Top 8 Common Resume Mistakes and How Marketing Job Seekers Should Avoid

In marketing, a resume is part of your portfolio, and one small mistake may jeopardize your chances of getting the interview. 

From my previous marketing recruitment experience, I’ve reviewed thousands of resumes. Here are 8 resume mistakes that marketing job seekers should avoid:

❌ Jargon

Don’t assume recruiters will understand marketing jargon. Most of them manage multiple departments and various roles in the corporate world, so they don’t necessarily have a deep knowledge about a specific field. It is always better to use clear and straightforward words on your resume. 

❌ Abbreviations 

Don’t include abbreviations like CTA or PPC without any explanation. Recruiters may need to take time to search for those abbreviations in order to understand your resume. You don’t want to make their job harder. Instead, you can change your language to Call-to-Action (CTA) or Pay-per-click (PPC). This will not only help you clarify your message, but it also increases your chances of being found in the applicant tracking system (ATS) because you will have two keywords on your resume.

❌ Confusing Job Titles

In marketing, there are various job titles in the market, and you want to reduce any potential confusion when a recruiter reads your resume. For example, many marketing job seekers from agencies put “Account Manager” as the title on their resumes. Some recruiters may see that title as a sales-related role, and not even spend time reading your role responsibility before clicking that reject button. Simply adding “Marketing” or “PR” in front of the Account Manager title can help reduce confusion. 

❌ Unclear Career Objective

Don’t state that you are open to any marketing position or are interested in both B2B and B2C marketing. In marketing, it is important that you have your niche and point out your specialty on your resume.

❌ Irrelevant Career Progression 

Avoid any executive titles when you just start your career. It may sound harsh, but the truth is that no one starts as an intern then jumps to President/Director title without other career progressions. Recruiters only spend 3-5 seconds on each resume, and when they see an executive title on your resume, they may consider you an overqualified candidate for an entry-level position and may not move you forward. It is better to tweak the title to match the level that you are looking for.

❌ Typos

In marketing, no company will risk hiring someone who is not detail-oriented when writing their resume. The most common typos on resumes are employment timeframe and role responsibility. Remember, a resume is part of your portfolio and showcases your high quality of work. Double and triple check your words before sharing it with potential employers.  

❌ No portfolio or reel link

If you apply for design or video marketing, or any other roles that require you to show visual work, then it is important that you include a portfolio or reel link on your resume. For those positions, it is hard to learn about your work via text, and most of the time the hiring team will request to see more of your work before moving you to the next stage. Don’t waste recruiters’ or hiring teams’ time by making them search for your work online. Make it easy for them to see your awesome work by including a portfolio or reel link.

❌ Wrong industry interest

Ensure your information on the resume matches the industry you apply for. I once saw an applicant address their interest in the healthcare industry when applying for an entertainment industry role. That immediately delivers this message to recruiters: “I’m not your candidate.” To understand what industry the company specializes in, you can simply check their LinkedIn page to find out more details.  

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