A Comprehensive Guide to Social Media Manager Resumes (with Examples)

You are a master at writing short, impactful and engaging posts. Yet, the thought of summarizing your work experience into a resume makes your head hurt.

How do you write a Social Media Manager resume that reflects all your skills and achievements? Is it even possible?

The profession is rather new, but don’t worry. We’ve prepared a comprehensive guide which will teach you how to:

• Align your professional accomplishments with the job ad
• Pass the vetting system of the ATS tools
• Format the experience section so you stand out among the rest

Pick a fitting format for your Social Media Manager resume

Aiming for a managerial position means that you already have some industry experience. And you need a good resume format to best represent your work experience.

That’s why we recommend opting for the traditional and easy-to-read reverse-chronological resume.

Not only do hiring managers love it, but it’s a foolproof way to pass through the ATS software tests.

Why?

Because the structure is easily recognizable.

Speaking of vetting tools, we did research on what makes a resume ATS-friendly.

Grammar and formatting are key. Just as you wouldn’t post a publication full of typos, you must check each resume section for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.

Other factors to take into account include:

• Section Headings: Specify the purpose of each heading. Make sure you reference words, such as “Education” to hint at the section’s contents.
• Fonts: The good news is ATS tools read a wide variety of fonts, so any of the popular Google ones will do the job.
• Length/Columns: You can divide your resume any way you want, as long as you keep it under a single page.
• Colors and Design: Since you’re pursuing a career in a creative industry, you can add a splash of color to your resume. Remember to keep it stylish.
• File Format: Although both MS Word and PDF file types are acceptable, we suggest using the latter. It will preserve the frame and format of your resume.

But if you have little experience or are switching from an adjacent industry like SEO or Design, use the hybrid resume format.

This one will best represent your versatile skill set. It will also allow you to share relevant work experience.

The hybrid resume format is also perfect for freelancers who work on numerous projects at the same time.

Add your social media profiles in the resume header

You know that, most likely, your interest in social media began when you decided to develop your hobby pages.

Hiring managers know this, too. As a result, your social media accounts will be the first one to be checked. That’s why you must add them to your resume header.

Recruiters want to check if you’ll be able to fit in with the team. Culturally and artistically.

Keep in mind that which social media profiles you add will depend on the type of work you’ll be doing.

For example, if you’re going to support the accounts of a B2B company, it’s best to list your LinkedIn.

In addition to your profiles, don’t forget to include your:

• First and last name
• Phone number
• Job title
• Professional email address
• Location

Once you have everything down, this is what your resume header should look like:

Build a powerful Social Media Manager resume summary

Given that hiring managers spend only 6 seconds looking at a resume, the sooner you grab their attention, the better.

The best way to do this is to create an effective sales pitch in the form of a resume summary.

This is a short paragraph describing your best professional achievements. In no more than 5-6 sentences, mention your:

• Job title or a preferred way to address you
• Years of work experience in the industry
• 1-2 industry-related accomplishments you’re most proud of
• Relevant skills or platforms you’re expert on

Note that writing a quality resume summary will also help you pass the ATS software tests.

How?

ATS tools scan your resume from top to bottom. Listing key abilities near the top will flag your resume as relevant and pass it along to the recruiter.

Take a look at the following examples to learn how:

Detail career wins in the Social Media Manager experience section

Yes, you’ve listed your top achievements in the resume summary. But that section doesn’t allow for much context to be added. Because its purpose is to impress, not to explain.

By contrast, the experience section exists to detail your career growth. Demonstrate how you achieved important milestones. In reverse-chronological order, make sure to list:

• Job title or the title which best represents your position
• The name and website of your employer, along with a short description chronicling its business operations.
• Location and date of employment. Remember to keep date formatting consistent between entries.
• 4-5 bullet points featuring work-related wins. For each bullet point, lead with an action verb, state the challenge you had to overcome and then the outcome.

Tying your accomplishments to concrete outcomes can be difficult. Fortunately, many social media tools allow you to track your wins. And have the data to back it up.

So, whenever possible, link your results to specific numbers. Compare and contrast. Of course, avoid sharing information that is confidential or under any NDA you’ve signed.

For instance, you’ve been successful in managing a company's ad spending budget. Here is how to flaunt it:

“Achieved 620% ROAS on $2.70 per ad click after being tasked to manage the company’s Instagram and Facebook ad spending budget in June 2022.”

Need another example?

Imagine you’ve single-handedly built a community from the ground up. Being able to foster and manage a large group of people is key.

Not only for someone aspiring to be a manager, but for someone who is a social media specialist, too.

You can include this achievement as follows:

“Built and grew the Knit for Charity community to 15,000 active volunteers within 2 years. Knit for Charity aims to provide warm and cozy knitted clothes to foster home children.”

You can find more sample bullet points in the example experience entry below:

Reveal your academic credentials in the education section

Although an academic background is desirable, it’s not necessary. Not everyone in the social media industry has a digital marketing degree.

But if you’ve specialized in a particular business niche or have majored in marketing, mention it.

Make sure to also add:

• The name of your degree and the issuing institution (college, university or a company)
• How many years it took you to obtain the degree or an estimated graduation date
• Relevant majors and minors
• Your GPA, if you think it’s relevant for the available position

The final look of your education section should resemble the following sample:

Describe your how your set of skills makes you perfect for the job

Naturally, being a social media manager will demand the use of your social talents. But don’t forget to include your hard skills, too.

Regardless of how non-tech the position is, you must display a versatile skill set. Prove that you can be an excellent contributor, as well as a great team member.

Not to mention that both skill types play an important role when your resume is being vetted. Your:

• Hard skills will tick all the right boxes when it comes to the ATS tests
• Soft skills will convince recruiters that you have required experience and knowledge to get hired

So, which technical abilities are most popular for your desired position? Starting with the obvious social media platforms, here are some of the top hard skills you can list:

Having working knowledge of the various tech and analysis platforms is half of the equation.

What’s the other half? The impact you create.

Explain how you’ve used your soft skills to optimize your work processes and achieve desirable business results.

For instance:

Again, data is your friend. Provide the necessary context. Then add numbers to emphasize the significance of your accomplishments.

If you struggle to fill your skills section, we’ve prepared a list with suggestions to help you out:

Showcase your social media marketing certificates

As we mentioned in the beginning of this guide, social media management is a new profession.

There are a but a handful of university degrees dedicated to SMM. So, most professionals rely on certificates to prove they have the necessary qualifications.

That’s why it’s important to list them in the certificates section of your resume.

When doing so, remember to include the:

• Name of the certificate
• Name of the company, university or college issuing the certificate
• Year of course completion (or predicted obtainment, if you’re currently undergoing training)
• Expiration date (if applicable)

Some of the most widely-recognized certificates are:

Feature other relevant sections on your resume

If you have some blank space on your resume, we recommend adding extra sections. These will boost your chances of getting an interview. Especially if you’re switching careers.

Why?

Because they best demonstrate how passionate you are about social media. Even if you’ve done SMM only as a side gig, mention any:

• Awards, prizes and honorable mentions
• Publications, conference presentations or side projects
• Association memberships
• Courses and classes you’ve authored

Pair your Social Media Manager resume with a quality cover letter

Finally, consider attaching a cover letter to your job application.

Why?

Cover letters offer more freedom to express yourself and convey your personality.

Remember that hiring managers are looking for a cultural fit. This is your chance to show who you are and what else you can bring to the table.

To write an impactful cover letter, you must be concise and to the point. Divide your letter into three parts:

• Address the recruiter you’re writing to and list some of your greatest work achievements. You can cite the ones you’ve included in the resume summary.
• Focus on your outstanding skills, professional expertise and up-to-date industry knowledge.
• Finish the letter by thanking the recruiter for their time. Then, remind them you will be expecting feedback soon.

If you want more guidance, our article on how to write a cover letter has all the answers you need.

Key takeaways

• Opt for the reverse-chronological resume and style it to fit your personality
• Consider the job description before you list your social media profiles
• Emphasize the tools and platforms you’re expert at in the resume summary
• Display how you’ve used your skills over time to tackle challenges in the experience section
• Fill the talent section with a good mix of technical and social skills
• Cite publications or conference presentations where you’ve displayed your industry knowledge
• Write a cover letter to show your passion for the position and showcase your personality