Marketing Resume Keywords and How to Use Them Effectively

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Resume keywords are important terms and skills that an employer will look for when trying to fill a position. By including a strong assortment of the top marketing resume keywords, your resume can make a strong first impression. In this article, you can learn about the most valuable marketing resume keywords and the best ways to incorporate them into your resume.

What are marketing resume keywords?

When a hiring manager is sorting resumes for an open position, they will be scanning the resumes for the traits, skills and prior responsibilities that best match the position. These important items are keywords, and the more relevant keywords you can incorporate into your resume, the more likely you are to impress the hiring manager. When creating a resume there are two types of keywords to keep in mind. 

The first type of keywords are general marketing words that are relevant to most marketing positions, and your resume should use these strong keywords when possible. The second type of keywords are job-specific words that you have gathered from the job description, and they allow you to show your specific qualifications for the position making them very powerful. Both types of marketing resume keywords are useful, but you should try to include job-specific keywords even if you need to edit your experience when keeping your resume to one page.

Popular marketing resume keywords

Here are some of the top marketing resume keywords to include on your resume:

  • Advertising campaign management
  • Advertising strategy
  • Art direction
  • B2B, B2C and B2G
  • Brand management
  • Client acquisition
  • Copywriting
  • Critical analysis
  • Data analysis
  • Decision-making
  • Digital marketing
  • Direct mail marketing
  • Email campaigns
  • Keyword targeting
  • Logo design
  • New product marketing
  • Market research & analysis
  • Market segmentation
  • Pitching
  • Public relations
  • Relevant demographic specialization
  • Search engine optimization
  • Social media marketing
  • Vendor Management
  • Video marketing

When applying for a specific position, you can review the job description to identify the specific skills required for the role. You will be able to use the information about the skills and qualifications the employer requires to customize your resume so you can present yourself as a strong candidate.

How to add keywords to your marketing resume

Here is the best way to add marketing keywords into your resume:

1. First, create a long base resume 

You should not create a single resume that you then send out on all job applications. Instead, each employer should receive a custom resume that matches the job posting. The easiest way to do this is to create a base resume that has all conceivably-relevant skills, traits and prior work experience duties on it. Because this resume will not be submitted exactly as-is to any employers, you do not need to worry about prioritizing bullets and trimming down to fit a set page length.

2. Second, study the employer’s job posting

While many of the core elements of a marketing role will be similar for the vast majority of marketing positions, no two jobs are ever exactly the same. Accordingly, it is unlikely two listings will focus on the same skills and responsibilities. You can understand what the most important elements of a certain job might be by carefully reading the skills and qualifications listed in the job posting.

3. Third, identify your unique appeal

A successful resume should tell a story to the hiring manager who will be reading it. More than simply being a list of accomplishments and qualifications, your resume should convey why you are uniquely qualified to excel in the position. Assess the items you noted in the job posting and compare them with your qualifications to identify your best pitch for the job. Knowing the story you want to tell with your resume is crucial in order to effectively communicate your experience.

4. Fourth, customize with keywords

Once you have identified the angle you will be using to sell yourself to the hiring manager you can begin editing your base resume. Save it as a new file to avoid overwriting the original and losing it, then begin removing elements that don’t hit your target keywords. If there is an important detail that you want to maintain, check for a keyword you can use to make that entry more applicable.

5. Fifth, diversify your keywords

Your large resume will likely have skills and qualifications covering a wide range of areas of expertise. As you begin to edit, the resume will take on a more focused tone, however, it is important to still show a diverse set of skills. Avoid using multiple items on the resume to highlight the same skill unless it is a crucial one for the job. Instead, use each entry to show a new talent in order to display that you have many different abilities to utilize for the employer.

 By applying these techniques to your marketing resume, you can refine your larger base resume into a keyword-focused match with the job you are applying for.

How to use synonyms and check grammar on your marketing resume

Your resume is your first impression so it’s important to make sure that small details like grammar are properly observed. 

Here is how to refine your marketing resume before applying:

1. First, check your verb tense

Only responsibilities at your current marketing job should be written in present tense. Write all other job entries in past tense.

2. Second, check for consistency

One of the more challenging aspects about writing for a marketing resume is that the syntax of a sentence can become confusing when discussing yourself, your employer and clients all in the same bullet. Always double-check that any verbs are properly paired with the nouns they reference and simplify your sentences when possible.

3. Third, use marketing action verbs

Whenever possible, replace generic verbs with marketing action verbs. Instead of saying you ‘had a group of 20 clients,’ say that you ‘managed marketing operations for 20 clients.’

4. Finally, use your keywords

If you’ve identified keywords that are important to the listing, you should look for synonyms in your resume and swap them in. Without changing the message of an entry on your resume, you make it more relevant to the job just by making this simple switch.

These small tweaks can help to put a final touch of polish on your resume before you send it out.