Now that you’ve decided you’re going to be a Community Manager, what does a resume for one even look like?
This is the question I kept asking myself over my whole career because I had absolutely no idea myself. I had to go through a lot of trial and error to find what worked for me and the roles I was interested in.
Let’s start with the absolute basics.
The basics
- Start with a beautiful design - community managers are expected to be creative and this should show through your resume. I used to use Word but then switched to Canva.
- Build a base template to work from - have a master design that you’ll tweak for each role you apply for. Employers can easily tell when you haven’t edited your resume.
- Keep your resume to 2-3 pages - keep it concise. Don’t be afraid to remove the education section once your work history is established. Use your resume to highlight parts of your career.
- Get a second opinion - offer your resume up to your friends or family to review. Let them tear it to shreds and keep improving it. This is a living document over the course of your life so it’ll evolve regularly. If you want a free review, I’m happy to help 🙂 (See I need specific advice)
What if I have no community management experience?
This is a great question and it shouldn’t hold you back. There are a lot of junior or entry roles out there that have a 1-3 year background requirement. If you’ve got some experience with a local community or an interest group that you manage, that should count towards your resume.
Here are some examples of non-career community management experience you could cite:
- University society management (e.g. you did work as a president, treasurer or another organising role)
- Local sports club assistance (e.g. you assisted with social media or event management)
- Discord interest group server management (e.g. you own and/or moderate a Discord server that gathers together Star Wars fans)
The important thing to note here is that whatever volunteer background you may have, you need to discuss it in a way that’s relevant to the manager or the business that could potentially hire you. I’ve always done some type of community management outside of work because it’s something I enjoy and these activities are things I continue to bring up during the hiring process.
I discuss this point further in Job interview tips.