Public Relations CV Examples & UK Templates

Public relations is all about sharing information in a way that grabs attention—and your PR CV should do the same.

Generic, run-of-the-mill CVs are unlikely to generate traction for your job search. Think of your CV like a targeted public relations campaign that needs to generate interest and position you as the leading brand.

So how can you generate some buzz with your public relations CV? By showcasing your top-flight PR 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 PR CV that brands you as the best person for the job.

Guide for a public relations CV example

Boost your job search with resume.io. Our collection of  CV examples spans over 200 professions and our  CV builder makes it easy to create a top-notch CV from scratch.

This PR CV guide and corresponding public relations CV example will cover the following:

• How to write a PR CV
• Choosing the right CV format for public relations
• How to add your contact information
• Using a CV summary
• Adding your public relations experience
• Listing education and relevant experience
• Picking the right CV design and layout
• Understanding the public relations job outlook and salary expectations

How to write a public relations CV

Having an awareness of the correct structure to use will help you stay on track when  writing your CV. 

With few exceptions, all PR CVs should include these essential sections:

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

Job applications are very similar to PR campaigns; the only difference here is that you’re the brand! A successful PR campaign requires a clear understanding of the target audience, a key message, and a well-defined brand identity. These all combine to compel the audience (or recruiter) to take action.

Gather as much information as you can about the role and organisation so that you can tailor your CV to show how you meet the brief. Reflect on your personal brand and the unique value you bring to the table. Who are you as a PR professional, and what sets you apart? Draw on your core values, strengths, passions, skills, achievements, and career aspirations—everything that defines your voice and impact in the world of PR.

Follow these key principles when targeting any public relations role:

• Showcase your PR  strengths and achievements. It’s easy to list day-to-day tasks when describing your experience, but outlining what you have achieved shows the hiring manager the specific value you will bring to their PR team.
• Ensure that your tone matches the company you’re applying to. You should always tailor your CV writing and visual style to the employer’s image and branding—as a PR expert, you know the importance of this!
• Convey your professional brand by using a clean and polished format for your public relations CV. Design-heavy formats can be distracting and difficult to read.
• Incorporate  relevant keywords across your CV to impress recruiters and ensure that your CV performs well when screened by applicant tracking systems (ATS).

Choosing the right CV format for public relations

Next, it’s time to decide on a CV format.  Reverse chronological is the most popular format for PR 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 PR career (whether a  recent graduate or a professional seeking a  career change) you may decide on a  functional (or skills-based) format instead. This structure shifts the focus to transferable skills, rather than work experience. UK employers are increasingly prioritising skills-based hiring in order to attract talented employees, so adopting this format can definitely help you get a foot on the ladder.

PR 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 your skills and work history.

Check out our job-winning  CV templates to see these formats in action and select the one that is most relevant to your unique situation. We also have  200+ CV examples to help you create the perfect CV.

Include your contact information

When a hiring manager reads a top-notch PR 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:

• Full name and title. Start with your first and last name, then add the title of the public relations role you are pursuing.
• Location. There is no longer a requirement to include  your full address on your CV, so simply list your town or city and country.
• Professional email address. Next, include a suitable email address where employers can contact you, such as [email protected].
• Phone number. Add a phone number where you can easily be reached, with a professional voicemail message.
• Portfolio or LinkedIn. Many prospective employers will be interested in seeing your portfolio or  LinkedIn profile, so make their lives easier by including a link here.

Here’s what you don’t need to include:

• Date of birth. Including your DOB can lead to  age discrimination.
• Personal details. Avoid including details of your marital status, nationality, number of children, or NI number.
• Social media. Don’t add personal social media links, such as Instagram or Facebook, unless they’re relevant to your professional PR experience.

Make use of a CV summary

Public relations 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 PR CV and is your opportunity to quickly build rapport with your intended audience: the employer.

Create two to three sentences that spotlight your top-level public relations skills. You don’t need to go overboard with jargon or flashy statements. Keep it simple with a snapshot of who you are as a PR professional and your unique features. For example, you may have recently led an award-winning public relations campaign.

Action verbs in the simple past or present tense are a great way to make your CV summary pop. Some good examples include “inspired,” “boosted,” “delivered,” “transformed,” “convinced,” and “cultivated.”

While the summary 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 so far is a lot easier. Follow the rest of this guide, then loop back to create a compelling professional summary.

You can also find adaptable PR CV example summaries below:

Outline your public relations work experience: your career journey

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 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 backwards 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 public relations 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:

• "Led public relations campaigns…”
• "Promoted brand awareness…”
• "Communicated with clients…”

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, you could expand these statements to say:

• "Created public relations campaigns aligned to client requirements, winning the PRWeek Rising Star of the Year Award in 2024.”
• "Promoted brand awareness via exciting and informative PR content, leading to 20% revenue growth.”
• "Fostered positive media relationships and served as a key point of contact for clients.”

Your work experience section is a key opportunity to showcase why you're the ideal candidate for the role. Make the most of it by including  measurable achievements wherever possible. Use the job description as a reference point to ensure that the details you include align closely with the role’s requirements and highlight your suitability.

Take a look at the public relations employment history CV sample below:

How to write a public relations CV with no experience

If you don't have any public relations experience, you can still create a compelling PR CV to land an entry-level opportunity. The strategy here is to focus on your transferable skills and passion for all things public relations.

Think about the relevant skills you’ve gained from a  part-time job or any  voluntary work. Maybe you secured a weekend  customer service job, where you honed your communication, sales, and marketing skills—all vital skills that are relatable to public relations.

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 public relations. Internships, training, blogging, or completing projects in the public relations sphere are all things you can mention in your CV to highlight your skills and potential.

Include the relevant key skills that make you a great PR expert

Within public relations, you need to be  highly creative and constantly evolving your ideas to keep ahead of the curve. Additionally, the ever-changing digital landscape makes it paramount to keep up with technology in the public relations world.

PR professionals also need to be highly organised,  strong communicators, and collaborative 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 PR CV.  Hard skills may include content writing, digital and social media, 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 that you can adjust. You can also add your own unique skills.

Here’s what the skills box looks like in our public relations 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. 

Here are some examples:

• Highlight your talent for media relations by demonstrating your expertise in writing press releases, building media contacts, and pitching to journalists.
• Demonstrate your critical thinking skills through analysing public relations campaigns and making adjustments to facilitate optimal results.
• Show your  collaborative approach by describing your role on a project team, and mentioning the team size and any positive outcomes.

Detail your education & relevant public relations certifications

The education section is pretty straightforward on a public relations 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 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 public relations in this section, such as:

• Training and certifications. Courses, workshops, and training in areas such as communications, marketing, social media, and content writing should be highlighted in your PR CV.
• Internships. If you’re just starting your public relations career, then include details of any  internships or work placements in this section.
• Professional memberships. Mention your affiliation with any professional organisations, such as the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.
• Technical skills. Tech is a big part of modern PR work, so reference your proficiency in tools like Google Analytics, Vuelio, Meltwater, Canva, Buzzstream, Muck Rack, and Hootsuite. Consider creating a “Technical skills” section below your education section to ensure that this stands out.

Pick the right CV layout and design for a public relations CV

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 PR CV can set you off to a great start.

Poor formatting, distracting designs, and awkward layouts won’t help you. Instead, keep it simple. Check out our  CV templates and user-friendly builder tool for professional, field-tested results.

Public relations job market and outlook

The public relations industry in the UK is holding its ground, with good news on the horizon in terms of potential growth. With just under 74,000 people currently working in PR roles, demand for skilled PR professionals is out there. 

In fact, employment in the sector grew by nearly 5% in the past five years to reach an estimated revenue of £4.7 billion in 2024. Whether you're just starting out or looking to move into a more senior role, it's a good time to be in PR.

What type of salary you can expect in public relations

The average annual salary of a public relations officer in the UK is £26,036. However, this can vary depending on which sector you work in and your location.

If you hope to make more, it’s worth looking at ways to expand your range of skills, learn how to use new programs, and take on managerial responsibilities.

Key takeaways for building a public relations CV

Public relations plays a vital role in the success of any organisation, which is why skilled PR professionals are in high demand across many industries. To secure the most competitive roles, your PR CV should clearly communicate your unique strengths and reflect your personal brand.

Understanding your target audience—employers—is essential. Always align your PR CV with the job description to highlight how your experience matches the role’s specific requirements. This approach helps present a strong, tailored narrative that increases your chances of landing an interview.

Kickstart your job search by using our online  CV builder to create the perfect public relations CV in mere minutes.