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Our Agency Recruitment Manager, Emma Burke, is sent 100’s of CVs every week so we’ve decided to pick her brains on what makes a marketing CV really stand out from the crowd.
It has been widely publicised that prospective employers spend on average 6 seconds looking at a job seekers CV. 6 SECONDS! It’s hard to believe that something that may take someone a couple of days to devise, can be disregarded in a couple of seconds, or positively, something that can instantly impress a prospective employer.
Here are some top tips on how to sell yourself to an opportunity. This is the first impression that you will have on a new business, let’s make it a good one!
1. Proofread
Before we get into the nitty gritty of content, let’s talk about the general formalities of a CV. The CV has to be grammatically and syntactically perfect, as just one mistake can give a negative impression of you to a prospective employer. A strong CV shows attention to detail, and will demonstrate that you take pride in your work, and have good written communication skills. Once you have read over your CV a couple of times, pass on to friends, who may be able to spot mistakes that you may have overlooked.
2. Keywords
Ideally, if you are tailoring your CV to a specific role, the more that particular channel or ‘term’ features in the CV, the better. The eye is drawn to acronyms; are there any in the job description that you can talk about? The use of POS, DM, eCRM, TTL, B2B, B2C, PPC etc. helps the recruiter or employer see that you have that specific experience, and they are then eager to find out exactly how you have used that particular channel.
3. Commercials
I don’t mean television adverts here… But the commercial aspects of your role are important to advertise. The more senior your position, the more you will be able to talk about here. Talk statistics, talk budgets, talk profitability. Show off! Your competition will be.
4. Clients/Industries
This is important if you’re looking for a role in a vertical sector. Are you applying to a leisure business? Or perhaps professional services? State and emphasise your experience in your sector. This may not always be obvious from where you work and don’t assume that employers will know what your current workplace does. Write a brief sentence about your current employer underneath the name. If you’re looking to change sectors, find out what are transferable qualities and emphasise these.
5. Key Achievements
Employee of the year? Put it on there! Have you completed any qualifications in your career within marketing? It’s really important to get everything across that you feel makes you stand out from your competition. Whether it be building a marketing team from scratch, making the most out of a small marketing budget which yielded impressive results, or perhaps winning new pitches.
6. Interests
Still, so important. No matter what level you are, please don’t forget these. Interests not only make great ice-breakers in interviews, but you never know what your interviewer or prospective employer does in their spare time. You may have lots of shared interests. Don’t be too controversial, however!
7. Profile
Situated directly underneath your name and contact details, tell your employer what you are looking for in a new career. If you are an agency candidate moving in-house, tell then why you want to move in-house, and vice versa. Are you looking for a fast-paced environment? Are you looking for a more creative marketing role? Tailor your profile based on the role that you are applying for.
8. Personality
If you’re going for a creative marketing or copywriting position, it’s a good idea to show some creativity on your CV. Whether this be in the tone of voice, or making it stand out visually, making your CV less corporate looking and sounding can demonstrate that you are a creative thinker and a creative person. Don’t go too wacky!
If you need any more advice then get in touch with our award-winning recruitment consultants on 0161 833 1044 or email us at [email protected].
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