Important Advertising Skills That Employers Value

When you are applying for a job in advertising or marketing, the application screeners, interviewers, and hiring decision-makers will look for keywords and specific skills in the text of your resume and its accompanying cover letter. It's important to show employers that you have the in-demand skills they are seeking.

Here are lists of advertising skills for resumes, cover letters, job applications, and interviews, as well as a resume sample and template focused on advertising.

What Kind of Skills Do You Need for a Career in Advertising?

A job in advertising requires a creative perspective in order to create and execute the most effective campaigns, and project management and marketing are the methods in which these campaigns can come to life.

A position in advertising may include a variety of responsibilities, depending on the role:

• Plan advertising campaigns, including which media to advertise in, such as radio, television, print, online media, and billboards.
• Work on budgets, contracts, marketing plans, and the selection of advertising media.
• Plan promotional campaigns such as contests, coupons, or giveaways.
• Evaluate websites, apps, and ads used in campaigns.
• Conduct market research and analyze findings.
• Meet with clients to provide advertising and marketing advice.

The categories that include the most important advertising skills include creativity, communication, project management, personal mastery, media, and marketing.

Top Advertising Skills

Below you’ll find the most common skills that are sought in the different areas of advertising.

Try to include these phrases when you annotate your job and volunteer experience on your resume. Note that some of the words are synonyms, which is useful so that your resume does not become monotonous and repetitive.

Required skills will vary based on the job for which you're applying, so also review our list of skills listed by job and type of skill.

Creative Skills

These skills are the ones you use in creating an advertising piece or campaign, be it for your employer or for a client. Try to think of examples to mention, either on your resume or in a personal interview, where you have demonstrated these creative competencies.

• Anticipating Objections
• Architecting Content
• Authority Building
• Building Associations
• Building Scarcity
• Business Storytelling
• Creativity
• Customer Focus
• Innovation
• Storytelling
• Writing

Communication Skills

Advertising requires that you communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with companies and their customers. Show the talents you have in all aspects of communication by employing these keywords.

• Active Listening
• Analyzing Emotions
• Collaboration
• Communication
• Customer Focus
• Email
• Giving Feedback
• Handling Objections
• Interpersonal Skills
• Interviewing
• Listening
• Messaging
• Motivating Others
• Negotiation
• Networking
• Public Speaking
• Speaking
• Speed Reading
• Storytelling
• Teaching
• Video

Project Management Skills

What roles have you played in advertising and marketing projects? Showcase your skills in designing, implementing, and analyzing projects, being sure to mention any specialized project management software tools you utilize.

• Acquisition Campaigns
• Analysis
• Analytics
• Budget Management
• Coordination
• Decision Making
• Manage Projects
• Metrics
• Microsoft Office
• Planning
• Problem Solving
• Project Management
• Project Management Software
• Research
• Reporting
• Testing
• Teamwork
• Time Management
• Understanding Data and Metrics

Personal Mastery Skills

What interpersonal qualities and habits do you have that contribute to success in advertising and marketing? Are you a people person? A natural leader? Charismatic? Someone who has never met a stranger? These skills are useful ones to showcase as you describe your performance in previous jobs.

• Assertive
• Courage
• Creativity
• Critical Thinking
• Focus
• Genuine
• Initiative
• Innovation
• Leadership
• Multitasking
• Organized
• Persuasive
• Quick Thinking
• Receptive
• Successful

Media Skills

Have you worked in different media? Even if your experience is from unpaid or volunteer projects, marketing skills can be valuable in a new position. Employers may be looking for someone with experience in specific platforms, so be sure to mention each one you’ve had experience with.

• Brand Strategy
• Digital
• Direct Marketing
• Digital Media
• Media Planning
• Media Strategy
• Mobile Media
• Multiplatform
• Search Engine Optimization
• Social Media

Marketing Skills

What experience and training do you have in planning, designing, and bringing advertising campaigns to the public? Be sure to spotlight sales and promotion skills.

• Analysis
• Closing Sales
• Content Marketing
• Customer Focus
• Funnel Focused
• Marketing
• Positioning
• Pricing
• Promotion
• Public Relations
• Reciprocity
• Sales

How to Highlight Your Skills

Match Your Qualifications to the Job

Each time you review a job posting, you should highlight the keywords which are mentioned in the “qualifications” section. It’s highly likely that hiring managers— or the automated applicant tracking systems they employ—will rank the applications they receive based upon which ones most closely reflect their “minimum” and “preferred” qualifications lists.

Focus on Your Most Relevant Skills

Then, go through your resume and review what relevant skills you have developed in your past education, training, and employment.

You’re looking for examples of experience that can demonstrate, in your resume, that you have the qualifications an employer is seeking.

Perhaps, for example, the job listing requests “social media” experience. Even if a social media campaign was only a single event during a former job, you should note it and what role you played in its successful launch in your application materials.

Sample Advertising Resume

This is a sample resume written for a job in the advertising industry. You may read the sample below or download the Word template by clicking on the link.