Social media is king right now, and steering companies into oceans of engaging followers, viral posts, and algorithm-friendly content are social media managers. There’s just always so much happening on social media, and businesses are always looking for the right captain to navigate the business in the right direction of unpredictable waters. This is why social media managers are in such high demand in every industry. 

A well-written resume is easily your easiest way to land a first interview with a hiring manager. There are a handful of components that make up a great resume and we’ve broken it down for you to the bare basics of it all. 

Resume Sample 

Structuring Your Resume 

Keep all of the information on one page for a well-received resume. If your career spans further than a decade, you can get away with a two-page resume. Keep in mind that resumes should be concise and targeted.
This is the flow of a resume you should follow: 

1. Contact information 
2. Summary 
3. Work history 
4. Relevant skills 
5. Educational background 
6. Certifications and awards 
7. Languages 

As for formatting, these are the basics you need to know: 

• Margins – One-inch margins on every side
• Font – Arial, Cambria, Calibri, Didot, Garamond, Times New Roman, Helvetica
• Font size – Use a font size of 11-12pt for normal text and 14-16pt for headers
• Line spacing – Use 1.0 or 1.15 line spacing

How To Write A Summary 

When writing your  summary, include a brief introduction into your professional background, qualifications, and motivation for advancing your career in this field. Give an example of why you enjoy what you do or why you wish to improve and expand your talents.

Example: Social Media Manager with over 7 years of experience in implementing, optimising and creating content to showcase new and underutilised products as a social media strategy for companies and brands. Experienced in curating content calendars across numerous social media platforms. Moreover, have assisted and collaborated on live event-run social campaigns by creating templates and plans of action ahead of time.

How To Highlight Experiences 

When drafting your work experience portion of your resume, keep two things in mind: bullet points and specific experience.

#1 Bullet Points

• List no more than 3 to 4 bullet points per role. 
• Each point should give a single easy to understand sentence. 

#2 Specific Experience 

• Tailor the experiences you list according to each role you’re applying for. Do this by making sure you’re highlighting accomplishments that reflect the role specifications or requirements in the job description.  

1) The Job Description: Generate social media plans by identifying trending topics and using own creative skills and working with our in-house creation team where necessary.
2) Your Experience: Created social media plans for several platforms, all in line with trending topics associated with the brand with the help of the social media team. 

• These experiences should not be your day-to-day task, but instead where you accomplished something. 

What If You Don’t Have Experience? 

Even without any work experiences you can still craft a great resume as someone starting their career journey, after all everyone has to start from somewhere. Here’s what you can include instead of full-time work experiences. 

• Internships 
• Volunteer work related to the industry
• Freelance jobs 
• Contract projects 
• A portfolio of mock ups

Action Words

Action words in resumes are adjectives that are used to describe achievements and experiences. It's a terrific method to get the attention of the hiring manager and highlight your accomplishments. Words like these are great action words to consider when writing your resume: 

• Exceeded
• Founded
• Pioneered
• Outperformed
• Overhauled
• Built
• Charted
• Created
• Constructed
• Coordinated
• Delivered
• Handled
• Headed
• Improved
• Increased
• Initiated
• Implemented

What Should You Include And Not Include

Since a resume is short and to the point, here's what to include and what to leave out.

• Your highest academic achievement and GPA are important, but the year you graduated is irrelevant and can work against you if stated. 
• Interests and hobbies aren't mandatory on a resume and should be added only if space allows.
• You should never include a language in which you only know a few words and expressions. It’s important to be honest when listing any and all information, even languages. 

In a separate piece of paper you’ll want to include the following to boost your chances at being selected for an interview. If you have a website with the following showcased, feel free to include your site under the contact information section of your resume.

• Portfolio
• Projects

Top Skills Of A Social Media Manager 

Hard Skills:

• Data Analysis 
• Content Creation
• Copywriting 
• Social Media Proficiency

Soft Skills: 

• Writing
• Creativity
• Customer care
• Time Management 
• Organisation 
• Interpersonal Skills 
• Emotional Intelligence
• Project Management 

Certification And Awards 

If you’ve been meaning to up your value as a social media manager, there are a handful of certificates you should look into regardless if you’re starting out or a veteran looking to sharpen your skills. Many are offered solely online with great time flexibility to work with your schedule and learning pace. Here are some certificates worth considering:

• Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate
• Certified Social Marketing Associate (CSMA)
• Certified Blockchain & Digital Marketing Professional

Awards are a great reminder of the achievements you’ve accomplished for your company or with your industry. 

Cover Letter 

A cover letter is a terrific complement to any resume because it allows you to go into greater detail about why you're the best fit for the job. Instead of sending out generic resumes to each potential employer with an open position, a cover letter demonstrates your want to work for the company you're applying to.
The structure of your cover letter matters as much as the content itself. 

• Contact details 
• The hiring manager’s details
• Opening paragraph 
• The body 
• Closing 
• Formal sign off 

Make sure the font size and spacing are easily readable. When describing your successes and experiences, utilise action words to emphasise your relevant talents to the position you're wanting to be recruited for. 
Need a few more details?

Check out our in depth guides on writing a resume, CV and cover letter. All guides are suitable for any profession with tips for careers across the board.