Marketers are in demand, but to give yourself the best chance of securing your dream role, you need to create an impressive CV.
Generic, run-of-the-mill CVs are unlikely to generate positive results for your job search. Think of your CV like a targeted marketing campaign that needs to generate some interest and position you as the leading brand.
How can you create some buzz with your marketing CV? By showcasing your top-flight marketing skills, experience, and achievements, with a dash of personality.
In this step-by-step guide, we’ll explain exactly how you can impress the hiring manager with a polished CV that markets you as the best person for the job.
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This CV guide and the corresponding marketing CV example will cover the following:
Having an awareness of the correct structure to use will help you stay on track when writing your CV. With few exceptions, all marketing CVs should include these essential sections:
Job applications are very similar to marketing campaigns, the only difference here is that you are the product! A successful campaign requires a clear understanding of the target audience, a unique value proposition, effective communication, and a well-defined brand identity. These all combine to compel a consumer (or recruiter) to take action and invest in you/your product.
Gather as much information as you can about the job you’re applying for so that you can show via your CV that you fully meet these requirements. Then, complete some self-reflection to pin down your personal brand and value proposition. Who are you and what do you offer? Why should someone hire you? The answer to these questions will lie in your core values, strengths, passions, skills, achievements, and goals.
Regardless of the marketing role you are targeting, follow these key principles:
Enhance your CV for ATS
Applicant tracking systems scan CV’s to weed out candidates who are not suitably qualified according to criteria set by employers. Having the right keywords and phrases in your CV can boost your chances of getting past ATS software and earning a human review.
For example, a marketing job posting might list the following requirements:
Your CV profile when integrating these keywords, could read:
“Highly driven marketing executive with 3+ years of experience in content marketing and strategic campaign management across a diverse client portfolio. Strong communication skills applied to effectively manage and exceed client expectations.”
Next, it’s time to decide on a CV format. Reverse chronological is the most popular format for marketing professionals who have followed a structured career path. This format is preferred by hiring managers and ATS alike as it presents a detailed, easy-to-read employment history.
However, if you’re just starting your marketing career (whether a recent graduate or a professional seeking a career change) you may decide on a functional format instead. This structure shifts the focus to transferable skills, rather than work experience. Increasing numbers of employers in the UK are prioritising skills-based hiring in order to attract talented employees, so adopting this format can definitely help you get a foot on the ladder.
Marketing professionals with employment gaps or those targeting niche positions that rely heavily on both skills and work experience may want to consider the hybrid or combination CV. Often considered the baby of reverse chronological and functional formats, this format places equal weight on skills and work history.
Check out our job-winning CV templates so you can see these formats in action and select the one that is most relevant to your unique situation. We also have 170+ CV examples to help you create the perfect CV.
When a hiring manager reads a top-notch marketing CV they will be keen to get in touch with you. Having your contact information up-to-date and clearly presented is therefore vital.
Think of your CV header as a professional business card that you hand out to prospective clients. Here is the information you should include and exclude:
Don’t include:
Edward Garrison
Marketing Manager
Belfast, UK
028 7082 0202
edward.garrison@email.com
LinkedIn URL
Edward Garrison
Marketing Mentor
88 Main Street, Belfast, UK
+442870820202
garro55@email.com
Marketing professionals need to have the ability to connect and communicate with their target audience instantly. Your summary, or profile, serves as the introduction to your marketing CV and is your opportunity to quickly build rapport with your intended audience; the employer.
Create 2-3 sentences that spotlight your top-level marketing skills. You don’t need to go overboard here with marketing jargon or flashy statements. Keep it simple and provide a snapshot of who you are as a marketing professional and your unique selling features. Perhaps you’re an expert in product design or recently led an award-winning marketing campaign.
Action verbs in the simple past or present tense are a great way to make your summary pop. Examples include inspired, boosted, delivered, transformed, convinced, and cultivated.
While the summary section is at the start of your CV, a good approach is to write this section last. After you’ve written your key skills and work history sections you’ll probably find that creating a summary of your career to date is a lot easier. Follow the rest of this guide, then loop back to create a compelling professional summary.
Check out our related marketing CV examples if you need some more inspiration:
You can also find adaptable marketing example summaries below:
Recent marketing graduate with strong administrative skills and a passion for the retail sector. Adept at managing multiple tasks concurrently to high standards and ensuring smooth workflow. Strong team player, keen to learn new skills in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
Agile, results-focused marketing executive with 5+ years of experience in B2B marketing, lead generation, and brand awareness in the software sector. Confident in building strong relationships with partners and clients, while working as part of a fast-paced team. Expert proficiency across Salesforce, Adobe Suite, and Canva.
Seasoned marketing manager, with 10+ years experience in the leadership of award-winning marketing and communications initiatives for the non-profit sector. Boasts a wealth of skills including creative thinking, communication, and motivational leadership. Won the Best Brand Engagement Award in 2024 with Oxfam UK.
Once you’ve hooked the reader's attention, it’s time to share your work experience. The hiring manager will be keen to learn what you have done and what you have achieved in the workplace. Written the right way, this can convince an employer that you are the best candidate.
Start with your current (or most recent) employment, then work back to earlier roles. Focus on experience that is directly related to the job posting, covering no more than 10-15 years. Any roles that seem less relevant can be listed under an “Additional experience” section.
Under each employer and role heading, create concise bullet points that describe your contributions in the workplace. Dynamic action verbs should be used here too, such as envisioned, created, steered, identified, and collaborated.
Facts and data demonstrate your marketing skills in action. Rather than simply listing duties and responsibilities, highlight your accomplishments in the workplace. For example, you may have held the following responsibilities:
While these statements provide details of your core duties, they are pretty bland. Adding some specific facts and tangible results will add some colour to your work history. For example:
Your work experience section is the perfect place to promote yourself as the best candidate for the job, so maximise this opportunity by providing quantifiable data where possible. Refer to the job description as your guide when deciding what to include. This will ensure your experience reflects your suitability for the role.
Take a look at the marketing employment history CV sample below:
Social Media Manager at Beetlejuice Web Design, Southampton
February 2020 - Present
Social Media Manager at Look Again Fashion, Southampton
January 2016 - February 2020
If you don't have any marketing experience, you can still create a compelling CV to land an entry-level opportunity. The strategy here is to focus on transferable skills and your passion for all things marketing.
Think about the transferable skills you have gained from a part-time job or any voluntary work. Maybe you secured a weekend job in customer service, where you honed your communication, sales, and merchandising skills. All vital skills that are relatable to marketing.
Another way to get a foot in the door if you have no direct experience is to show your commitment to pursuing a career in marketing. Blogging, internships, training, or completing projects in the marketing sphere, are all things you can mention in your marketing CV to highlight your skills and potential.
Within marketing, you need to be highly creative and constantly evolve your ideas to keep ahead of the curve. Additionally, the ever-changing digital landscape means that it’s also paramount to keep up with technology in the marketing world.
Marketing professionals also need to be highly organised, strong communicators, and adopt a collaborative approach as they manage a range of clients and campaigns. Success comes when these skills all combine to produce positive results.
A good balance of hard and soft skills should be included in your marketing CV. Hard skills may include content marketing, social media management, and predictive analytics. Soft skills are general traits that help employees excel at work, such as communication and problem-solving.
Our CV builder provides a wide range of key skills to choose from, with proficiency levels you can adjust. You can also add your own unique skills.
Here’s what the skills box looks like in our marketing CV template.
While you should mention your key skills in this section, you can also weave them throughout the rest of the document. Add them to your professional summary, work experience, and education sections. For example:
Look to the original job advert for inspiration on the critical skills to include.
The education section is straightforward on your marketing CV. Use reverse chronological order to list your academic achievements. When listing university degrees, simply include the name of your degree, educational institution, and years attended (if within the last five years).
There’s no need to include A-Levels and GCSEs if you’re a university graduate with several years of marketing work experience under your belt. If you’re still completing your studies, then just include an expected completion date.
Aside from your formal education, you can also include other certifications and training related to marketing in this section. For example,
BSc University of Southampton, University of Southampton, Southampton
August 2005 - August 2008
HND Business Studies, City College Southampton, Southampton
August 2003 - July 2005
Hiring managers typically receive hundreds of CVs after posting a job advert, so they know a great CV when they see one. Selecting a clean, crisp, and professional layout and design for your marketing CV can set you off to a great start.
Poor formatting, distracting designs, and awkward layouts won’t be effective. Instead, keep it simple. Check out our CV templates and user-friendly builder tool for professional, field-tested results.
Profile
Social media manager with seven years of experience, primarily within the fashion industry. Passionate about high-end fashion, particularly menswear. Possesses a talent for creating unique content to attract and grow the customer base. A team player always eager to help and support colleagues with the ability to work well on their own initiative.
Employment history
Social Media Manager at Beetlejuice Web Design, Southampton
February 2020 - Present
Social Media Manager at Look Again Fashion, Southampton
January 2016 - February 2020
Skills
The job market for marketing professionals remains promising, with content-related roles emerging as in-demand for many businesses. Increased hiring and demand were the highest in the specific roles of content manager (25.3%), social media manager (23.8%), data specialist (22%), and performance marketer (20.2%).
Additionally, B2B brands are projected to have more vacancies than B2C brands. If you're looking for a new role in marketing, you can use this information to your advantage.
The wage you can expect in marketing will depend on the role you are targeting. Here’s a breakdown of salary ranges in the UK across a range of marketing jobs:
Some roles offer the opportunity for healthy bonuses and commissions to boost your base salary, with bonus ranges of circa £500 to a whopping £39,000 in the case of brand strategists.
Marketing is a critical part of any organisation, so there is a strong demand for marketing expertise across a wide range of industries. To land the best opportunities, your marketing CV needs to show off your unique value and allow your personal brand to shine.
Having a clear understanding of your target audience is vital. Always refer back to the job description and tailor your CV to the demands of the position. This will ensure you deliver a compelling story of your candidacy for the job opening and boost your chances of an interview.
Kickstart your job search by using our online CV builder to create the perfect marketing CV in mere minutes.