50 Best Resume Tips 2023: Great Tricks and Writing Advice
Don’t have much time, but need a good resume ASAP? Here’s a master list of the best resume tips out there, plus a bonus to make your life easier.
You’re about to write a digital marketing resume to land that creative position.
Whether it’s SEO, email campaigns, or content creation, you have what it takes to be the hire they’ve been searching for.
But first—
You need to show them. You need to digitally market yourself to the employer.
You need a resume that converts.
No worries—
This digital marketing resume guide will show you:
Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.
Sample resume made with our builder—See more resume examples here.
This guide is about writing a resume for digital marketing, including SEO, SEM, E-commerce, email marketing, content marketing, influencer marketing, and display advertising.
Looking for specific resume samples and guides for these and other areas of marketing? We’ve got them for you right here:
Now, here's how to write a digital marketing resume:
1
To get a high candidate Quality Score, like any SEM campaign, your resume has to make an impression—
In fact, MANY great impressions.
Followed by recruiters clicking on your job application like crazy.
How?
You have to use the best digital media resume format out there.
HR managers are most familiar and comfortable with this format. You’ve got to impress them before you’re hired to impress their clients with your digital creations.
Here’s how to structure a digital marketing resume:
While writing, use legible fonts, white space, and headings to guide the recruiter through all of the valuable sections of your resume. You can pick a creative resume template but make sure it's ATS-friendly.
Just starting out in digital marketing?
Place your work experience section below the education section on your resume (or leave it off entirely).
Pro Tip: If you're changing careers or have mostly freelance experience, you might want to write a functional resume. This resume style gives prominence to your skills.
Not persuaded using the reverse-chronological format is right for your advertising resume? Well, you have two more options. See our guide: Best Resume Format & How to Choose It [Guide with Examples]
2
Any successful internet resume for digital marketing positions must trigger engagement.
In PPC, you do it with a catchy H1.
In resume writing, you do it with a catchy resume introduction.
Fortunately, it can be longer than the darned Google Ads H1 limit of 30 characters.
A resume heading statement (sometimes called a resume personal statement) is 3–4 lines long and you place it at the top of your digital marketing resume. It gives hiring managers an introduction to you and to the rest of your resume.
It comes in two varieties: a resume summary and a resume objective.
If you have at least a few years of digital marketing experience, use a resume summary.
A summary statement sums up your relevant online advertising skills and experience, painting a picture for them as to why you’re the best candidate for the digital marketing job. It also includes a key accomplishment with numbers to prove you’re the right choice.
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Diligent marketing coordinator with 3+ years experience building a digital-first culture at a large, international corporation. Implemented new competitive analysis and consumer trend reports to increase quarterly sales by 15%. |
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Having been a marketing specialist for more than 3 years now, I believe I have the skills and experience that you are looking for. I know SEO, SEM, content marketing, and, like any Millennial, I tweet like a champion. |
That wrong example gives your past responsibilities without proving how well you carried them out.
That’s as useless as G+.
In the right example, however, you gave a quantifiable achievement with your relevant experience—
It confirms your awesomeness like 5-star testimonials.
Now, what if you’ve never worked in digital marketing?
Use a resume objective.
You’ll still give numbers to prove your knowledge. Here, list where you’re coming from and your career objective, using transferable skills (e.g., from your education or hobbies) to bridge the gap.
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Recent bachelor recipient and food blogger with self-taught knowledge gaining traffic, increasing conversions, and writing great copy. Seeking to leverage personal approach to content marketing (400% traffic increase 2018 vs. 2017) to become the next Digital Marketing Specialist for DeeDee Media. |
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I’ve just recently graduated from university and received my bachelor’s degree. I don’t have experience with search engine optimization except some self-taught stuff I did for my blog. |
In this A/B test, there’s one clear winner.
The wrong example will make David Ogilvy turn in his grave.
The right example shows how your past experience equipped you with relevant skills. And those numbers!
Finally, you included the company’s name to win them over.
Now that’s SEO—a Super Effective Objective!
Pro Tip: Just because the "About me" section goes at the top of your resume, don’t write it first. It's hard to summarize your resume into a brief introductory paragraph if you haven't written it all yet!
Want more advice on writing a career summary or career objective on a resume for digital marketing positions? Check out our guides: Professional Resume Summary: 30 Examples of Statements [+How-To] and 20+ Resume Objective Examples for Any Career [+General Proven Tips]
When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.
When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.
3
Digital marketing jobs will grow by over 10% between 2016–2026.
That’s 24,000 new marketers to compete against.
Whether it’s a blogger resume or a digital market research resume, write a work experience section that sells.
Here are two digital marketing resume examples:
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Marketing Coordinator Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
Key Achievements
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Marketing Coordinator Key Responsibilities
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That wrong one is as boring and outdated as snail mail advertising.
But that right example has your future in sight with relevant duties and accomplishments.
Remember: Tailoring your resume to the job ad is a must, so keep the job description open as you write. What Agency A wants in an employee will be completely different than what Agency B prefers, so write one resume customized to each employer.
Now, what if you have no digital marketing experience?
No problem.
You still have skills and experience related to it to land you that marketing job.
Here’s how to list other experience in a relevant way:
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Executive Assistant Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
Key Achievement
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How about that?
At first, being an executive assistant to a public figure doesn’t seem so relevant to digital marketing jobs.
However, in our example, we give an appropriate achievement and list responsibilities that do relate to digital marketing.
Pro Tip: How to put multiple positions and promotions on a resume? List every single position you’ve ever held in separate entries of your work experience section.
4
Whether you’re writing a digital strategist resume or an ad content creator resume, adding your education correctly will get you further in the hiring funnel.
Here’s how to list a completed certificate or degree:
BS in New Media & Internet Marketing
Cornell University. Ithaca, NY
Relevant Coursework: Marketing Strategy and Planning, Marketing Information, Management and Research, Buyer Behavior Theory, Global Marketing.
In digital marketing, a bachelor’s degree in marketing, advertising, or communications is recommended. However, if you just have relevant coursework in those areas, list those!
Haven’t finished college yet?
Include it like this:
Majoring in Digital Marketing
New York University, New York, NY
Expected Graduation: 2021
Relevant Coursework: Advertising and Promotion, Applied Technology for Managers, International Issues in Business, Marketing Research, Consumer Behavior.
Only have high school so far?
Add it like this:
CSI High School for International Studies, Staten Island, NY
Graduated 2017
Also, if you’ve completed a university degree, don’t add your high school diploma.
And use the reverse-chronological order in your education section, as well.
Pro Tip: Add coursework relevant to your specific job title, rather than to marketing as a whole. “Digital marketing” is a broad term, and chances are you’ll specialize in one aspect, such as PPC campaign management & optimization, influencer marketing, or content creation.
Got something other than these common educational scenarios? Check this guide out: Education Resume Section: How to List High School & College Education.
5
Looking for a 0% bounce rate?
Then, whether it’s an ad resume or a digital strategy resume, show them you’ve got the skills they’re looking for.
But, which marketing skills?
First, make a basic list of digital marketing skills, like the one below. Include hard and soft skills.
And don’t confuse them—
Hard skills are abilities you’re able to learn (e.g., CRO), while soft skills are your character traits that you develop throughout your entire life (e.g., communication skills).
However—
Cramming your digital project manager resume with just any skill you can think of is as irrelevant to them as being on the second page of Google.
Instead, go back to the job ad.
Here’s a sample digital marketing resume job description:
You see, if you read the job ad carefully, you’ll know exactly which skills they value.
And you will be able to optimize your digital marketing resume to satisfy their searcher intent.
Just look at these examples:
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Those wrong skills may be right for a digital marketing job—
But not for this particular job description.
The right example is tailored and fits this job like a glove.
Finally, flatter the ATS.
The applicant tracking system is a program which helps larger digital advertising agencies cope with the hundreds of resumes they receive every day. HR staff scan a resume into the system, search for specific resume keywords, and receive a quality score in return based on your match.
So, the ATS in recruitment is just like a search engine in SEO. Pretty much a heartless algorithm.
For a pixel-perfect digital marketing resume that beats the ATS, use keywords which the job ad mentions. Write them word-for-word so the software easily ranks you at the top of their candidate search results.
Pro Tip: In digital marketing, hard skills you’re able to prove more than soft skills. Go for depth, not breadth, by focusing on skills which specifically relate to the position you’re applying for—not to every digital marketing job that exists.
Need your digital marketing resume skills section to positively glow? See our guide: 40+ Best Examples of Marketing Skills to Put on a Resume (Proven Tips)
Want more general tips for writing the skills section? See our guide: 99 Key Skills for a Resume (Best List of Examples for All Types of Jobs).
Before you dazzle consumers with your content creativity, you need to SERP-rise the hiring manager, first.
How?
On a digital marketing resume, this means including additional resume sections to complement those core areas of your marketing expertise.
Here are some great additions to a resume for digital marketing jobs:
Marketing certificates bolster your resume, especially if you don’t have the university background they prefer.
Here are top choices for digital marketing certifications:
HubSpot is the leader in inbound marketing, and their HubSpot Academy is not to be missed. Check it out!
If you don’t have digital marketing experience, adding fee-free work looks great, such as that time you rebuilt your community center’s homepage. Just remember to keep it relevant.
Another language is a huge plus for digital marketing managers. From doing keyword research in Spanish to building a landing page in French, your proficiency in a second language gives you an advantage.
Relevant interests and hobbies say you’re marketing material without using those exact words. Choose relevant ones (e.g., lifestyle blogging) rather than irrelevant ones (e.g., karaoke).
We’ve got a great guide on the right things to add to a resume, as well as a complete guide on resume sections and categories. Make sure to check them out!
Pro Tip: As a digital marketer, you’re savvy with social media. But, before you hand in that resume, check your online presence and purge any drunken photos and political rants.
7
A digital marketing resume without a cover letter is like a landing page without a CTA—
What’s the point?
Always include a cover letter, because more than 53% of employers say a resume alone just won’t cut it.
Here’s how to write a cover letter for digital marketing jobs that’ll make you the qualified lead:
Think of your Internet marketing cover letter as your first task for the job—
If you don’t sell them here, you won’t sell clients on their behalf.
Pro Tip: There is an email marketing trick that works well on cover letters, too: add a postscript at the bottom of your digital marketing cover letter. This is like adding a second CTA button on a landing page—it gives you additional chance to grab their attention.
Want to know more cover letter tricks that always work? See these articles: 35+ Successful Cover Letter Tips, Advice & Guidelines (With Examples) and How to Write a Job-Winning Cover Letter in 8 Simple Steps (12+ Examples)
Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:
See more cover letter templates and start writing.
Let’s recap. Remember to:
Now THIS is a digital marketing resume that will give you a high return on investment!
Got any questions on how to write an SEM or digital marketing manager resume? Not sure how to talk about advertising skills or copywriting achievements? Get at us in the comments below, and thanks for reading!
Don’t have much time, but need a good resume ASAP? Here’s a master list of the best resume tips out there, plus a bonus to make your life easier.
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