With digital marketing jobs growing at twice the national average rate, careers in the field have an excellent outlook. But to stand out from the pack and land a well-paid role, you’ll need to grab the attention of your employer and make a lasting first impression. This is where your cover letter and resume come into play.

Hiring managers may have hundreds of applications to process. They simply don’t have the time to fully assess each candidate off the bat. Instead, they shortlist applications by scanning through their resumes.

This means that drafting your resume is one of the most important elements for any job application. Get it right, and you’ll breeze through the filtering process. But mess it up, and you could be waiting a while for that interview call.

To help you succeed, we’ve put together this guide on writing the perfect digital marketing resume. Let’s start by looking at some of the keywords  you’ll need to pass automated filtering systems.

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Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) Keywords

Many companies use ATS to speed up the hiring process. This specialized recruitment software automatically scans resumes for certain keywords. Senior management sets keywords based on the skills and experience they’re looking for in a candidate. Resumes that don’t match these pre-defined keywords are never actually seen by the hiring manager.

The good news is, you can find all the answers in the job description. Read it several times and make a note of any skills, experiences, or specific tools that are mentioned. If you possess the required skills, be sure to include them in your resume, using the exact same vocabulary as the recruiter.

Digital marketing is a vast field with various specializations. The skills and keywords required to pass through the ATS can vary depending on the role. We've compiled a list of common keywords for several digital marketing positions. You can use this list as a guide, but remember to check the actual job description for a more accurate list of keywords.  

Job Title: SEO Executive  

Job Title: Social Media Manager

Job Title: Digital Marketing Content Writer

Job Title: Conversion Rate Optimizer

Job Title: Digital Marketing Executive  

Job Title: Search Engine Specialist

Key Hard Skills to Mention on Your Digital Marketing Resume

Hard skills (or  technical skills) are role-specific skills that require focused  training and experience to master. They’re usually non-transferable across different jobs and industries. Strong technical skills will add immense value to your hiring company, so they’re an important part of your resume.

1. Customer Retention

This skill collectively refers to a range of different activities and strategies used by businesses to retain customers. In a digital marketing role, this can include email newsletters, personal messaging, and product recommendations. You can also boost customer retention with digital retargeting ad campaigns. When mentioning customer retention on your resume, be sure to provide details and real-life examples. You can calculate your customer retention percentage over a given time period.

2. Social Media Integration

Social  media is a powerful and extremely cost-effective marketing tool.  Employers love to see creative examples of how you’ve used social media  to increase customer engagement and boost sales. Whether you have experience in Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, include how you leveraged the platform and the impact your campaign had.

3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO is the process of optimizing and improving a website’s ranking for specific search terms in search engines like Google. The higher a website ranks, the more traffic it will receive. If you have SEO skills in link building, keyword research, and site speed optimization,  be sure to mention them on your resume. Provide evidence of your SEO  performance. For example, you can say you increased organic traffic by  50% over a 3-month period following a focused SEO plan.

4. Analytics, Tracking, and Visualization

Analytics tools like Google Analytics help you understand how users interact with online services. Data visualization tools like Tableau allow you to present your discoveries to company stakeholders. Popular data visualization tools include Google Charts, Plotly, RAW, and Leaflet.  

Role-Dependent Technical Skills

In addition to the above skills, the following technical areas may also be required:

Quantify Your Skills by Providing Real-Life Examples

Hiring  managers have to go through a stack of resumes that will often repeat  the same skills. To make yourself more distinct, always try to include statistics, anecdotes, or facts to accompany your skills. For example: I have 3 years of experience in conversion rate optimization (CRO). In my previous role, I decreased the bounce rate of our landing page by 25% and increased sales by 10% by performing A/B split testing.

Key Soft Skills to Mention on Your Digital Marketing Resume

Soft skills (or interpersonal skills) demonstrate how well you’ll fit into the company’s working culture. They’ll give the prospective employer an idea about how you handle stress, how you lead a team, and how well you can manage your time. These skills aren’t job-specific so can be transferred across different roles.

The following list highlights some important soft skills required to become a digital marketer.

1. Multitasking

As a digital marketing professional, you'll be working on multiple projects simultaneously. To be able to do your job effectively, you should be skilled in multitasking. You’ll need to practice task prioritization, time management, and organization skills.

2. Creative Thinking

Creativity is an indispensable quality for anyone involved in marketing. You should have a way with words, visual designs, and ideas that connect with people. You’ll  need to think outside the box and come up with never-done-before social  media campaigns to drive customer engagement and increase sales.

3. Passion for Tech

Digital  marketing moves fast. The web is constantly evolving and you’ll need to  keep your finger on the pulse to identify the next big trend. You’ll need a good knowledge of both new and existing platforms. You should be able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each system and understand how to leverage it to promote products and services. Your job will require you to handle social media, marketing platforms, and project collaboration tools. If you aren’t comfortable with technology, start learning the required tools, and develop your skills.

4. Analytical Mindset

Analytics is an important part of digital marketing and covers a variety of skills. Without analytics, you have no way of knowing what works and what doesn’t.

You’ll need a passion for understanding numbers and reports. With an interest  in how to optimize campaigns and get the most out of your digital  marketing efforts. You’ll need to be familiar with Google Analytics for measuring and tracking website performance. You’ll also need to understand social media metrics like click-through-rate, impressions, quality score, and average view duration for YouTube videos. All these tools require an analytical mindset.

5. Persuasion and Negotiation Skills

Marketing a product or service translates into convincing people why they should buy your product over the other options available. You’ll need to be persuasive and highlight key features and benefits.  

You’ll  also need negotiation skills as you work with team members and try to  push your idea forward. You may need to motivate colleagues and sell  them on your vision.

Resume Formatting Guide

How  you format your resume and organize the information is important. Avoid  mistakes like putting the most important skills at the end. Your biggest achievements should be easily visible. You should also make sure you focus on your strengths.

The most preferred format is reverse-chronological. It starts with your most recent and relevant work experience and works backward. You can adapt this format to your own situation. For example, if you’ve recently graduated from college, you can start off with your recent internships instead of past jobs.

Make sure you include the following on your resume:

Go Above and Beyond the Competition

Drafting a killer resume is a great start to landing a top digital marketing job. But to really stand out from the crowd, enroll in our online digital marketing bootcamp.

We’ll teach you trending skills in SEO, social media, and analytics with an emphasis on practical learning. Our expert instructors will provide you with one-on-one mentoring and career coaching to help you achieve your dream of becoming a top digital marketer.

For inspiration and further research check out Careers in Digital Marketing (and how much they pay).

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Learn the technical skills needed to build an audience, create a brand, and drive sales. Study with a flexible, online schedule, a personal mentor, and peer groups.



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