Marketing graduate CV examples + writing guide [Get noticed]

There is enormous competition for marketing graduate roles, so you want your CV to really wow the crowd if you want to attract the best employers.

To shape a distinctive and captivating marketing CV, follow this step-by-step guide and check out our real-life marketing graduate CV examples.

Guide contents

Marketing graduate CV examples
Structuring and formatting your CV
Writing your CV profile
Detailing work experience
Your education
Skills required for your Marketing graduate CV

Marketing graduate CV example 1

This example CV demonstrates how to effectively structure and format your own Marketing graduate CV, so that it can be easily digested by busy employers, and quickly prove why you are the best candidate for the jobs you are applying to.

It also gives you a good idea of the type of skills, experience and qualifications that you need to be including and highlighting.

Marketing graduate CV structure & format

The format and structure of your CV is important because it will determine how easy it is for recruiters and employers to read your CV.

If they can find the information they need quickly, they’ll be happy; but if they struggle, your application could be overlooked.

A simple and logical structure will always create a better reading experience than a complex structure, and with a few simple formatting tricks, you’ll be good to go. Check them out below:

Formatting Tips

Length: Whether you’ve got one year or three decades of experience, your CV should never be more than two sides of A4. Recruiters are busy people who’re often juggling numerous roles and tasks, so they don’t have time to read lengthy applications. If you’re a recent graduate or don’t have much industry experience, one side of A4 is fine.

Readability: Help out time-strapped recruiters by formatting your CV for easy reading. Using lots of bullet points and lists will help them to skim through your info, while clearly formatted headings will allow them to navigate towards the content which is most useful to them.

Design: It’s generally best to stick to a simple CV design, as funky or elaborate designs rarely add any value to your application. A clear, modern font and a subtle colour scheme work perfectly and allow your skills, experience and achievements to speak for themselves.

Avoid photos: Logos, profile photos or other images aren’t necessary and rarely add any value – save the space for written content, instead!

Structuring your CV

Divide your CV into the following major sections when writing it:

Name and contact details – Head your CV with your name and contact details, to let the reader know who you are and how to contact you.

CV profile – A brief paragraph which summarises your skills and experience and highlights why you’re a good match for the role.

Core skills list – A snappy, bullet-pointed list of your most relevant skills.

Work experience – A structured list of your work experience in reverse chronological order.

Education – A summary of any relevant qualifications or professional training you’ve completed.

Hobbies and interests – An optional section, which should only be used if your hobbies are relevant to the jobs you’re applying to.

Now I’ll guide you through exactly what you should include in each CV section.

CV Contact Details

Write your contact details in the top corner of your CV, so that they’re easy to find but don’t take up too much space.

You only need to list your basic details, such as:

Mobile number
Email address
Location – Don’t list your full address. Your town or city, such as ‘Norwich’ or ‘Coventry’ is perfect.
LinkedIn profile or portfolio URL – Remember to update these before listing them on an application.

Marketing graduate CV Profile

Your CV profile is the first thing recruiters will read – so your goal is to give them a reason to read onto the end of the document!

Create a short and snappy paragraph that showcases your key skills, relevant experience and impressive accomplishments.

Ultimately, it should prove to the reader that you’ve got what it takes to carry out the job.

Tips for creating an impactful CV profile:

Keep it brief: The best CV profiles are short, sharp and highly relevant to the target role. For this reason, it’s best to write 3-4 lines of high-level information, as anything over might be missed.

Tailor it: No matter how much time you put into your CV profile, it won’t impress if it’s irrelevant to the role you’re applying for. Before you start writing, make a list of the skills, knowledge and experience your target employer is looking for. Then, make sure to mention them in your CV profile and throughout the rest of your application.

Don’t add an objective: You only have a short space for your CV profile, so avoid writing down your career goals or objectives. If you think these will help your application, incorporate them into your cover letter instead.

Avoid cliches: “Determined team player who always gives 110%” might seem like a good way to fill up your CV profile, but generic phrases like this won’t land you an interview. Recruiters hear them time and time again and have no real reason to believe them. Instead, pack your profile with your hard skills and tangible achievements instead.

What to include in your Marketing graduate CV profile?

Summary of experience: Demonstrate your suitability for your target jobs by giving a high level summary of your previous work experience, including the industries you have worked in, types of employer, and the type of roles you have previous experience of.

Relevant skills: Make your most relevant Marketing graduate key skills clear in your profile. These should be tailored to the specific role you’re applying for — so make sure to check the job description first, and aim to match their requirements as closely as you can.

Essential qualifications: Be sure to outline your relevant Marketing graduate qualifications, so that anyone reading the CV can instantly see you are qualified for the jobs you are applying to.

Quick tip: Your CV is your first impression on recruiters, so it’s vital to avoid spelling and grammar mistakes if you want to appear professional. Use our quick-and-easy CV Builder to add pre-written content that has been crafted by recruitment experts.

Core skills section

Underneath your profile, create a core skills section to make your most relevant skills jump off the page at readers.

It should be made up of 2-3 columns of bullet points of your relevant skills.

Before you do this, look over the job description and make a list of any specific skills, specialisms or knowledge required.

Then, make sure to use your findings in your list. This will paint you as the perfect match for the role.

Work experience/Career history

Now it’s time to get stuck into your work experience, which should make up the bulk of your CV.

Begin with your current (or most recent) job, and work your way backwards.

If you’ve got too much experience to fit onto two pages, prioritise space for your most recent and relevant roles.

Structuring your roles

Whilst writing your CV, it’s essential to look at it from the eyes of a recruiter.

If they’re met with giant blocks of text which are impossible to navigate, they might get frustrated and skip onto the next CV.

Instead, make use of the 3-step structure shown below, to give them a pleasant reading experience.

Outline

Start with a solid introduction to your role as a whole, in order to build some context.

Explain the nature of the organisation you worked for, the size of the team you were part of, who you reported to and what the overarching purpose of your job was.

E.g.

“The Marketing Agency is an international marketing consultancy creating print and online marketing materials for multi-sector SMEs. As a Marketing Intern, I draft content to enhance client profiles and brand awareness.”

Key responsibilities

Use bullet points to detail the key responsibilities of your role, highlighting hard skills, software and knowledge wherever you can.

Keep them short and sharp to make them easily digestible by readers.

E.g.

Attending initial client meetings with prospective new clients, taking vital notes on requirements
Handling requests from printers and ensuring specifications for print material are correct
Working with photographers, ensuring images capture client’s brand story

Key achievements

Round up each role by listing 1-3 key achievements, accomplishments or results.

Wherever possible, quantify them using hard facts and figures, as this really helps to prove your value.

E.g.

Launching an email campaign for an SME recruitment firm leading to a 40% increase in registration
Receiving 100% positive feedback on printed promotional material for a client’s exhibition stand

Education

Next up, you should list your education and qualifications.

This can include your formal qualifications (a degree, A-Levels and GCSEs), as well as sector-specific Marketing graduate qualifications and/or training.

While school leavers and recent grads should include a lot of detail here to make up for the lack of work experience, experienced candidates may benefit from a shorter education section, as your work experience section will be more important to recruiters.

Interests and hobbies

Although this is an optional section, it can be useful if your hobbies and interests will add further depth to your CV.

Interests which are related to the sector you are applying to, or which show transferable skills like leadership or teamwork, can worth listing.

On the other hand, generic hobbies like “going out with friends” won’t add any value to your application, so are best left off your CV.

Essential skills for your Marketing graduate CV

Tailoring your CV to the roles you are applying for is key to success, so make sure to read through the job descriptions and tailor your skills accordingly.

However, commonly desired Marketing graduate skills include:

Collaboration – Highlight your ability to work effectively with others to create successful campaigns.
Creativity – Prove that you can think creatively and apply this in multiple ways from words on a page to design concepts.
Accuracy – Showcase that you have a meticulous and thorough approach to work so that the brand is always portrayed professionally.
Analytical – Be able to show that you can comfortably handle data to provide strong frameworks for various marketing campaigns.
IT skills – Demonstrate confidence across a range of platforms from basic office programmes to marketing and CRM software.

Writing your Marketing graduate CV

A strong, compelling CV is essential to get noticed and land interviews with the best employers.

To ensure your CV stands out from the competition, make sure to tailor it to your target role and pack it with sector-specific skills and results.

Remember to triple-check for spelling and grammar errors before hitting send.

Good luck with the job search!