Writing a PR CV

When I worked for a PR agency (a long time ago) some bright young graduate once thought it a good idea to hammer a huge sign asking for a job into the lawn in front of the office. The boss was furious. To be fair, it did look like a big estate agent’s sign. It just goes to show; good PR isn’t just about doing something different. It’s about understanding your audience. The same is true for writing your PR CV.

What types of PR role are you targeting?

How you structure your CV will depend mainly on the amount of relevant experience you have. If you are an experienced PR professional, then a reverse chronological format is almost certainly the best format. This allows you to showcase your most recent jobs first and works backwards in time. As a fresh graduate or someone with little or no PR experience, you might adopt a skills-based CV.

A skills-based PR CV

With a skills-based CV you will have an expanded skills section just after the professional profile. Here you should list 4 or 5 of the skills that are most relevant for a career in PR. For example, these could be along the lines of project management, creative writing, stakeholder engagement, understanding business issues or social media management. The important thing is to align the skills to the role you are applying for and use examples to illustrate. This format helps to demonstrate transferable skills. So, you can use examples from University, non-PR related work or other interests or activities.

Mirror the requirements of the person specification

The secret to writing a powerful PR CV is to match the requirements of the person specification for the roles you are applying for. If you are applying for a live job, then you have this information to hand. If not applying for a live job, then here is a good exercise: Find 3 ‘best fit’ job description/person specifications. Read them carefully and look for similarities and common key skills and phrases. Now weave these into your PR CV and use specific examples of how, where and when you have demonstrated these skills. This will help your CV get through ATS filter and give your CV a real chance of making an impact with the reader.

Ensure consistent formatting and presentation

Many PR roles involve a strong degree of writing. Anything from creative briefs to press releases or web content. It is therefore vital that your PR CV is well written and looks professional. Make sure the formatting is consistent throughout and use a contemporary non-serif typeface to a minimum of 11 point. Don’t cram the CV with too much information. Remember, white space is good so aim for about 750 words in a 2-page CV.

This article is written by Neville Rose, Director of CV Writers. Please do connect with me via LinkedIn.

Check out our CV writing service with details of our packages that include LinkedIn profiles, cover letters and more. You can get things started with a Free CV review. I am also a qualified career counsellor and provide Career Counselling services for people looking to change career paths.