Resume Tips for Marketing Positions

Marketing is your talent. You make a living, every day, by marketing others, however, when it comes time to market yourself, many fail horribly. Why is it so difficult to market yourself? Your resume is your marketing tool when applying for positions, therefore, you must treat it like you would any other marketing piece you would work on for someone else.

The key to writing a great resume, is to overcome the mental hurdles you have set. Marketing is what you do best – so let it show in your resume. Here are a few resume tips for marketing jobs:

Think of yourself as the product. When you do this, all of your skills, such as developing brands, creating tag lines, conducting market research, and developing company images will carry over into marketing yourself.
Do your research. You would never recommend putting a product to market without first doing your homework, and the same applies to your resume. Determine who will be reading your resume. Know and understand what their concerns are and what they are looking for. You can then tailor your resume to meet their needs and show off your talents, which they happen to be looking for.
Know your value. Because every marketer has a unique set of skills, it is important that you highlight those skills on your resume. This is your unique value and will help sell you and your skills to potential employers.
Strategize. Before putting your resume together, strategize how you will communicate to your audience. Think of your resume as an advertisement. What keywords are important to include, what layout will reinforce your message, and how will you communicate your value – these are all important pieces of your resume.
Highlight the benefits you will provide, instead of the features. The most common mistake on marketing resumes is highlighting what you have been responsible for. Instead, highlight the benefits the company will receive due to what you can do. This will show them how you can make them money.
Because you are a marketing guru, you will be expected to have an eye-catching layout with your resume. Make sure that it supports your core message and shows your value. Structure your resume to make sure YOU are front and center.
Those in the marketing profession have a tendency to say too much at times. Your resume is one of those documents that less may be better. Be concise and keep the focus on what is important – what you have to offer. You can always elaborate more on items during your interview, but for the resume, say just enough to get them interested.

As a marketer, you should consider yourself having a distinct advantage over the rest of the pool applying for your position. You already understand what it takes to persuade others to purchase a product or a service, now use those skills to persuade your next employer to hire you.