What Do Employers Look for in a Marketing Resume in 2025?
Reading Time: ~4 Mins | Written By: Felix Chen
In 2025, whether you are new to marketing or aiming to progress into a higher role, your resume needs to highlight the right mix of technical expertise and measurable results, all the while being easy to read for both humans and application tracking systems (ATS).
So, what exactly do employers look for in a marketing resume?
1. The Ability to Interpret Data and Spot Trends
Employers want marketers who can dig into data, identify patterns, and make informed decisions. You don’t need to be an expert, but you should be able to turn raw data into actionable insights.
Some tools you can familiarize yourself with, depending on your position, include Google Analytics, Looker Studio (or Tableau), Excel, Ads platforms and Social media analytics platforms such as Hootsuite. Of course, you don't need to list all of these, but showing comfort with one or two relevant tools can indicate you can work with data in a real-world scenario. These tools can be used to highlight your experience in:
Tracking and measuring performance: Show how you have monitored campaigns or content performance and what actions you took with these insights.
A/B Testing: Describe how you ran tests, and their outcomes
Identified trends: Discuss how you leveraged data to identify upcoming trends in consumer behaviour and how you made adjustments accordingly.
2. Proficiency with AI Tools
Since the sweeping revolution of AI, the way marketers create, optimize and manage projects has changed significantly. Employers are looking for candidates who can adapt to this change and leverage AI tools, which can improve time efficiency and results. But just as importantly, employers are also looking for candidates who understand the limitations of AI, particularly candidates who can show critical thinking and when to question AI outputs.
We can break AI tools into 3 main categories: content creation, image and creatives tools, and campaign optimizations. You don't need to master all aspects, but here are some tools you can familiarize yourself with:
Content creation: ChatGTP, Copy AI, Jasper AI
Image and creative tools: Canva’s AI features, Midjourney, Adobe Firefly
Campaign optimization: Google Ads AI, Meta’s Advantage+
Employers want to see that you've applied AI thoughtfully, not just experimented with it. For example:
“Applied AI-driven audience insights to segment customer groups, validating outputs with manual research to improve targeting accuracy.”
3. Demonstrated Digital Marketing Expertise
Whether you’re looking to do general marketing or specialize in a specific area, use your resume to prove how your skills and experience have translated into measurable outcomes. The key to doing that isn’t to list every platform you’ve touched. Instead, pick specific platforms to showcase how your achievements are tied to business results.
For example:
“Managed social media campaigns [action] by scheduling and monitoring posts through Hootsuite to identify peak engagement times [context] which increased average post reach by 35% and boosted follower growth by 20% in three months [result]”
“Improved Google Ads performance [action] by refining location targeting and adjusting bids for high-converting regions [context] which increased CTR by 22% and generated a 28% lift in conversions [result]”
Remember, your resume should highlight how you can be an asset to help achieve the business objectives.
4. The Power of Soft Skills
Technical expertise will get you noticed, but much of the time, soft skills are what determine who gets the job between similarly technically skilled applicants. Employers consistently rank communication, collaboration, and time management as top qualities in marketing hires.
The best way to demonstrate these soft skills isn’t through a list in the skills section. Rather, it’s better to integrate it into the way you frame your accomplishments under the work experience section.
Example:
“Collaborated with the sales and product teams to align brand messaging, resulting in a 15% increase in qualified leads.”
By tying soft skills to business results, you show that you’re not just a team player, but you’re someone who understands how collaboration can drive growth.
5. Resume Structure That Works with ATS
In 2025, even the most qualified candidates can be overlooked if their resume isn’t ATS-friendly.
Here’s how to format your resume for ATS:
Stick to a standard layout: Reverse chronological order works best.
Use simple fonts: Calibri, Arial, or Times New Roman.
Highlight keywords: Mirror phrasing from the job posting (e.g., “Google Ads,” “content strategy”).
Keep graphics minimal: Overly designed resumes can confuse ATS software.
Include a technical skills section near the top: List tools like Google Ads Manager, HubSpot, WordPress, Hootsuite (Avoid putting soft skills here).
Recruiters are looking for candidates who can keep up with the times. It's natural for them to use AI as well to improve their own work efficiency. However, AI has its limitations, and to prevent your resume from falling at the first hurdle, you’ll want to optimize for ATS.
6. Quantify Your Achievements
Think from an employer's perspective, do they really care what your previous responsibilities were? Likely not because it does not demonstrate your capabilities and your performance in that role, instead employers want to see how you brought value. To help highlight your achievements, rather than listing your responsibilities, you should quantify them in the ACR Method (Action, Context, Result).
Example:
Weak: “Managed email campaigns.”
Strong (ACR): “Improved Meta Ads campaigns [action] by refining targeting keywords and ad copy[context] resulting in a 23% reduction in cost-per-conversion and a 10% increase in impression share[result].”
Employers are looking for a well-rounded marketer who can help achieve business goals, and your resume should reflect that. Highlight your achievements and results, and what you can bring to the table for your next employers.
By structuring your resume clearly, quantifying your impact and tailoring your skills, you will stand out in the competitive job market.
