Top 7 Tips for Creating the Perfect Digital Marketing CV

Careers in digital marketing are understandably booming. In fact, digital marketing is one of the few industries where the demand for skilled employees far outweighs the supply. The success or failure of your application hinges on that initial contact so it’s vital that you ace it. To help you do that, here are seven essential tips for creating the perfect digital marketing CV.

On top of this, there’s the fact that digital marketing jobs such as online marketing manager and digital strategist have average wages in excess of $6 0,000 p.a. for comparatively little experience. Applicants can’t really be expected to have 20 years’ experience in such a nascent and rapidly evolving industry.

So, the opportunities are there and the money is good but how do you go about landing that perfect job? You’re not the only one to come up with a plan to take the digital marketing world by storm and the competition is tough, so you’re going to have to stand out. First impressions are everything and whether you’re starting your career or looking for a better position, your CV is going to be the key to get you in the door. (After that you can use some of our great interview tips to seal the deal.)

The success or failure of your application hinges on that initial contact so it’s vital that you ace it. To help you do that, here are the essentials for creating the perfect digital marketing CV.

1. Plan Ahead

Research is one of the most important digital marketing skills. Pretty much everything you need to know is already at your fingertips so use your investigative powers to create a targeted plan. Research shows that applicants generally only spend about 76 seconds reviewing a job posting before deciding to apply. That’s probably why only 2% of them ever get to the interview stage. If you’re serious about actually wanting the job then take the time to look into it properly.

• Research the firm and understand their history and mission statement

• Note keywords to add to your CV to make them aware you made this effort

• Don’t be afraid to alter your CV so that it targets the specifics of the post

• Break down the job posting and make sure you tick the boxes of what’s asked for

The employer is looking for something specific and while they may be interested in things outside the remit of the job the most important thing for them is filling the gap in their team. It’s good to have a CV template but by personalizing your CV to the exact requirements of the post you are immediately showing that you are enthusiastic and looking to stand out from the crowd.

2. Have a Clear Focus

Concise and effective communication that engages your audience is one of the cornerstones of digital marketing. If you’re applying for digital marketing jobs it’s one of the first things any employer will be looking for. Make sure your digital marketing CV does exactly that!

The employer wants to fill a certain gap on their team and add specific skills. Find out what they are and tell them how you will do that. If they are looking for content creation tell them about your blog writing, if they want SEO experts point to your optimization record, for PPC and campaign planning let them know you are Adwords certified.

If you feel that there are gaps in your own skillset or you want to upskill to improve your prospects, getting a digital marketing certification will increase your knowledge and employability.

3. Project Confidence

For many people, even pressing send on an application to someone they’ve never even met is enough to fill them with floods of anxiety. What will they think of me? Will they laugh? Will they send it around to all their friends? The answer that satisfies all of these questions is: They don’t really care.

Recruiters spend about 6 seconds scanning each CV. They have a job to do and if you don’t fit the bill they’ll just reject you, end of story. So, considering this, there’s no need to fear them. If you’ve taken the time to write a good application then you might as well write with confidence. Focus on highlighting your achievements, what you’ve done and how you are what the firm needs.

It’s hard for other people to believe in you when you don’t believe in yourself.

4. Keep Things Brief But Use LinkedIn

Brevity is key when writing any CV as no-one enjoys an information overload. Once you’ve highlighted your key experience and attributes it’s good to encourage the recruiter to read your LinkedIn profile to get further details.

There are many issues with the way LinkedIn works but it is still undoubtedly the best professional networking site around. By having an effective and up-to-date profile you gain an excellent tool to move the recruiter along the funnel. You can go into greater detail about your experiences and also show more of your personality. If they’ve got to that stage it means they’re looking for a small push to interview you, it’s up to you to give it to them.

5. Be Aware of Keyword Scans

It’s hardly a surprise to find out that technology is helping recruiters to sort the wheat from the chaff before they even look at a digital marketing CV. They do this through applicant tracking systems that sort through all applications and reject those that don’t hit certain keyword quotas. It’s been commonplace in big business for years, with over 90% of Fortune 500 companies using them, but it’s also becoming more prevalent at the lower reaches too.

So, what to do? Well, for anyone with decent SEO knowledge the answer should be obvious, figure out the keywords that are being searched for and then make sure they are included in your content. In fact, you could even use the software to your advantage by “optimizing” your CV to ensure it gets a good relevance rank from the checker.

To do this, read the job posting a few times and note its focus, what words are repeated and what areas are highlighted as being important. Then, when looking for skills to put on a resume just make sure you include those words and their related terms.

6. Use Analytics

Numbers draw the eye and stand out in a forest of text. What better waypoints then for someone scanning your CV than clear analytics highlighting your achievements.

As digital marketing skills go, analytics are right up there with the most important. Not only is ‘big data’ taking over everything from elections to government spending but the ability to precisely show things like CTR, conversion rates and ad reach is one of the major advantages digital marketing has over its traditional cousin.

If you have worked on campaigns, created landing pages or been involved with online ads then you should be able to get analytics to say how they went. The numbers are quick and easily digestible and don’t only signal to your audience that you are good at your job, but also that you recognize the power and importance of analytics.

7. Link Well and Often

Digital marketing jobs quite naturally revolve around the internet and in this forum there’s an expectation that everything can be quantifiable.That means that a lot of what you claim on your CV you should be able to back up with cold, hard links.

This can be in the form of content you’ve created like blogs, articles or infographics or social media management you have been in charge of. These can be excellent ways of showing the recruiter your digital marketing skills as well being evidence of your honesty and integrity!

When looking for skills to put on a CV it is up to you to utilize every weapon in your arsenal to get the better of the competition. Even if you feel you could do with extra knowledge in certain areas there are a wealth of resources and digital marketing course options out there, so don’t let yourself get disheartened. Download our free eBook on The Complete Guide to Shaping A Successful Digital Career to help you build the career you love.