing Associate resume sample
- Advertising Director resume sample
- Content Acquisitions Director resume sample
- Creative Director resume sample
- Marketing resume sample
- Brand Ambassador resume sample
- Brand Manager resume sample
- Public Relations resume sample
- SEO resume sample
- Marketing Coordinator resume sample
How can you beat the ATS algorithm?
You are used to beating the social algorithms. Now it is time to hone your resume to beat the job search algorithm. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) act as online screening tools by analyzing resumes for keywords. Each section of your resume has a certain number of terms relevant to the employer, the hiring manager and the job application. Applicants who understand how an ATS works have an actual chance of delivering their resume to human eyes, so the recruiters can see and evaluate them.
The keywords for a social media manager resume will vary depending on the demands of the role. One employer might focus on certain platforms and media, while another might take an entirely different approach. Researching how they reach their audience and sprinkling your resume with the keywords that the hiring manager may have specified will be crucial to passing the first stage of the selection process.
In many of our resume writing guides, we suggest researching the employer’s website and/or social media page to better understand the job application. For you, this is doubly important, as you’ll be working with these tools. Analyze the employer's social media presence to better understand not only the professional skills being sought, but even the questions you’ll be asked during your interview.
The ATS system impacts your resume's summary and skills sections the most, where you provide descriptive terms of your professional character and skill-set. The trick to a great resume with a natural flow is to balance the need for inserting the necessary keywords without making it all look artificial.
Choosing the best resume format for social media
The most commonly used, failsafe chronological resume format is ideal for structuring most resumes. It will likely work well for most social media managers also, by providing a straightforward overview of your career highlights in the employment history section.
But if the social media position you’re pursuing would be a radical departure, or your job background has not followed a linear path of employee positions, you might want to consider another resume format. The functional resume format is sometimes suitable for those who have worked independently in contract or consulting roles and want to emphasize specific skills, projects or clients. In other instances, a hybrid resume structure combining chronological and functional elements makes the most sense.
Resume summary example: your core message
Often, the number of words you have available to convey your message on social media is limited. The summary of your social media manager resume, sometimes called the profile or personal statement, shows how well you can craft your own elevator pitch. It is arguably the most important part of your resume. Although an ATS will scan every word from start to finish, the summary is sometimes all that a human might read in detail. (It’s not unusual for resume readers to merely skim through the employment history and skills sections.)
Your resume summary is essentially a story of your expertise and character. Its free-form nature allows for maximal creative expression. Every employer knows this is the place where job seekers can succinctly pitch their added value, and every ATS algorithm will place extra weight on the keywords you include. Therefore, choose your words very carefully.
In addition to making your skills shine in the separate resume section dedicated for that purpose (we’ll cover that later), it's impossible to write a great summary without mentioning them.. But it's also important here to give your future employer.
By all means highlight your industry expertise. If your summary does not paint a picture of a social media expert, there is no chance that anyone will read further. You need to make your potential employer think, “Wow, I wish someone would do that for us.” If you make hiring managers envious and curious, they will want to arrange an interview to learn more, and your resume has done its first important job.
Take your lead from the posted job description. This is your starting point when it comes to keywords. The more similar terms and connections there are between the job description and your resume summary, the more likely you will pass the ATS test.
Word clouds are useful software to pick out hidden patterns from the posted job description text and can inform how you present yourself. Research the platforms that the prospective employer uses, look at its current activity and make sure that your resume summary mirrors whatever is working best for the organization. You might even detect some potential room for improvement.
Use the resume summary to show off your human side. Just as a list of keywords would never work as a social post, it’s imperative that your resume summary makes the prospective employer feel something. If you can’t achieve that in those first few resume lines, how will you persuade recruiters of your ability to craft social media content that stands out from the masses? The best social media managers are not afraid to show the humanity and humility of their brands. Make sure you do that in your resume summary section.
Below is a social media manager resume example summary you can customize.
Customer-led social media manager with twelve years of B2B experience in the recruitment and hospitality industries. Increased conversions by 150%, CTR 49% and social web referrals by 41% across various clients. I have created a social media department ab initio with Company X and Y and integrated social advocacy programs into both businesses. I am a content creator, a dynamic organizer and a savvy strategist. I understand the levers that I need to pull to maximize the financial impact of my social campaigns.
Employment history sample: context of achievement
The employment history section of your social media manager resume will showcase your ideas, projects, and contributions. But it also needs to put your work into context, including figures and outcomes. While your employment history may not all be relevant to the role that you are applying for, it is important to match up elements of your experience with the requirements of each specific role that you interview for. When hiring managers read about the employer's own projects and challenges, they will have a high level of certainty that you can do a job for them too.
While leading first with your most recent job experiences shows you are up to date with the latest social marketing methodologies, it's also important for an employer to see that you were implementing what worked at the time. Talking about running organic video campaigns six years ago will not fool anyone. Your resume's work history section must also demonstrate that you and your former employer were at the cutting edge, and that you work hard to stay there.
Use reverse chronological order when listing your past jobs and projects, from recent to oldest. Your resume space is limited to one page, so start with the most impressive positions and achievements. Employment history sections rarely go beyond 10 years of experience and often they will show even less. Detailing important achievements take precedence over irrelevant junior positions or jobs in other fields.
Illustrate your examples with numbers and percentages, and where possible put them into context of what went before. The typical social media impact within a given industry might not be the same for your prospective employer, so you cannot assume that they are aware. It is also important to cover how you worked with stakeholders, influencing their decisions and encouraging their contribution. No social media manager works in a vacuum, and it is vital that a collaborative thread runs through your work history. If you don’t talk about people, you will be seen as a lone wolf.
According to data from PayScale, the average worldwide salary of a social media specialist barely increases when it passes the nine-year mark. The jump from four to five years of experience is plus $8,000 a year, while the jump from nine to 10 years is barely $2,000. So, no need to make your employment history overly comprehensive.
Be specific about your personal impact, and do not fall into the trap of simply describing your responsibilities. Conveying what your job entailed is not enough — you have to describe how you made a difference in your job. Use action verbs and avoid any superfluous adjectives or fluffy language. You have achieved too much to waste space on your resume.
To describe projects and accomplishments, the STAR method can help keep your explanations logical and straightforward:
- S — Situation you were in
- T — Task(s) you had
- A — Actions/strategy you used
- R — Result you achieved
Below is a social media manager employment history resume sample you can use while writing your own.
- Developed social accounts and set up content calendars for new clients.
- Interacted with online communities and promoted brand and product awareness.
- Assisted with management of client presence on varying social media platforms.
- Recorded data regarding website traffic and user feedback.
- Created infographics and images for client blogs and Facebook accounts.
Social media manager education example: learning curve
Since most social media managers possess a bachelor’s degree, this will likely appear at the top of your resume education section. In addition, your education listing should reflect the need for self-education and training as a constant for this profession. As the job sector develops, job-specific marketing qualifications are becoming increasingly common, but in an ever-changing landscape, the majority of the learning requirements are on the job.
You likely won't have enough space to include every course you have taken. However, it's important to demonstrate an attitude of self-improvement so employers can tell your skills and knowledge have not stagnated. So do include a bulleted list of certifications or courses that are specifically tailored to each job role. Little details like this make all the difference.
Below is the education section from a social media manager resume example.
- 2005-2009 Hofstra University, Bachelor of Marketing Hempstead, NY
- 2001- 2005 St, Peter’s Academy, High School Diploma NY, NYO
CV skills example: ensuring alignment
It is vital to align your social media manager CV with each potential job and employer you are targeting. In each instance, make sure you showcase the skills that are required for each specific role. In social media, you are only as good as your last campaign. Every social campaign is different and the same goes for every social media management role.
Your resume should contain a good mix of hard and soft skills, with a few real-life examples where possible. There isn't enough space to highlight each skill more than once in your resume summary and employment history, so spread them out among the roles and accomplishments highlighted in order of importance and relevance.
In that context, here are some skills typically expected from social media managers:
- Drive the online brand strategy and own the voice of your company on social media.
- Decide where to prioritize your efforts over multiple campaigns across multiple platforms.
- Understand where your audience is spending their time and how they behave online.
- Leverage the right tools and software that correspond to the needs of your business.
- Create customer-centric content and work with the best-fit service providers.
- Communicate with clients and colleagues to ensure optimal performance of campaigns.
- Manage, grow and engage with your community online - without them you are nothing.
- Analyze results, adapt strategies and react to changes in the marketing landscape.
- Monitor and report on performance – making sure that engagement leads to conversion.
Some might view social media management as a transactional and practical occupation. However, the best social media managers are able to blend their softer behavioral traits — such as influencing and creativity — with the more technical job requirements. It's easy to reel off a list of skills and behaviors, but giving relevant real-life examples is what will make your resume really stand out.
Don’t just talk the talk – show that you can walk the walk. Include statistics such as growth numbers, campaign reach and return on investment to back up your skills and make your employer imagine what you might achieve.
According to Bowdoin Group HR, a consultancy that helps companies with recruiting and HR needs, the skills employers should look for in social media specialists are: target audience analysis, strong writing and presentation skills and data analytics skills. Social media marketing is also about evaluating the numeric results of campaigns, audience engagement, ROI for social media advertising and so on.
As a manager, you obviously also need coordination skills, team management skills and emotional intellect (to name a few).
Understanding how employers view your required skills is important.
Otherwise, abbreviated skill descriptions — one or two words each — belong as a bullet-point list in your resume's skills section.
Check out a social media manager resume sample for the skills section below.
- Interpersonal Communication Skills
- Project Management Skills
- Content Development
- Business Development Strategies
- Customer Service
- Computer Technology Skills.
Resume layout and design: creative but impactful
Making decisions about how to structure your social media manager resume can be difficult for those who usually work with a creative blank canvas. There are no specific rules about which format to choose, but we can suggest some guiding principles.
Firstly, ensure that it is visually clean, easy to read and symmetrical. You will have a lot to say about your achievements, but the starring moments will be lost if your resume is cluttered.
Secondly, don’t make it too densely technical. A recruiter without a deep understanding might skip over to more readable parts. Including technical terms is good for the ATS, but make sure that they are integrated into your career story.
To increase your chances of passing the ATS test, decipher the most important abbreviations. Not all ATS algorithms can recognize every acronym. Don’t reduce your chances by listing only three-letter abbreviations throughout your entire resume.
Make sure that all of your resume can be “read” both by humans and machines. For example, not all ATS systems will pick up on what's in a header section, which is why contact information is often lost in processing. Ensure that your resume has a logical flow.
So, what layout is best for a social media manager? The visual clues of your resume layout will offer an insight into your ability to grab the audience's attention, so a sectioned structure and visual effects such as bulleted sections and progress bars will work well. Our template collection has a wide range of attractive layouts. Choose one and make it your own using our builder tool.
Key takeaways for a social media manager resume
- Your employer will be borrowing your voice, so make sure that your language is compelling.
- Summarize your elevator pitch with emotive language and impactful examples.
- Demonstrate awareness of the employer’s brand by sharing your relevant job history.
- Communicate your mix of hard and soft skills with specific achievements in context.
- Share what, how, where, when, and why certain actions have led to the desired result.
- Ensure that the layout of your resume is a blend of practicality and creativity.
- If your resume isn’t inspiring, how will you inspire your audience on social media?
And if you want the perfect tool to save time and optimize the job-searching process, use the Resume.io builder tool with one of our professionally made and recruiter-tested templates.
