I know you’ve got the skill and the creativity. So don’t hesitate to add some of that to your resume. But before you get started, take a look at the list below and make sure that along with creativity, your resume has a clear focus, relevant accomplishments, and educational experiences as well.
Which Should Advertisers List on their Resumes? Accomplishments versus Work Experience
According to author Brad Karsh, “the single biggest mistake that ad people make is writing a job description resume as opposed to an accomplishment resume. I cannot tell you the number of times I’d see this entry for an account executive job: Worked closely with creative, media, production, and client to produce fully integrated advertising campaigns.” Instead, Karsh says listing your accomplishments is more helpful to a potential employer. Try answering his questions:
- How many ads did you produce?
- How much were your billings?
- Did you win any awards?
- Did you increase market share, profit, etc.?
BYU BroadcastingHere, like Karsh was saying, an employer could immediately see results.
Student DirectorDepartment of Church History and Doctrine
- Created the first membership spots for BYU Television, which resulted in a 20% increase in telephone call interest and a 10% increase in new donor response.
Research Assistant
- Assisted Dr. [Oaks] in his research for and writing of two published books and five published articles.
How to Focus Your Advertising Resume
Instead of creating a general resume, try tailoring your resume according to the position you are applying for. If you know you’ll apply for a copywriter position, list attributes, interests, accomplishments, and experiences that relate to copywriting — your attention to detail, your proofreading job in college, English awards you received, copywriting experiences at various companies, etc.
Research the company and anything that the position is seeking, and highlight experiences or skills that are relevant to this on your resume. If they’re looking for a detail-oriented person who can accomplish tasks under pressure and strict deadlines, make sure you address this — show through your work experience how you’ve accomplished these things and how you have these skills.
For example:
- Met deadlines every week while writing for University News.
- Proofread technical papers at a firm.
Also, you only need to list education that relates to the job you are applying for.
Advertisers Can List More Than Education on Their Advertising Resumes
If you’re still struggling to come up with work-related experiences that will tout your advertising responsibilities, try listing educational coursework instead. Let’s look at Sam’s resume again. Under “Coursework,” he listed the following:
| Spring 2008 | Master’s Report (ADV 398R)
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| Fall 2007 | Account Planning (ADV 385)
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| Spring 2007 | Theories of Personal Communication and Decision Making (ADV 382J)
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So with a few helpful tips, your advertising resume should be well on its way to promoting the best product out there — you!
Conclusion
Listing your accomplishments, focusing your resume, and including advertising course work on your resume will not only help you create a well-crafted advertising resume, but will help you land your dream advertising job. Get started today!
