Communications Specialist Resume Example & Writing Guide

This resume guide will cover the following topics:

• What should a communications specialist resume include

• Advice on each section of your resume (summary, work history, education)

• Adding relevant key skills to your resume

• Choosing the right resume template for a communications specialist

What should your communications specialist resume include?

Your resume is what gets you in the door, so it has to knock the recruiter’s socks off. Good communications specialists know how to analyze a company’s vision, mission, and values, boost brand presence, and leverage mass media to ensure the achievement of short- and long-range goals. Crafting a standout resume laser-focused on your success in these areas is one way to convince the hiring manager that they should invite you to an interview.  

Your communications specialist resume should contain the following elements:

• The resume header with your contact information

• The resume summary 

• The employment history section

• The resume skills section

• The education section

How can you create a professional summary?

Your first chance to make a great impression is your professional summary. This is a snapshot of your relevant skills, experience, and success in communications. It’s around four key sentences that tell recruiters what unique qualities and value you can bring to their company. Highlighting your specific expertise in the strategic management and development of stakeholder relationships, combined with your talent for public speaking, content writing, and brand development will position you as the communications specialist to hire.  

Keep this section short. Two or three sentences is ideal. Any longer and you can risk the hiring manager zoning out due to information overload. Recruiters often receive hundreds of resumes in response to a job posting, so keeping your summary direct and impactful will help you stand out.

See our adaptable communications specialist resume summary below.

How should you describe your work experience as a communications specialist?   

The work experience section is where you can make your time as a communications specialist shine. Avoid listing generic duties and responsibilities under each role as this isn’t really going to spark the hiring manager's interest. 

Using the job description as your guide, include a brief description of what you have contributed in each role in paragraph form first. Then, use bullet points to highlight standout achievements. Include as much specific information as possible, such as the percentage of online followers your campaigns attracted and how this was achieved.

For example:

• Grew online following by 20% by directing the launch of online digital marketing campaigns across eight separate social media platforms. 

Take a look at the adaptable communications specialist resume employment history section below.

If you don’t have extensive experience as a communications specialist, don’t worry. Highlight your transferable skills that could help you in this role. This could include excellent written and verbal communication, strong interpersonal skills, creativity, and attention-to-detail. However, provide specific examples where you demonstrated these skills, whether internships, volunteer work, or projects.

Include a fitting communications specialist resume education and certifications section

Highlighting your degrees, credentials, and certifications the right way is vital on your communications specialist resume, as recruiters want to see that you’re suitably qualified for the job opening. Here’s some key areas to focus on when crafting your education section:

• List your education in reverse order with the highest qualification first. If you’re completing any relevant continuing education or certifications, include these as ongoing (or with an estimated completion date) as this really helps to build your credibility.   

• Include professional certifications and highlight any professional training relevant to your communications career, such as photography or copywriting courses. You can detail this information at the end of your education section as per our example.

• Keep it simple. Only list relevant information—qualification level, subject, and educational institution—to keep this section clear and concise. 

Which key skills are relevant for a communications specialist resume?

Naturally, communication is a big part of what a communications specialist is responsible for, but there are many other skills you will need to be successful in this role. Tailoring your resume to the job description is the best way to make sure your resume gets read, particularly in terms of the applicant tracking systems (ATS) that many companies now use. To learn more about the ATS, read our article on Resume ATS optimization.

Review the job description closely and look out for terms that are repeated or emphasized as important skills and experience; these are the keywords you want to include. Sprinkle those key skills throughout your resume by demonstrating those skills in action—both in your work history and professional summary. For a communications specialist, a few critical skills might include: 

• Social media marketing

• Public relations management

• Brand development

• Event management

• Service and product expansion

• Project management

• Team training and development

How to select the most impactful communications specialist resume template

Most recruiters favor an organized, visually appealing easy-to-follow resume. When you consider the number of resumes and the amount of time they spend during their initial review (mere seconds), this makes sense. Avoid design-heavy formats, colors, and photographs as these can result in ATS not parsing the information correctly and may result in your falling at the first hurdle in the hiring process.

Stick to reverse chronological order, with greater weight on more recent positions as these will be of most interest to recruiters. Ideally, your communications specialist resume should be one or two pages in terms of length and make sure the formatting is consistent to project your professionalism.

When exploring our many resume templates in our resume builder, start by selecting the resume layout that fits your situation best. Find inspiration with our over 100 available resume examples.

Copyable communications specialist resume example

Key takeaways for writing a communications specialist resume

1. Communications specialists play a vital role in representing companies to their target audience, so much like a PR campaign your resume needs to effectively represent you as the PR guru to hire. 

2. If you’re looking for your dream communications job, you need to highlight your PR expertise, top-flight relationship-building capabilities and (of course) your stellar comm

   unication skills.

3. Use the job description as your guide and target your resume as much as possible to the specific job opening. Sprinkle keywords in each section, such as brand awareness, campaign management, and stakeholder engagement.

4. Make your life easier by using our online resume builder to create your communications specialist resume with adaptable templates and AI-powered content.