Crafting a CV that effectively showcases your diverse skill set and community engagement successes is a significant challenge for any community manager. Our guide provides tailored tips and examples to help you articulate your unique experience and stand out to potential employers.
- Applying best practices from real-world examples to ensure your profile always meets recruiters' expectations;
- What to include in your work experience section, apart from your past roles and responsibilities?
- Why are both hard and soft skills important for your application?
- How do you need to format your CV to pass the Applicant Tracker Software (ATS) assessment?
If you're writing your CV for a niche community manager role, make sure to get some inspiration from professionals:
How complex should the format of your community manager CV be?
Perhaps, you decided to use a fancy font and plenty of colours to ensure your community manager CV stands out amongst the pile of other candidate profiles. Alas - this may confuse recruiters. By keeping your format simple and organising your information coherently, you'll ultimately make a better impression. What matters most is your experience, while your CV format should act as complementary thing by:- Presenting the information in a reverse chronological order with the most recent of your jobs first. This is done so that your career history stays organised and is aligned to the role;
- Making it easy for recruiters to get in touch with you by including your contact details in the CV header. Regarding the design of your CV header, include plenty of white space and icons to draw attention to your information. If you're applying for roles in the UK, don't include a photo, as this is considered a bad practice;
- Organising your most important CV sections with consistent colours, plenty of white space, and appropriate margins (2.54 cm). Remember that your CV design should always aim at legibility and to spotlight your key information;
- Writing no more than two pages of your relevant experience. For candidates who are just starting out in the field, we recommend to have an one-page CV.
One more thing about your CV format - you may be worried if your double column CV is Applicant Tracker System (ATS) complaint. In our recent study, we discovered that both single and double-column CVs are ATS-friendly . Most ATSes out there can also read all serif and sans serif fonts. We suggest you go with modern, yet simple, fonts (e.g. Rubik, Lato, Raleway) instead of the classic Times New Roman. You'll want your application to stand out, and many candidates still go for the classics. Finally, you'll have to export your CV. If you're wondering if you should select Doc or PDF, we always advise going with PDF. Your CV in PDF will stay intact and opens easily on every OS, including Mac OS.
PRO TIP
Use font size and style strategically to create a visual hierarchy, drawing the reader's eye to the most important information first (like your name and most recent job title).
The top sections on a community manager CV
- Relevant Community Management Experience explains the candidate's direct history in managing online and offline communities.
- Skills in Social Media and Engagement showcases proficiency in various platforms and the ability to foster interaction.
- Track record in Content Creation demonstrates the ability to produce engaging materials for community consumption.
- Proven Success in Growing Communities highlights instances where the applicant has expanded and nurtured community bases.
- Knowledge of Analytics and Reporting displays the candidate's competence in evaluating community health and growth metrics.
What recruiters value on your CV:
- Highlight your experience with social media platforms and online communities, detailing your ability to grow, engage, and moderate digital audiences through targeted content and interaction strategies.
- Showcase your communication skills by mentioning instances where you have successfully managed conflict resolution, crafted clear community guidelines, or led community-focused campaigns.
- Emphasise your familiarity with community management tools (e.g., Hootsuite, Discord, or Slack) and analytics software to demonstrate your technical proficiency and ability to glean insights from data.
- Include examples of your ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams, such as marketing or customer service, to align community initiatives with broader company goals and enhance brand reputation.
- Reflect on your experience in creating and managing content calendars, organising events (online or in-person), and curating user-generated content to establish a dynamic and engaging community presence.
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What information should you include in your community manager CV header?
The CV header is potentially the section that recruiters would refer to the most, as it should include your:
- Contact details - your professional (non-work) email address and phone number;
- Professional photograph - if you're applying hinting at the value you bring as a professional.
Many professionals often struggle with writing their community manager CV headline. That's why in the next section of this guide, we've curated examples of how you can optimise this space to pass any form of assessment.
Examples of good CV headlines for community manager:
- Social Media Strategist | Engagement Specialist | CIM Certified | 5+ Years of Community Building
- Senior Community Manager | Content Curation | User Experience Advocate | 7 Years Leading Online Spaces
- Digital Community Coordinator | SEO Knowledge | Certified Community Professional | Entry-Level Enthusiast
- Online Community Cultivator | Brand-Voice Development | Analytics Expert | 10+ Years of Digital Leadership
- Junior Community Liaison | Customer Relationship Pro | Recently Completed CMX Certification
- Senior Online Engagement Director | Strategic Partnerships | Crisis Management Savvy | 12 Years in Community Roles
Your community manager CV introduction: selecting between a summary and an objective
community manager candidates often wonder how to start writing their resumes. More specifically, how exactly can they use their opening statements to build a connection with recruiters, showcase their relevant skills, and spotlight job alignment. A tricky situation, we know. When crafting you community manager CV select between:
- A summary - to show an overview of your career so far, including your most significant achievements.
- An objective - to show a conscise overview of your career dreams and aspirations.
Find out more examples and ultimately, decide which type of opening statement will fit your profile in the next section of our guide:
CV summaries for a community manager job:
- With over 8 years of dedicated community management within the tech start-up sphere, having fostered robust online communities that resulted in a 70% increase in user engagement, I possess a deep understanding of social media platforms, analytics tools, and engagement strategies paramount in cultivating vibrant digital ecosystems.
- Seasoned marketing professional pivoting to community management, bringing 10 years of expertise in campaign development and customer relationship management, adept at leveraging social insights to build and nurture online communities that align with brand values and drive measurable growth.
- Former event coordinator with 5 years of experience ready to transfer exceptional organisational and communication skills into community management, eager to utilise my event planning accomplishments and strong stakeholder engagement capability to foster and grow active, enthusiastic online communities.
- Dynamic community manager with a 6-year tenure at a leading gaming company, where I successfully led community initiatives that increased user retention by 40%. Expert in crafting engaging content, managing cross-functional teams, and deploying tools like Zendesk to enhance user experience and satisfaction.
- Seeking to leverage my passion for social media and a Bachelor's degree in Communications to enter the field of community management, aiming to apply an innate aptitude for digital engagement and a fresh perspective to foster vibrant online communities that thrive on authentic interactions and shared values.
- As a recent Sociology graduate imbued with a passion for digital culture and online communities, my objective is to translate my academic understanding of social dynamics into practical community engagement that drives conversation and deepens the connection between users and the brand.
How to meet job requirements with your community manager CV experience
We've now reached the essence of your actual CV - your experience section. This is the space where you can list your career roles and on-the-job successes. Many candidates tend to underestimate just how much time and effort they should put into writing this CV section. Your experience shouldn't be a random list of your responsibilities, but instead:
- Match the job description with your skills, values, and accomplishments;
- Start each bullet with a strong action verb, followed up with one key skill and your outcome of applying this skill;
- Spotlight parts of your career history that are relevant to the job you're applying for.
Before we move on, make sure to check out some professional CV experience sections.
Best practices for your CV's work experience section
- Developed and executed a community engagement strategy that increased active user participation by 30% within one year, establishing a vibrant and supportive online ecosystem.
- Managed a team of four community moderators, providing training and guidance to ensure consistent community standards and to address user concerns effectively and empathetically.
- Utilised analytics tools to monitor community activity and sentiment, leveraging insights to inform content strategies and drive a 25% increase in daily active users.
- Organised and hosted monthly virtual events, including Q&As, webinars, and competitions, fostering a sense of camaraderie and boosting brand loyalty among community members.
- Conducted regular content audits to ensure all community platforms adhere to current industry trends and user expectations, which improved user satisfaction scores by 15%.
- Facilitated communication between the community and internal teams, compiling and presenting user feedback reports that directly influenced product development decisions.
- Implemented crisis management protocols for the community, effectively handling several high-profile incidents that minimised negative impact on brand reputation.
- Collaborated with the marketing department to create integrated campaigns, resulting in a 20% rise in member-generated content that enhanced community engagement.
- Overhauled the community onboarding process, creating educational materials and interactive tutorials that reduced new user churn rate by 10%.
- Implemented a community engagement strategy that increased active user participation by 40% within the first year.
- Led a team of 4 community coordinators to amplify brand presence on social media, growing the following base by 30% across all platforms.
- Managed a budget of $50,000 for community initiatives and saw a 50% ROI through targeted social media campaigns.
- Established the company’s first-ever ambassador program, enlisting community influencers which drove an increase in user-generated content by 70%.
- Coordinated with the product team to gather community feedback, directly influencing the development of three major feature updates.
- Organized and executed 15+ community meetups across the country, enhancing brand loyalty and user retention.
- Curated a content calendar that led to a 25% increase in daily active users and a 15% climb in session time.
- Designed and moderated a community forum which served over 10,000 daily active users, providing a platform for user engagement and customer feedback.
- Analyzed user data to inform and refine community management strategies, resulting in a 20% improvement in customer satisfaction scores.
- Developed a crisis management plan that safeguarded the company's reputation during a product recall, maintaining user trust and minimizing churn.
- Executed an international community-building campaign that doubled the international user base over an 18-month period.
- Collaborated with sales and marketing to integrate community insights into cross-functional campaigns, leading to a 35% increase in leads from community interactions.
- Spearheaded the implementation of a new community platform, which has improved user engagement metrics by 30% in the first six months.
- Managed cross-departmental efforts to align community moderation policies with customer service objectives, reducing resolution times for community reported issues by 25%.
- Conceived and launched a monthly live Q&A with company executives, fostering transparency and a 50% increase in community sentiment.
- Revitalized a stale online forum, leading to a revitalization that saw a 60% increase in monthly new memberships.
- Drove the strategy behind a community content curation plan, which resulted in a 300% increase in shares of user-generated content.
- Implemented a tiered loyalty rewards program that contributed to a drop in customer churn rate by 18%.
- Grew a niche online community from 5,000 to 30,000 members within two years, significantly outpacing industry benchmarks.
- Launched a targeted user-recognition program that amplified the highest quality content, resulting in a 40% increase in daily active discussions.
- Worked closely with the content team to align publication with community interest peaks, leading to a 20% uplift in content engagement.
- Fostered partnerships with influencers and brand advocates, which increased content reach by over one million impressions per month.
- Led the creation of a user-generated blog series, showcasing community stories that enhanced the brand's human touch and authenticity.
- Developed a user segmentation strategy that tailored communications to user activity levels, increasing click-through rates by 22%.
- Orchestrated a successful online campaign for a product launch that engaged over 50,000 individuals, driving a record number of pre-orders.
- Leveraged analytics tools to track community health metrics, applying insights to refine engagement techniques which decreased member attrition by 15%.
- Developed an automated response system based on frequent community inquiries, reducing response time by 30% and increasing member satisfaction.
- Synchronized the community's content calendar with marketing objectives, leading to a direct increase in product demo sign-ups by 50%.
- Revamped the new member onboarding process, resulting in a 25% increase in new user retention after the first 30 days.
- Managed targeted outreach campaigns to niche user groups, which improved engagement and drove a 5% uplift in premium account conversions.
Lacking professional expertise: how to write your CV to highlight your best talents
Don't count on your lucky stars when you're applying for a role, where you happen to have less (or almost none) professional experience. Recruiters sometimes do hire inexperienced candidates if they're able to present their unique value from the get-go. So, instead of opting for the traditional, CV experience section:
- List any applicable expertise you happen to have - no matter if it's a part-time job, internship, or volunteer work. This would hint to recruiters that your profile is relevant;
- Focus your CV on your transferrable skills or talents you've obtained thanks to your whole life and work experience. In effect, you'll be spotlighting your value as a candidate;
- Separate more space for your applicable academic background and certificates to show you have the technical know-how;
- Ensure that within your objective, you've defined why you'll like the job and how you'll be the perfect match for it. Always ensure you've tailored your CV to individual applications.
Looking for more good examples for your first job? We'll show you how other candidates, with less professional experience, have created their job-winning CVs.
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PRO TIP
Describe how each job helped you grow or learn something new, showing a continuous development path in your career.
Key community manager CV skills: what are hard skills and soft skills
Let's kick off with the basics. You know that you have to include key job requirements or skills across your CV. For starters, take individual skills from the job description and copy-paste them into your CV, when relevant. Doing so, you'll ensure you have the correct skill spelling and also pass the Applicant Tracker System (ATS) assessment. There are two types of skills you'll need to include on your CV:
- Hard skills - technical abilities that are best defined by your certificates, education, and experience. You could also use the dedicated skills section to list between ten and twelve technologies you're apt at using that match the job requirements.
- Soft skills - your personal traits and interpersonal communication skills that are a bit harder to quantify. Use various CV sections, e.g. summary, strengths, experience, to shine a spotlight on your workspace achievements, thanks to using particular soft skills.
Remember that your job-winning CV should balance both your hard and soft skills to prove your technical background, while spotlighting your personality.
Top skills for your community manager CV:
Social Media Management
Content Creation
Analytics and Reporting
Marketing Strategy
SEO/SEM
Community Engagement
Customer Service
Crisis Management
Graphic Design
Event Planning
Communication
Empathy
Leadership
Adaptability
Problem-Solving
Creativity
Teamwork
Networking
Time Management
Active Listening
PRO TIP
Order your skills based on the relevance to the role you're applying for, ensuring the most pertinent skills catch the employer's attention first.
Your university degree and certificates: an integral part of your community manager CV
Let's take you back to your uni days and decide what information will be relevant for your community manager CV. Once more, when discussing your higher education, select only information that is pertinent to the job (e.g. degrees and projects in the same industry, etc.). Ultimately, you should:
- List only your higher education degrees, alongside start and graduation dates, and the university name;
- Include that you obtained a first degree for diplomas that are relevant to the role, and you believe will impress recruiters;
- Showcase relevant coursework, projects, or publications, if you happen to have less experience or will need to fill in gaps in your professional history.
PRO TIP
If there's a noticeable gap in your skillset for the role you're applying for, mention any steps you're taking to acquire these skills, such as online courses or self-study.
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Key takeaways
Impressing recruiters with your experience, skill set, and values starts with your professional community manager CV. Write concisely and always aim to answer job requirements with what you've achieved; furthermore:
- Select a simple design that complements your experience and ensures your profile is presentable;
- Include an opening statement that either spotlights your key achievements (summary) or showcases your career ambitions (objective);
- Curate your experience bullets, so that each one commences with a strong, action verb and is followed up by your skill and accomplishment;
- List your hard and soft skills all across different sections of your CV to ensure your application meets the requirements;
- Dedicate space to your relevant higher education diplomas and your certificates to show recruiters you have the necessary industry background.
