How to Write a Communications Resume (With Template)

Advanced skills and qualifications make great assets in the communications field. If you're looking to get a new job or start a new career in communications, you can consider preparing a professional resume. Learning how to create a compelling resume can make you a top candidate for a communications position at your desired company or organization. In this article, we discuss why you can consider writing a communications resume, explain how to write a professional one, review the skills communications experts use, and present a template and an example of a professional resume for communications specialists.

Why consider writing a communications resume?

You can consider creating a professional communications resume to showcase your communications experiences, skills, and qualifications. Hiring managers typically seek versatile candidates with a broad range of transferable skills and experiences that can benefit their organization. A clear, concise, and captivating communications resume indicating your significant achievements relevant to the job can therefore show you're an excellent fit for the position.

How to write a professional resume for communications specialists

You can follow these steps to create a professional resume:

1. Review the job description

Consider reviewing the job vacancy to identify the specific skills or qualifications your potential employer seeks. You can then highlight these features and keywords in different sections of your resume to show how you're an excellent fit for the job. Tailoring your resume this way can show your interest in the organization and prove you can support the company in achieving its goals.

2. Choose a format

Choose a standard format for your resume to ensure it's easy to read and understand. If a hiring manager can browse through your resume effectively, it can increase your chances of an interview. Here are the primary formats for writing a resume:

• Functional resume: This resume helps if you're starting or changing careers in the communications field. It emphasizes your skills and achievements over professional experience.

• Chronological resume: This resume format prioritizes professional work experience. It's suitable for communications specialists with several years of work experience with minimal or no employment gaps.

• Combination resume: This format is a good choice if you have a consistent employment history. It emphasizes your skills, relevant accomplishments, and recent work history.

Related: How to Write a Resume

3. Create a header

A header typically includes your contact details. Ensure all information is correct, as that's how potential employers can contact you for further conversations or an interview. The details include your full name, city and province or territory, phone number, and e-mail address. You may also include the link to your professional website or active social media profile if you have one. Consider adding these links only if they help illustrate your expertise or experience in the communications field.

4. Write your professional summary statement

You can show your value to your potential employer with an engaging summary statement. You can briefly describe your values, qualifications, most notable achievements, and career goals as a communications major. It may also be details of your relevant skills, experiences, or accomplishments that align with those being explicitly sought by the hiring manager.

5. Present your work experience

Next, you can explain your work history to give hiring managers an insight into how far you've progressed in your career. Outline the company names, locations, and employment duration, starting with your most recent credential. For each work experience, you may add up to three or five bullet points to describe your duties or responsibilities. You can include measurable achievements to show the solutions you can provide their company and your value as a potential employee. Consider using action verbs to describe your relevant tasks or accomplishments for each role.

6. Outline your education

Here, you can outline your educational background from your most recent credential. There are often academic requirements to meet, so ensure you qualify before applying for a job posting. Include your degree name, area of study, name of the school, the city and province or territory, and graduation year for each school. Consider listing all other relevant qualifications or certifications you acquired in this section. You may also mention relevant accomplishments or significant awards you earned in school.

7. Share relevant skills

You can use the job description as guidance to develop your skills section. The required skills may vary depending on the job, but try to include the skills you possess that the hiring managers want in their prospective employees. You can then list your hard and soft skills that align with the job requirements. Hard skills are the qualities you gain through training or education, such as designing, while soft skills are the qualities that describe how you interact with others, such as interpersonal skills.

Related: A Guide to Soft Skills

8. Include supporting information

You can include an additional section to your resume to provide any more information that can support your application. This section is optional, but having it on your resume can give hiring managers a better understanding of your interests and personality to see how you can fit in their company.

Try to limit this extra information to activities that might interest hiring managers or are relevant to the role. If you've won awards in the communications field, you can mention them to show your achievements and potential in the field. You may also mention the languages you speak and indicate your level of proficiency in each of them.

What skills do communications experts use?

Here are major skills communications experts use to showcase themselves at work:

Creativity

Creativity is a key to success in the field of communications. You can make your clients happier by developing creative solutions to problems they may face at the moment. Communications specialists also use their creativity to think of new ideas or find new approaches to old ideas that can improve the value of their organization. They may also think of new marketing strategies or public and media relations to attract new customers for their company.

Writing and editing

Communications specialists often possess the ability to write captivating content. Great writing and editing skills are essential in the communications field. A firm grasp of grammar and attention to detail can improve your writing. Consider presenting samples of articles, press releases, or advertising copies you've written to demonstrate your writing skills to potential employers. If you have a blog and post content regularly, you can share it to show them you can also write for new media.

Strategic planning

Communications experts use this skill to effectively plan how they can achieve certain objectives through communication. These objectives can include who to speak with, deciding on the method of communication, whether by phone, social media, or targeted marketing, and determining the language to use in the message. Communications experts also plan strategically to achieve the goals of their company or organization, whether it's to sell products or services or promote an idea.

Teamwork and collaboration

Teamwork is essential for communication experts, especially in internal communications. Internal communications are those that occur within a company or organization, usually not meant for external visibility. Consider building your teamwork skills to collaborate effectively with your colleagues and excel in your career.

Related: Teamwork skills: Definition and Examples

Template for a communications expert resume

Here's a template you can follow to create your professional resume:

[Full name]
[City, province, or territory]
[Phone number]
[E-mail address]

Professional summary
[Short description of about three to four sentences or bullet points about your professional experience, goals, and most notable achievements]

Work experience
[Job title]
[Company name, location, employment duration]

• [Duty or responsibility]

• [Duty or responsibility]

• [Duty or responsibility]

[Job title]
[Company name, location, employment duration]

• [Duty or responsibility]

• [Duty or responsibility]

• [Duty or responsibility]

Education
School degree, area of study
[School, location, graduation year]
[Relevant accomplishments]
Secondary school diploma
[School, location, graduation year]
[Relevant accomplishments]

Skills and abilities

• [Skill 1]

• [Skill 2]

• [Skill 3]

Example of a professional resume for communications specialists

Here's a sample resume of an experienced communications specialist:

Jenny Jones
Toronto, Ontario
(555)-555-0000
jenny.jones@gmail.com

Professional summary
Highly motivated communications specialist with eight years of experience in the communications field. Committed to maintaining open communication with staff members and utilizing strong collaboration skills to create informative and factual articles, press releases and social media posts. Creative and strategic communications expert possessing exceptional writing and editing skills. Dedicated to promoting the company's reputation and public image through external communication efforts.

Work experience
Communications specialist
Sam Electronics, Toronto, Ontario, 2016–2021

• Collaborated with staff members across the organization to write informative articles published weekly on the organization's website

• Managed organization's monthly internal newsletter, reaching over 150 employees

• Trained and mentored new communications staff on standard policies and regulations

Communications assistant
Newton community services, Toronto, Ontario, 2013–2016

• Designed effective strategies to achieve communication goals

• Assisted in developing materials for events such as fliers and brochures

• Prepared media questions and interview responses

Education
Bachelor of Arts, Communications
Brod University, Toronto, Ontario, 2012

• First-class honours (GPA 3.8/4.0)

• Deans honour list

Secondary school diploma
Summer springs secondary school, Toronto, Ontario, 2008

• Valedictorian (class of 2008)

Skills

• Exceptional writing and editing

• Strategic planning

• Problem solving

• teamwork and collaboration

• social media marketing