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What marketers should and shouldn’t include in CVs in 2021

At Pitch, we see hundreds of applications and roles every month. So we thought we would share some of the 'behind the scenes' data you might not have privy to otherwise.
What marketers should and shouldn’t include in CVs in 2021
It can be tricky to pinpoint what employers are be looking for. It can also be hard to stand out from the competition, especially in today’s market.
 
At Pitch, we see hundreds of applications and roles every month. So we thought we would share some of the ‘behind the scenes’ insight you might not have privy to otherwise.
 

What employers are looking for on CVs – The most in-demand skills in marketing

Over the past year, we have seen a huge uptick in demand for digital skillsets. A 152% increase in available digital roles at Pitch during Q1 of 2021 compared to 2020.
 
The most in-demand skills:
  • Digital marketing (broad, we know!)
  • SEO
  • PPC/Paid
  • Web and app developers
  • UX/UI
  • CRM
  • E-commerce & Shopify
  • Digital design
  • Digital project management
There is a shortage of available talent in the market for the above. If you have any of these specific digital skills, highlighting them in your CV could help you to stand out. This is especially true for smaller and mid-sized businesses that are looking for versatile humans with many skills.
 

Don’t waste your time doing the following on your CV …

Some things we see on many CV’s,
  • Worrying about what photo to include – they don’t (and shouldn’t) care what you look like.
  • Trying to be funny – You’re not applying for a comedian job.
  • Including information about your family – they will get to know you once you get the job.
  • A degree without a grade… it’s fine whatever you got – but hiding your grade makes us assume the worst rather than the best
  • Talking to us in the third person – you’re a human being, not a machine.
  • Getting overly creative – Have some fun, yes, but getting down to the important stuff is what matters.
  • Including all of your secondary school & college grades if you are experienced – a simple 5+ GCSE’s graded A*- C (or whatever the system is) will do … employers mostly care about your degree anyway.
  • Including every single job – If you’re experienced we don’t want to know about that bartending job you did 15 years ago, go into detail about your most relevant and recent roles and leave the rest as a list.

The things that make you stand out for marketing jobs, beyond your skillset…

  • Going to extra mile – Include skills that may add extra value to the role e.g those digital ones listed above.
  • Be proud of what you achieved – Add career highlights and achievements.
  • Show us examples – portfolio’s are a great way to show you can do the walking and talking.
  • Tell us how good you are – use figures and statistics to show how you’ve made an impact, especially if you’re applying for a more senior position.
  • Multi-tasker – Managed many projects or teams? Employers want to hear about it.

The truth about the marketing jobs environment in 2021

With tentative scale-ups and rebuilding on the cards, employers are currently looking for people who can add value to their organisation. These are just some of the things businesses we’re working with are looking out for.
 
So, if this blog has left you pondering believing you can make an impact somewhere else, we encourage you to take a look at some of our active roles, you may be surprised at what we have available.