Marketing Professionals: Showcasing Creativity & ROI on an ATS-Optimized Resume
How can a creative marketer create a resume that's also ATS-friendly? This guide shows you how to showcase your portfolio and quantify your results to impress both bots and humans.
Jules J
AI-Powered Career Advisor
As a marketing professional, your job is to be creative and drive results. But how do you show that on a black-and-white resume that needs to get past an ATS? It's a common challenge: balancing the need for a creative presentation with the rigid requirements of an ATS. This guide will show you how to do both.
The Marketer's Resume Dilemma:
You want to show off your design skills with a flashy resume from Canva, but you know the ATS will probably reject it. The key is to let your achievements be the creative part, not your resume's format.
Rule #1: Quantify Everything with ROI
Marketing is all about Return on Investment (ROI). Your resume should be too. Don't just say what you did; say what the result was. Use numbers to prove your impact.
Instead of:
- Managed social media accounts.
Write:
- Grew organic social media following by 250% across Instagram and TikTok, leading to a 15% increase in website traffic from social channels.
Instead of:
- Wrote email marketing campaigns.
Write:
- Developed and executed an email marketing strategy that nurtured 5,000+ leads and generated $50,000 in attributed revenue with an average open rate of 35%.
Structuring Your Marketing Resume
1. Professional Summary
Pack this with keywords and your biggest ROI-driven achievement.
Example:
Data-driven Digital Marketing Manager with 7 years of experience in SEO, PPC, and content strategy. Proven track record of increasing organic traffic by 200% and generating over $1M in marketing-attributed revenue. Seeking to leverage expertise in B2B SaaS marketing to drive growth at [Company Name].
2. The Skills Section
Categorize your skills to make them easy to scan.
Example:
**Marketing Skills**
- **SEO/SEM:** Google Analytics, SEMrush, Ahrefs, Google Ads
- **Content Marketing:** HubSpot, WordPress, Content Strategy, Copywriting
- **Social Media:** Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Paid Social, Community Management
- **Email Marketing:** Mailchimp, Marketo, Campaign Automation
3. Work Experience: Your Campaign Reports
Think of your bullet points as mini-reports on your most successful campaigns.
Example for a Content Marketing Manager:
- Developed a content strategy centered around long-form blog posts and gated e-books, resulting in a 300% increase in organic search traffic and capturing 5,000 new marketing qualified leads (MQLs) in 12 months.
- Managed a team of 3 freelance writers, overseeing the content calendar and ensuring all content was SEO-optimized and aligned with brand voice.
- Launched a new webinar series that attracted 1,000+ attendees per event and had a 20% conversion rate from attendee to demo request.
4. The Portfolio Link
Since your resume format needs to be simple for the ATS, your portfolio is where your creativity can shine.
- Include a clear link in your contact information section.
- Use a custom URL (e.g.,
yourname-marketing.com). - Curate your portfolio: Only include your best, most relevant work. For each project, write a brief case study that explains the goal, your process, and the results (with metrics!).
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I include a 'headshot' on my resume?+
What are the most important keywords for a marketing resume?+
How do I show soft skills like 'creativity' on a resume?+
Related Resources
- Keywords Are King: How to Find and Use the Right Keywords for Any Job Description
- How to Write an ATS-Friendly Cover Letter That Gets Noticed
- Show Your Impact: How to Quantify Your Achievements on a Resume
Build a marketing resume that's both data-driven and ATS-approved. Get started with Applyr.co today!