Creating a compelling marketing and PR resume is the first call in the journey towards your dream job in this dynamic sector. Your resume should practically shout your expertise in crafting brand stories, strategizing marketing initiatives, and your knack for public relations.

With our handy tips, real-world examples, and customizable templates, we're here to help you create a resume that's as engaging as a viral marketing campaign.

Adidas Sales Representative Resume Template

Hired by:

Hired by: Adidas

Marketing and Brand Manager Resume Example

Hired by:

Hired by: American Eagle Outfitters

Senior Marketing Analyst CV Example

Hired by:

Hired by: AUTO1

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Stay tuned to find out how to:

• Navigate some valuale marketing and PR resume samples
• Pick the most suitable resume format for your experience level
• Craft an eye-catching marketing and PR resume summary or objective
• Effectively present your marketing and PR skills
• Showcase your best marketing and PR achievements in a resume
• Boost your marketing and PR resume with powerful action words
• Make your education section shine
• Choose relevant extra sections for your resume
• Dodge common mistakes in a marketing and PR resume
• Pair your resume with a matching cover letter
• Learn about the average salary and job outlook dor marketing and PR professionals
• Access valuable job search resources for marketing and PR professionals

Still looking for a job? These 100+ resources will tell you everything you need to get hired fast.

Digital marketing analyst resume example

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Why does this resume example work?

• Strong profile summary: The profile is clear and emphasizes key strengths such as developing and executing precise marketing strategies, launching innovative campaigns, and overseeing ad placements. It highlights the applicant's attention to detail, analytical abilities, and teamwork skills, making a compelling introduction.
• Relevant work experience: The work experience section includes relevant roles and responsibilities, showcasing the candidate’s proficiency in digital marketing strategies.

What could be improved?

• Lack of quantifiable details: While the resume lists a variety of tasks and responsibilities, it lacks specific quantifiable achievements. For example, statements like “resulting in a significant increase in sales and brand awareness” could be made stronger by adding figures like “increased sales by 20% and brand awareness by 30%.”
• Expand on recognitions: The resume mentions being recognized as Employee of the Month but doesn’t detail the accomplishments that led to this recognition. Providing context around what specific actions or projects earned this accolade would add more depth.

Public relations intern resume sample

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Why does this resume example work?

• High academic achievement: Achieving a GPA of 3.96 and ranking in the top 10% of the Human Resource Management program at the University of Sunderland is impressive. Participation in relevant clubs and societies adds depth to Jin’s academic experience.
• Diverse skill set: The skills section is robust, covering a range of languages, computer skills, and interpersonal skills. Proficiency in various PR tools (e.g., Wiztopic, Cision, and Brand24) and multiple languages (Chinese, English, Spanish) showcases versatility and adaptability.

What could be improved?

• Vague descriptions: Some responsibilities are presented too generally. For example, "generated reports" and "liaised with diverse media outlets" can be improved by specifying the types of reports and the outcomes of media interactions. This would provide more clarity on the canditate's contributions.
• Highlight specific projects: Mentioning key projects the applicant worked on, such as specific PR campaigns or social media strategies, would enhance the work experience section. Adding details on how these projects led to measurable outcomes would make the resume more compelling.

Social media specialist resume sample

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Why does this resume example work?

• Impressive work experience: The work experience section outlines significant achievements, such as developing and implementing innovative social media strategies, producing original content, and achieving substantial follower growth on Instagram and Facebook. The ability to manage promotional budgets and supervise a team adds depth to the candidate's profile.
• Diverse action words: The resume uses a variety of strong action words like "developed," "implemented," "produced," and "managed," which makes the accomplishments sound dynamic and impactful. This helps in presenting the candidate as proactive and results-oriented.

What could be improved?

• Expand on leadership experience: While the resume states that the candidate supervised a team of Marketing Interns, providing more context about leadership style and team achievements would be beneficial. For instance, detailing how mentorship and team collaboration led to specific project successes would enhance this point.

1. Pick the most suitable resume format for your experience level

Crafting the perfect marketing and PR resume is your first step towards landing that dream job. Since design and creativity are highly valued in the marketing industry, adding a bit of flair to your resume can help you stand out.

However, it's crucial to balance creativity with clarity to make your resume eye-catching yet easy to read. Let’s dive into how to choose the most suitable resume format based on your experience level.

1. Reverse-chronological resume: This format focuses primarily on your work experience, listing your most recent job first and working backward. It’s the standard format expected by most employers and is ideal if you have a solid work history in marketing or PR. This format highlights your career progression and relevant job roles, making it easy for recruiters to see your most recent and significant experiences first.
2. Functional resume: A functional resume shifts the focus from job titles and dates to skills and accomplishments. It's perfect for those who might have gaps in their work history or are changing careers. By emphasizing your skills and achievements, this format can showcase your capabilities even if you don't have extensive experience in the marketing or PR field. It’s a great way to highlight your potential and the unique skills you bring to the table.
3. Hybrid resume: The hybrid resume combines elements of both the reverse-chronological and functional formats. It balances work experience and skills, making it a versatile choice suitable for various experience levels. If you have some work history but also want to emphasize specific skills or achievements, the hybrid format allows you to present a well-rounded profile. It's particularly useful for mid-level professionals with a mix of relevant experience and specialized skills.

Choosing the right resume format based on your experience level can make a significant difference in how your resume is perceived. A well-formatted resume not only catches the eye but also makes it easier for recruiters to quickly understand your qualifications and experience. 

To make your resume format shine, we've got some handy tips for you:

If you’re not sure where to start, these recruiter-approved templates can help elevate your next resume.

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2. How to craft an eye-catching marketing & PR resume summary or objective

Good marketing is about effectively communicating the benefits of a product or service, and how it enhances the customer’s life. When it comes to marketing and PR professionals, your resume summary or objective should do the same, capturing attention and highlighting your strengths upfront.

Crafting a resume summary

A well-crafted resume summary highlights your key skills, industry experience, and notable achievements, instantly conveying your ability to drive successful PR and marketing campaigns.

By emphasizing your strengths and accomplishments upfront, you captivate employers and make a strong impression. The resume summary also enables recruiters to quickly assess your fit for their organization and the specific role they are seeking to fill.

Let's take a look at two contrasting examples:

Why is it so bad? This summary falls flat because it's too vague and lacks specific details. Phrases like "some experience" and "worked on various projects" don’t provide any concrete information. The summary fails to highlight significant achievements or specific skills, making it difficult for recruiters to gauge the candidate's true capabilities.

Why does this summary work? It's effective because it includes quantifiable achievements and highlights relevant experience and skills, using specific metrics to showcase success in areas that are crucial for PR and marketing roles. This balanced approach creates a compelling introduction to the candidate.

Writing a resume objective

A resume objective is particularly useful if you're a recent graduate, changing careers, or have limited industry experience. It focuses on your career goals and how they align with the company's needs.

Components of a strong resume objective:

• Career goals: Clearly state your career aspirations and how they align with the role you are applying for.
• Relevant skills: Highlight the skills that make you a suitable candidate for the position.
• Alignment with the employer: Demonstrate how your career goals and skills match the employer’s needs.

Why does it fall flat? This objective is too generic and doesn’t provide any specifics about the candidate’s goals or relevant skills. It lacks detail and fails to show how the candidate’s aspirations align with the employer’s needs.

Why is it strong? This objective clearly states the candidate’s career goals, highlights relevant skills, and aligns those goals and skills with the potential employer’s needs. It provides a more detailed and compelling introduction to the candidate.

Crafting a compelling resume summary or objective is essential in making a strong first impression. Whether you have years of experience or are just starting, using specific details and action-oriented language will surely help you stand out. 

3. How to effectively present your marketing and PR skills in a resume

Every resume needs a skills section, especially when you’re targeting roles that require specific expertise, like marketing and PR. It’s crucial to highlight both your hard skills and your soft skills to create a comprehensive profile of your capabilities.

Hard skils are the technical abilities that you’ve gained through education, training, or on-the-job experience. They're measurable and often industry-specific. Examples include proficiency in digital marketing tools, SEO, data analytics, and project management software.

On the other hand, soft skills are interpersonal traits that affect how you interact with others and navigate the workplace. They're more abstract and harder to measure but are equally important. Examples include leadership, communication, teamwork, and adaptability.

Why should you include both? Including hard skills on your resume helps the hiring manager quickly gauge your technical fit for the role. For example, a content marketing specialist role likely requires someone with skills in writing and SEO. Meanwhile, soft skills signal your ability to thrive in a dynamic work environment and your potential for long-term success within the team.

What's more, many applicant tracking systems (ATS) filter resumes based on specific skills listed. If your resume lacks these keywords, there’s a good chance a human recruiter will never even get a chance to read it.

How to highlight your skills effectively:

• Read the job posting: Carefully read the job posting for keywords. This will give you a better sense of the skills that the employer is looking for in a candidate.
• Tailor your skills section: Customize your resume to include skills that are mentioned in the job posting, ensuring you align with what the employer is looking for.
• Highlight relevant tools and software: Employers often look for candidates familiar with the tools used by their team to ease onboarding and minimize training time. Make sure you list tools and software that are relevant to the role and ones you’re genuinely familiar with.

Remember, a well-balanced resume highlighting both technical prowess and interpersonal abilities will set you apart from the competition and showcase your readiness to excel in the role.

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4. How to showcase your best marketing and PR achievements in a resume

Marketing and PR are all about results. When putting together your work experience entry, it should be about more than just your day-to-day tasks. It’s important to highlight your accomplishments and the specific results that you’ve achieved along the way. This makes your resume more compelling and helps you stand out from the crowd.

The results you should share depend on the role you’re searching for. For example, if you’re a social media manager, your results might focus on social media engagement. If you’re a paid acquisition specialist, your results might focus on direct conversions from ads. Make sure to call out any specific results or achievements that you have.

Why is it unmpressive? This example is too vague and lacks detail. It doesn’t provide any quantifiable achievements or specific results, making it difficult for recruiters to understand the candidate's impact. Simply stating tasks without highlighting accomplishments misses the mark and fails to show the candidate’s value.

Why does it hit the mark? This example is effective because it includes specific, quantifiable achievements. It provides clear evidence of the candidate’s contributions and successes, making it easy for recruiters to gauge the candidate’s impact. Highlighting measurable results instantly makes the candidate more compelling and showcases their ability to deliver real value.

Tips for fresh graduates

If you’re a fresh graduate, you might not have a long list of professional achievements yet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t showcase your potential. Focus on academic projects, internships, volunteer experiences, and any relevant activities where you demonstrated your skills and made an impact.

Why does it work? This example leverages academic and internship experiences to highlight relevant skills and achievements. It shows that even without extensive professional experience, the candidate has successfully applied their skills and delivered measurable results.

Focusing on your results and achievements is key to demonstrating your impact and the potential you bring to a new team. Tailor your achievements to the role you’re applying for, emphasizing specific, quantifiable results to make a strong impression. By showcasing your successes, you tell a compelling story about your ability to drive results in marketing and PR.

5. How to properly use action words in a marketing and PR resume

Action words are your best friends when it comes to crafting a standout marketing and PR resume. These power verbs can transform your resume from a basic list of duties into a dynamic story of your achievements and skills. But why are they so important?

They inject energy into your resume, making every bullet point pop. Not only do they highlight what you've done but they also emphasize how you did it and the impact you made.

Tips for using action words:

• Be specific: Action words are most effective when paired with specific achievements. Instead of saying "managed social media," say "engaged followers through strategic social media content, increasing engagement by 25%."
• Tailor to the job: Choose action words that align with the language in the job description. This can help your resume get past applicant tracking systems (ATS) and catch the eye of hiring managers.
• Mix it up: Don’t use the same action word repeatedly. Variety keeps your resume interesting and demonstrates a broad skill set.

By weaving these dynamic action words into your marketing and PR resume, you’ll create a vivid picture of your professional journey and accomplishments. So, energize your resume with these verbs and watch your application come to life!

6. How to properly list your education on a marketing and PR resume

Adding your education to your marketing and PR resume isn’t just a formality — it’s a key piece of showing your foundation and dedication to your career. Whether your degree is directly in marketing or PR, or in another field altogether, you can make it work to your advantage. Let’s explore how to do it effectively.

What if your education isn't in a related field? Maybe you studied something completely different, like English Literature. Don’t worry — you can still highlight the parts of your education that are relevant to marketing and PR.

• Emphasize relevant coursework and projects that demonstrate useful skills.
• Highlight any academic achievements or recognitions.
• Include specific examples of how your education has prepared you for marketing and PR roles.

And if you were all about marketing and PR from the start, that’s awesome. You can boost your education section with specialized training, relevant coursework, and any big achievements or projects.

• List relevant courses that showcase your specialized knowledge.
• Highlight key academic achievements and leadership roles.
• Detail significant projects that demonstrate practical application of your skills.

No matter what you majored in, your education section is key to demonstrating your readiness for a marketing and PR career. Highlight the most relevant aspects of your studies, whether that’s courses, projects, or achievements, and show how they’ve prepared you to knock it out of the park in your new role.

7. Make your marketing and PR resume stand out with relevant extra sections

Including relevant extra sections in your PR and marketing resume is of utmost importance as they provide valuable insights into your qualifications, achievements, and potential contributions beyond the standard sections.

These sections allow you to showcase additional skills, experiences, and accomplishments that are directly relevant to the position you're applying for. By including specific examples, you provide concrete evidence of your expertise and demonstrate your fit for the role.

For instance, if you're applying for a project management position, including a Projects and Achievements section where you list successful projects you've led, their outcomes, and the skills you used, highlights your ability to deliver results and effectively manage complex initiatives. 

Including extra sections in your marketing and PR resume helps you stand out from the competition. They allow you to paint a fuller picture of your skills and achievements, making you an even more compelling candidate.

8. Dodge common mistakes in a marketing and PR resume

Creating a polished and professional marketing and PR resume requires attention to detail. Avoiding common mistakes can help your resume stand out for all the right reasons. Here are some key pitfalls to steer clear of:

1. Vague descriptions: Avoid using general or vague language when describing your past roles and responsibilities. Phrases like "responsible for marketing tasks" don’t provide any specific information. Instead, use detailed descriptions and quantify your achievements. For example, specify how you "implemented a social media campaign that increased engagement by 30%."
2. Lack of quantifiable achievements: Employers love to see numbers because they provide clear evidence of your impact. Instead of just listing tasks, try to quantify your achievements wherever possible. For instance, "boosted email open rates by 25%" or "achieved a 40% growth in organic website traffic" are much more compelling than generic statements.
3. Ignoring keywords: Many companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to filter resumes. Make sure to include relevant keywords from the job description to pass through the ATS. If the job posting mentions skills like "SEO," "content marketing," or "brand management," make sure these terms are featured in your resume.
4. Overloading with jargon:  While it’s essential to demonstrate your industry knowledge, overloading your resume with jargon can make it hard to read. Use clear and concise language, ensuring that even someone with a basic understanding of marketing can understand your accomplishments and skills.
5. Neglecting soft skills: In marketing and PR, soft skills like communication, teamwork, and creativity are just as important as technical skills. Highlight how you’ve used these abilities in your past roles. For example, mention instances where your leadership or problem-solving skills helped achieve a successful outcome.
6. Unprofessional format: A cluttered or overly elaborate resume format can be off-putting. Stick to a clean, professional layout that's easy to read. Use a consistent font, bullet points, and plenty of white space to make your resume visually appealing.
7. Missing contact information: One of the most straightforward yet often overlooked mistakes is forgetting to include up-to-date contact information. Ensure your phone number and email address are current and easy to find at the top of your resume.
8. Forgetting to proofread: Typos and grammatical errors can make you appear careless and unprofessional. Always proofread your resume multiple times and consider asking a friend or mentor to review it as well. A polished resume free of errors makes a better impression.

By steering clear of these common mistakes, you can create a marketing and PR resume that highlights your strengths, showcases your achievements, and passes through ATS filters. A well-crafted, error-free resume is your key to making a strong first impression and landing your dream job.

9. Pair your resume with a relevant marketing and PR cover letter

A well-crafted resume can showcase your skills and achievements, but adding a compelling cover letter can provide a more comprehensive picture of who you are as a candidate. Including both documents is generally a good idea unless the job posting specifically states otherwise.

While your resume is a structured overview of your work experience, education, and skills, your cover letter allows you to delve deeper into your story. It's an opportunity to explain why you’re interested in the role, highlight your most relevant experiences, and address any questions the employer might have about your background.

When to include a cover letter? You should always include a cover letter with your resume unless the job posting explicitly states not to. Your cover letter can set you apart from other candidates by demonstrating your enthusiasm for the position and your understanding of the company’s needs. It also gives you a chance to address any potential gaps or concerns, such as a career change or a gap in employment.

Importance of consistent design

Having a unified design for both your resume and cover letter is crucial for presenting a professional and cohesive application. Here’s why:

• First impressions matter: A consistent design makes your application look polished and well-organized, giving a positive first impression.
• Easier for employers: Matching designs help hiring managers immediately recognize that both documents belong to the same candidate, making the review process smoother.

How to ensure design consistency?

• Header: Use the same header for your resume and cover letter, including your name, contact information, and any other relevant details.
• Fonts and sizes: Stick to the same font types and sizes across both documents to maintain a harmonious look.
• Spacing and margins: Keep spacing and margins consistent to ensure both documents are easy to read and visually appealing.

All in all, pairing your resume with a thoughtfully designed and well-crafted cover letter can significantly strengthen your application. Keeping both documents consistent in design presents a cohesive and professional package, making it easier for employers to review and appreciate your qualifications.

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10. Average salary and job outlook for PR specialists

As we continue to embrace the digital age, the demand for skilled public relations (PR) professionals is on a steady rise.

According to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), as of May 2023, the average annual salary for PR specialists is an impressive $66,750. This figure highlights the industry's appreciation for the expertise and value that PR professionals bring to the table.

Looking ahead, the PR landscape is poised for even more growth. Employment opportunities for public relations professionals are expected to increase by 6% from 2022 to 2032. This growth rate outpaces the average for all occupations, underscoring the growing importance of PR roles across various sectors.

Moreover, the job market is set to see around 25,800 job openings for PR specialists each year over the next decade. These numbers paint a promising picture of a vibrant field filled with opportunities for driven professionals.

If you’re planning to build a career in PR, these statistics offer a positive outlook. As you craft your marketing & PR resume and cover letter, take pride in the expansion and development of the field you’re entering. The future looks bright for PR specialists!

11. Valuable job search resources for marketing and PR professionals 

As a professional in the exciting field of marketing & PR, having the right resources at your disposal can elevate your job hunt. Here are some top-tier resources to aid in your search:

• Industry job boards: Websites like MarketingJobs, PRSA Jobcenter, and Mediabistro list several opportunities in the marketing and PR spectrum.
• LinkedIn: Besides job postings, LinkedIn can be your platform for networking with professionals in your field, sharing industry insights, and getting noticed by recruiters.
• Marketing and PR associations: Join professional groups such as the American Marketing Association or Public Relations Society of America. They offer member benefits like networking events, professional development resources, and job listings.
• Recruitment agencies: Consider registering with agencies like Aquent and The Creative Group that focus on matching candidates with roles in the marketing and PR space.
• Online learning platforms: Websites like Coursera and Udemy offer courses to keep your marketing and PR skills sharp and up-to-date.

Harnessing the power of these resources can supercharge your job search and put you on track towards finding your ideal role.