What skills should I put on a marketing manager resume?

The top skills to put on a marketing manager resume are Salesforce software, SQL and Microsoft Office (Excel and PowerPoint), along with sales and marketing, communications and media, and systems evaluation. Employers also look for dependability, achievement orientation and social orientation, which are best shown through results in your bullet points rather than listed.

  • Salesforce software
  • SQL
  • Atlassian JIRA
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Sales and Marketing knowledge
  • Communications and Media knowledge
  • Systems Evaluation
  • Dependability
  • Achievement Orientation
  • Social Orientation

What software should marketing managers know?

Marketing manager job postings most often ask for Salesforce software, SQL, Atlassian JIRA and Microsoft Office (Excel and PowerPoint). Many marketing managers also use database management, web platform development, and video creation and editing software; which products matter depends on the employer, so list the specific products a posting names and you have used.

  • Salesforce software
  • Structured query language (SQL)
  • Atlassian JIRA
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Office
Type of workTools marketing managers use
DatabasesTeradata Database, Apache Hadoop, Apache Hive, NoSQL, Apache Cassandra
Web developmentJavaScript, Hypertext markup language (HTML), PHP, Cascading style sheets (CSS), Drupal
Video creation and editingAdobe After Effects, TikTok, YouTube, Apple Final Cut Pro, Flipgrid
CRM (customer relationship management)Blackbaud The Raiser's Edge, Oracle Eloqua, Salesforce.com Salesforce CRM, Oracle Siebel Server Sync, Constant Contact
Business intelligence and dashboardsTableau, Google Looker Analytics, IBM Cognos Impromptu, Qlik Tech QlikView

What hard skills do employers want in marketing managers?

Marketing managers need sales and marketing, communications and media, systems evaluation, and persuasion far more than most workers. Name these in your resume summary and prove each one with a bullet that shows you using it.

  • Sales and Marketing · Needed far more than in most jobs
    Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
  • Communications and Media · Needed far more than in most jobs
    Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
  • Systems Evaluation · Needed far more than in most jobs
    Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
  • Persuasion · Needed far more than in most jobs
    Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
  • Administration and Management · Needed more than in most jobs
    Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • Customer and Personal Service · Needed more than in most jobs
    Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Compared with the average rating across all jobs in Department of Labor data.

What soft skills do marketing managers need?

The most important soft skills for marketing managers are dependability, achievement orientation and social orientation, followed by adaptability and innovation. Show them through results in your bullet points rather than listing them as single words.

  1. Dependability: A tendency to be reliable, responsible, and consistent in meeting work-related obligations.
  2. Achievement Orientation: A tendency to establish and maintain personally challenging work-related goals, set high work-related standards, and exert high effort toward meeting those goals and standards.
  3. Social Orientation: A tendency to seek out, enjoy, and be energized by social interaction at work.
  4. Adaptability: A tendency to be open to and comfortable with change, new experiences, or ideas at work.
  5. Innovation: A tendency to be inventive, to be imaginative, and to adopt new perspectives on ways to accomplish work.

What keywords should a marketing manager resume include?

A marketing manager resume should include the exact tool names, skills and job title from the posting. For marketing managers, common keywords include Salesforce software, SQL, Microsoft Office (Excel and PowerPoint), BD Director (Business Development Director) and BD Manager (Business Development Manager). Applicant tracking systems and recruiters scan for these words, so use them wherever they truthfully describe your experience.

Screening software and recruiters look for the tool names in the posting. Paste your resume to see which marketing manager tools it mentions. Nothing leaves your browser.

How do I write marketing manager resume bullet points?

Start each marketing manager bullet point with a past-tense verb and a core task, such as “Directed the hiring, training, or performance evaluations of marketing or sales staff and oversaw their daily activities,” then end it with a measurable result: what changed, by how much, and for whom. These starters come from the job’s most important tasks.

Bullet starters from a marketing manager’s core tasks

  • Formulated, directed, or coordinated marketing activities or policies to promote products or services, working with advertising or promotion managers
  • Used sales forecasting or strategic planning to ensure the sale and profitability of products, lines, or services, analyzing business developments and monitoring market trends
  • Identified, developed, or evaluated marketing strategy, based on knowledge of establishment objectives, market characteristics, and cost and markup factors
  • Directed the hiring, training, or performance evaluations of marketing or sales staff and oversaw their daily activities
  • Evaluated the financial aspects of product development, such as budgets, expenditures, research and development appropriations, or return-on-investment and profit-loss projections
  • Developed pricing strategies, balancing firm objectives and customer satisfaction
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  • Initiated market research studies, or analyzed their findings
  • Compiled lists describing product or service offerings
  • Consulted with product development personnel on product specifications, such as design, color, or packaging
  • Recommended modifications to products, packaging, production processes, or other characteristics to improve the environmental soundness or sustainability of products
  • Conducted economic or commercial surveys to identify potential markets for products or services
  • Coordinated or participated in promotional activities or trade shows, working with developers, advertisers, or production managers, to market products or services
  • Consulted with buying personnel to gain advice regarding the types of products or services expected to be in demand
  • Negotiated contracts with vendors or distributors to manage product distribution, establishing distribution networks or developing distribution strategies
  • Conferred with legal staff to resolve problems, such as copyright infringement or royalty sharing with outside producers or distributors

Resume summary starter

Plan, direct, or coordinate marketing policies and programs, such as determining the demand for products and services offered by a firm and its competitors, and identify potential customers. Develop pricing strategies with the goal of maximizing the firm's profits or share of the market while ensuring the firm's customers are satisfied. Oversee product development or monitor trends that indicate the need for new products and services.

What are other job titles for a marketing manager?

Other job titles for a marketing manager include BD Director (Business Development Director), BD Manager (Business Development Manager), Brand Manager, Market Development Executive and Market Development Manager. Government job data groups them as “Marketing Managers.” Search for these titles too, and use the posting’s exact title on your resume when it fits your experience.

  • BD Director (Business Development Director)
  • BD Manager (Business Development Manager)
  • Brand Manager
  • Market Development Executive
  • Market Development Manager
  • Marketing Communications Manager
  • Marketing Coordinator
  • Marketing Director
  • Product Manager
  • Product Marketing Manager
  • Business Developer
  • Category Manager
  • Channel Manager
  • Commercial Director
  • Digital Marketing Manager
  • Digital Product Manager
  • Internet Marketing Manager
  • Market Analysis Director
  • Market Research Manager
  • Marketing Administrator (Marketing Admin)

What education do marketing managers need?

Most marketing managers need a bachelor's degree to get hired, plus 5 years or more of experience in a related job. On your resume, list coursework or certifications in sales and marketing, communications and media, and administration and management.

How much do marketing managers make?

Marketing managers earn a median salary of $166,790 a year, according to May 2025 federal wage data. The lowest-paid 10% earn less than $90,260, and the highest-paid 10% earn more than $293,610. Employment is projected to grow 6.9% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all jobs, with about 34,000 openings a year.

Median yearly pay, May 2025

$166,790

80% earn $90,260 to $293,610

Expected job growth, 2025–35

+6.9%

All jobs: +3.5%

Job openings per year

34,000

395,240 people work in this job

Typical education to get hired

Bachelor's degree

Plus 5 years or more of related experience

Turn this list into a tailored marketing manager resume

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Where this data comes from

  • Software, skills, traits, tasks, titles and education survey: O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor), occupation 11-2021.00.
  • Pay and employment: Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey (OEWS), May 2025, occupation 11-2021.
  • Job growth, openings and typical education: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2025–35.

Includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by USDOL/ETA, used under CC BY 4.0 and modified by MyCareerAI. Full attribution and changes