One of the CV challenges in content marketing is ensuring that your content resonates with a diverse audience while maintaining a consistent brand voice. Our guide offers practical strategies and tailored advice to help you navigate this complexity, ensuring your content appeals broadly without losing its unique tone.
- Create an attention-grabbing header that integrates keywords and includes all vital information;
- Add strong action verbs and skills in your experience section, and get inspired by real-world professionals;
- List your education and relevant certification to fill in the gaps in your career history;
- Integrate both hard and soft skills all through your CV.
Discover more industry-specific guides to help you apply for any role in the links below:
Structuring your content marketing CV layout: four factors to keep in mind
There are plenty of best practices out there for your CV layout and design. At the end of the day, a clear format and concise CV message should be your top priority. Use your CV design to enhance separate sections, bringing them to the forefront of recruiters' attention. At the same time, you can write content that:- Follows the reverse chronological order in the experience section by first listing your most recent jobs;
- Incorporates your contact information in the header, but do skip out on the CV photo for roles in the UK;
- Is spotlighted in the most important sections of your CV, e.g. the summary or objective, experience, education, etc. to show just how you meet the job requirements;
- Is no longer than two-pages. Often, the one-page format can be optimal for your content marketing CV.
Before submitting your CV, you may wonder whether to export it in Doc or PDF. With the PDF format, your information and layout stay intact. This is quite useful when your CV is assessed by the Applicant Tracker System (or the ATS) . The ATS is a software that scans your profile for all relevant information and can easily understand latest study on the ATS , which looks at your CV columns, design, and so much more.
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For certain fields, consider including infographics or visual elements to represent skills or achievements, but ensure they are simple, professional, and enhance rather than clutter the information.
The top sections on a content marketing CV
- Professional Summary showcasing content expertise is vital.
- Content Creation & Management Experience speaks to practical skills.
- Portfolio of Published Works proves real-world application.
- Content Strategy & Marketing Skills demonstrates strategic ability.
- Education & Certifications in Content Marketing shows formal knowledge.
What recruiters value on your CV:
- Highlight your ability to tell a story by showcasing specific campaigns or projects where you successfully engaged an audience and translated that engagement into business outcomes.
- Demonstrate your expertise in various content formats such as blogging, email marketing, video production, or social media management, with examples of your work and the impact it had.
- Include metrics such as increased website traffic, improved search engine rankings, or social media engagement rates to quantify your successes and show your results-driven approach to content marketing.
- Illustrate your proficiency with content marketing tools and platforms by listing those you are skilled in, such as content management systems, SEO tools, or social media scheduling software.
- Emphasise your adaptability and continuous learning by mentioning any relevant professional development such as courses, certifications, or attendance at industry events related to content marketing.
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Making a good first impression with your content marketing CV header
Your typical CV header consists of Your typical CV header consists of contact details and a headline. Make sure to list your professional phone number, email address, and a link to your professional portfolio (or, alternatively, your LinkedIn profile). When writing your CV headline , ensure it's:
- tailored to the job you're applying for;
- highlights your unique value as a professional;
- concise, yet matches relevant job ad keywords.
You can, for examples, list your current job title or a particular skill as part of your headline. Now, if you decide on including your photo in your CV header, ensure it's a professional one, rather than one from your graduation or night out. You may happen to have plenty more questions on how to make best the use of your CV headline. We'll help you with some real-world examples, below.
Examples of good CV headlines for content marketing:
- Senior Content Marketing Strategist | SEO Mastery | Engaging Content Creation | 10+ Years Experience | CIM Certified
- Content Marketing Manager | Multi-Platform Campaigns | Analytics Driven | 8 Years Expertise | MA in Marketing Communication
- Creative Content Producer | Video Storytelling | Social Media Engagement | 5 Years in Digital Media | BA Hons Journalism
- Junior Content Marketer | Inbound Marketing Specialist | Fresh Perspectives | Content Writing | 2+ Years Professional Exposure
- Content Marketing Consultant | Brand Storytelling | Digital Growth Tactics | 12 Years Industry Leadership | MBA Qualified
- Head of Content | Data-Driven Strategies | Audience Development | E-commerce Content Expert | 15+ Years Career Span
What's the difference between a content marketing CV summary and objective
Why should it matter to you?
- Your content marketing CV summary is a showcasing your career ambitions and your unique value. Use the objective to answer why your potential employers should hire you based on goals and ambitions. The objective is the ideal choice for candidates who happen to have less professional experience, but still meet some of the job requirements.
Before you select which one will be more relevant to your experience, have a look at some industry-leading CV summaries and objectives.
CV summaries for a content marketing job:
- Seasoned content marketer with over 8 years of experience, specialising in digital media strategies and SEO optimisation. Successfully increased organic traffic by 150% for a major tech firm through innovative content campaigns and data-driven analytics, demonstrating advanced proficiency with tools such as SEMrush and Google Analytics.
- Dynamic former journalist transitioning into content marketing, bringing a distinctive flair for storytelling and audience engagement. Skilfully managed a large-scale editorial calendar for a reputed news outlet and adept in utilising social media platforms to amplify content reach. Keen to leverage interviewing skills and narrative techniques to enrich brand narratives.
- With a robust background in graphic design and a keen eye for visual storytelling, I am now steering towards a content marketing career. My portfolio exhibits a blend of creative campaigns and branding projects for local businesses, revealing a talent for translating visual concepts into compelling marketing strategies.
- An accomplished marketing manager pivoting into a content marketing sphere, armed with a decade of experience in developing and executing multifaceted marketing plans. Instrumental in boosting company revenue by 25% through strategic branding initiatives. Proficient in CRM software and market research, poised to infuse content marketing with unique insights.
- Eager to embark on a content marketing journey, armed with a fresh degree in marketing and a passion for creating engaging content. My academic projects include a successful viral marketing campaign on social media, showcasing an understanding of trends and user engagement. I am committed to fostering relationships through story-driven content.
- As a recent communications graduate with a fervour for digital media, I am determined to utilise my theoretical knowledge in a practical content marketing setting. My final year project, which focused on consumer behaviour analysis, underscores my foundational grasp of content targeting and strategy formulation.
The best formula for your content marketing CV experience section
The CV experience section is the space where many candidates go wrong by merely listing their work history and duties. Don't do that. Instead, use the job description to better understand what matters most for the role and integrate these keywords across your CV. Thus, you should focus on:
- showcasing your accomplishments to hint that you're results-oriented;
- highlighting your skill set by integrating job keywords, technologies, and transferrable skills in your experience bullets;
- listing your roles in reverse chronological order, starting with the latest and most senior, to hint at how you have grown your career;
- featuring metrics, in the form of percentage, numbers, etc. to make your success more tangible.
When writing each experience bullet, start with a strong, actionable verb, then follow it up with a skill, accomplishment, or metric. Use these professional examples to perfect your CV experience section:
Best practices for your CV's work experience section
- Developed and executed a content marketing strategy that resulted in a 40% increase in web traffic and a 20% increase in lead generation, highlighting strategic thinking and effective campaign management.
- Managed a content marketing team of 4, fostering collaboration and creativity while ensuring all projects aligned with brand voice and business goals, demonstrating team leadership and project management skills.
- Created a comprehensive content calendar that mapped out a quarterly content plan, enhancing the consistency and relevance of publications across multiple platforms.
- Wrote and edited high-quality, SEO-optimised blog posts that ranked on the first page of Google for targeted keywords, showcasing strong writing skills and SEO knowledge.
- Analysed content performance using Google Analytics and social media insights, making data-driven decisions to pivot strategies which improved engagement by 30%.
- Launched a successful influencer partnership programme which increased brand visibility and authority within our niche, demonstrating successful influencer outreach and relationship-building.
- Collaborated closely with the graphic design team to create compelling visual content, including infographics and videos, that increased social shares by 50%.
- Implemented an email marketing strategy that nurtured leads along the sales funnel and achieved an above-industry-average open rate of 25% and CTR of 5%.
- Constantly stayed abreast of content marketing trends and tools, integrating cutting-edge technology like AI content creation tools to streamline content production and distribution processes.
- Developed a content marketing strategy that increased organic website traffic by 120% within the first year through SEO optimisation and targeted blog content.
- Led a content team in producing a viral video campaign that garnered over 2 million views, significantly enhancing brand visibility and online engagement.
- Analysed market trends to produce a quarterly report that informed the editorial calendar, aligning content with customer interests and seasonal topics.
- Initiated and managed a cross-platform content marketing campaign which resulted in a 35% boost in lead generation and a 20% increase in conversion rates.
- Collaborated with sales and product teams to create targeted content for different stages of the customer journey, significantly improving customer retention.
- Crafted and executed an influencer marketing programme that expanded reach within the target demographic by partnering with 50+ industry influencers.
- Produced a comprehensive content marketing strategy for new product launches, contributing to a 40% year-over-year growth in product adoption.
- Managed content creation for email marketing campaigns that reached a subscriber base of over 200,000, achieving an open rate of 25% and a click-through rate of 5%.
- Utilised data analytics to refine content strategy, leading to a reduction in cost per acquisition by 15% while maintaining consistent lead quality.
- Oversaw the development of an award-winning corporate blog that received the Best Content Marketing Award in 2017, increasing web engagement by 45%.
- Implemented a user-generated content initiative that grew the community by 30,000 users, driving both content creation and brand loyalty.
- Led a webinar series that consistently attracted over 1,000 attendees per session, positioning the company as a thought leader in its industry.
- Designed and executed a multi-channel content marketing plan that improved lead quality by using targeted content, resulting in a 15% lower churn rate.
- Pioneered a content partnership programme with major industry blogs, which increased referral traffic by 25% and enhanced domain authority.
- Directed the production of a comprehensive whitepaper series that collectively generated over 10,000 downloads, establishing the brand’s credibility in its niche market.
- Collaborated with the product team to create compelling product narratives told through a mix of mediums, improving user engagement metrics by 20%.
- Launched a podcast series that reached the top 10 within its category on iTunes, amplifying the brand's voice and attracting high-profile guest speakers.
- Revitalised the company's social media content strategy, increasing followers across platforms by 150% and boosting social media-driven sales by 30%.
- Facilitated a content-driven link-building strategy that improved website domain authority by 10 points, significantly boosting the site's SERP rankings.
- Crafted detailed buyer personas through market research, enhancing the effectiveness of customised content campaigns tailored to each persona profile.
- Managed and mentored a team of freelance content creators to ensure brand voice consistency across all publications, receiving excellent feedback on team performance.
- Implemented an agile content creation process, reducing time to market for new content pieces by 40% while increasing collaboration across departments.
- Optimised content distribution across digital channels to maximise reach, leading to a 50% uplift in engagement metrics and a notable increase in website dwell time.
- Introduced advanced content performance metrics to the team, enabling data-driven decisions that aligned with key performance indicators and business objectives.
Writing your CV without professional experience for your first job or when switching industries
There comes a day, when applying for a job, you happen to have no relevant experience, whatsoever. Yet, you're keen on putting your name in the hat. What should you do? Candidates who part-time experience , internships, and volunteer work.
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If applicable, briefly mention a situation where things didn’t go as planned and what you learned from it, demonstrating your ability to learn and adapt.
Describing your unique skill set using both hard skills and soft skills
Your content marketing CV provides you with the perfect opportunity to spotlight your talents, and at the same time - to pass any form of assessment. Focusing on your skill set across different CV sections is the way to go, as this would provide you with an opportunity to quantify your achievements and successes. There's one common, very simple mistake, which candidates tend to make at this stage. Short on time, they tend to hurry and mess up the spelling of some of the key technologies, skills, and keywords. Copy and paste the particular skill directly from the job requirement to your CV to pass the Applicant Tracker System (ATS) assessment. Now, your CV skills are divided into:
- Technical or hard skills, describing your comfort level with technologies (software and hardware). List your aptitude by curating your certifications, on the work success in the experience section, and technical projects. Use the dedicated skills section to provide recruiters with up to twelve technologies, that match the job requirements, and you're capable of using.
- People or soft skills provide you with an excellent background to communicate, work within a team, solve problems. Don't just copy-paste that you're a "leader" or excel at "analysis". Instead, provide tangible metrics that define your success inusing the particular skill within the strengths, achievements, summary/ objective sections.
Top skills for your content marketing CV:
Copywriting
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Content Strategy Development
Social Media Marketing
Analytics and Data Analysis
Graphic Design
Content Management Systems (CMS)
Email Marketing
Video Production
Project Management
Creativity
Adaptability
Collaboration
Communication
Critical Thinking
Empathy
Time Management
Attention to Detail
Problem Solving
Self-Motivation
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Use mini case studies or success stories in your CV to demonstrate how your skills have positively impacted previous roles or projects.
Listing your university education and certificates on your content marketing CV
The best proof of your technical capabilities would be your education and certifications sections. Your education should list all of your relevant university degrees, followed up by their start and completion dates. Make sure to also include the name of the university/-ies you graduated from. If you happen to have less professional experience (or you deem it would be impressive and relevant to your application), spotlight in the education section:
- that you were awarded a "First" degree;
- industry-specific coursework and projects;
- extracurricular clubs, societies, and activities.
When selecting your certificates, first ask yourself how applicable they'd be to the role. Ater your initial assessment, write the certificate and institution name. Don't miss out on including the completion date. In the below panel, we've curated relevant examples of industry-leading certificates.
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Order your skills based on the relevance to the role you're applying for, ensuring the most pertinent skills catch the employer's attention first.
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Key takeaways
What matters most in your content marketing CV-writing process is for you to create a personalised application. One that matches the role and also showcases your unique qualities and talents.
- Use the format to supplement the actual content, to stand out, and to ensure your CV experience is easy to comprehend and follows a logic;
- Invest time in building a succinct CV top one third. One that includes a header (with your contact details and headline), a summary or an objective statement (select the one that best fits your experience), and - potentially - a dedicated skills section or achievements (to fit both hard skills and soft skills requirements);
- Prioritise your most relevant (and senior) experience closer to the top of your CV. Always ensure you're following the "power verb, skill, and achievement" format for your bullets;
- Integrate both your technical and communication background across different sections of your CV to meet the job requirements;
- List your relevant education and certificates to fill in gaps in your CV history and prove to recrutiers you have relevant technical know-how.
