Public Relations CV Example
Updated 31 July 2026
A strong public relations CV proves you can secure coverage, manage crises and measure outcomes the way modern UK PR teams do. This guide shows you how to write a CV that demonstrates media-relations instinct, named placements and Barcelona-aligned metrics, the proof points PR hiring managers actually scan for.
Public Relations CV examples
Junior PR Executive
JuniorRecent PR graduate with a journalism background and 12 months' agency experience supporting media relations campaigns for consumer and tech clients. Skilled in media list building, press release drafting and coverage monitoring using Cision and Meltwater. CIPR student member with a track record of securing placements in regional and trade press.
Why it works: Demonstrates media-list building, named placements and early campaign support with concrete metrics, while leaning on a journalism degree and internship experience.
PR Account Manager
Mid-levelPR Account Manager with four years' experience managing integrated campaigns for B2B and consumer clients at a top-tier agency. Proven track record securing coverage in The Guardian, Financial Times and BBC News, with expertise in crisis communications, message strategy and quality-weighted share of voice reporting. CIPR member and shortlisted for PRWeek Best Campaign 2025.
Why it works: Shows multi-client agency experience at a named firm, named Tier 1 placements, crisis comms exposure and Barcelona-aligned metrics that prove modern measurement literacy.
Senior PR Manager
SeniorSenior PR Manager with nine years' experience leading high-stakes media relations and crisis communications programmes for FTSE 100 clients and global agencies. Awarded CIPR Excellence in PR Strategy 2025. Expert in reputation management, message strategy and Barcelona-Principles-aligned measurement, with a track record of securing coverage in The Guardian, Financial Times, BBC and Sky News. Chartered PR Practitioner and former business journalist.
Why it works: Demonstrates strategic leadership, named FTSE 100 crisis work, industry awards, team management and Barcelona-aligned measurement across both agency and in-house roles.
How to write a public relations CV
Format and length
Keep your PR CV to two pages, reverse-chronological, with no photo or date of birth. Lead with a personal statement that names your PR sub-discipline (media relations, crisis comms, public affairs, digital PR), then list experience, education, skills and professional memberships.
Personal statement
Signal your specialism and headline your strongest proof point in the first line: named Tier 1 placements, a crisis you managed, or a recognised award. Include your CIPR or PRCA status if you have it.
Experience section
Name the publications where you secured coverage. List agencies (Weber Shandwick, Edelman) or in-house roles explicitly so recruiters understand your exposure. Write achievement bullets with PR-native metrics: quality-weighted share of voice, message pull-through percentages, sentiment scores and business-proxy signals like referral traffic or enquiry volume. Never quote AVE.
Skills
List the PR tools hiring managers look for: Cision, Meltwater, Roxhill, Hootsuite, Sprout Social. Add measurement literacy (Barcelona Principles, sentiment analysis) and any specialist skills like public affairs or community relations.
Education and memberships
List degrees, then add CIPR or PRCA membership, accreditation or Chartered status as a separate line. Journalism degrees or newspaper backgrounds are assets, frame them as media-landscape insight, not a gap.
Extras
Include a portfolio line if you have published press materials or coverage clippings. Surface industry awards (CIPR Excellence, PRWeek, PRCA Dare) in the summary or a dedicated achievements section.
Personal statement examples
Senior PR Manager with nine years' experience leading high-stakes media relations and crisis communications programmes for FTSE 100 clients and global agencies. Awarded CIPR Excellence in PR Strategy 2025. Expert in reputation management, message strategy and Barcelona-Principles-aligned measurement, with a track record of securing coverage in The Guardian, Financial Times, BBC and Sky News. Chartered PR Practitioner and former business journalist.
Experienced PR professional with a passion for communications and media. Strong team player with excellent written and verbal skills. Looking for a challenging role where I can use my creativity and grow my career in a dynamic environment.
Writing your experience
The result-plus-metric pattern
PR hiring managers scan for named placements, crisis outcomes and Barcelona-aligned metrics. Every bullet should answer: what did you do, where did it land, and what was the measurable outcome?
Weak: Managed media relations for a product launch.
Strong: Secured coverage in The Guardian, Financial Times and BBC News for a fintech client's Series B funding round, achieving 18% quality-weighted share of voice vs competitors.
Weak: Supported the team during a crisis.
Strong: Led the crisis response for a FTSE 100 client during a product recall, holding positive or neutral coverage at 72% across a three-week news cycle and drafting all external statements and spokesperson briefings.
Weak: Wrote press releases and distributed them to journalists.
Strong: Drafted and distributed 14 press releases, with 42% message pull-through in Tier 1 and Tier 2 coverage as measured by Meltwater sentiment analysis.
Action verbs for PR
Secured, pitched, placed, drafted, led (crisis response), managed (stakeholder/media relationships), monitored, tracked, achieved (share of voice / sentiment score), built (media lists / journalist relationships), coordinated, delivered.
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Name the publications (The Guardian, FT, BBC) | Say "achieved media coverage" |
| Quote message pull-through % or sentiment score | Quote Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE) |
| Show crisis outcome (% positive/neutral coverage) | Say "handled a crisis" |
| List PR tools (Cision, Meltwater, Roxhill) | List only "Microsoft Office" |
Key skills & ATS keywords
Hard skills
Soft skills
ATS keywords
Education & certifications
Education
List your degree, institution and classification. Journalism, media, communications and English degrees are all common in PR. If you studied something unrelated, that's fine, PR values transferable skills and a journalism background over a specific degree subject.
Professional qualifications
CIPR and PRCA membership and accreditation are the recognised professional standards in UK PR. Include:
- CIPR Member or PRCA Member (professional body membership)
- CIPR Professional PR Diploma (the main mid-career qualification)
- Chartered PR Practitioner (senior-level Chartered status from CIPR)
- CIPR Foundation Award or CIPR Advanced Certificate (entry and mid-level)
These signal commitment to the profession in a way a generic marketing or business qualification does not. If you are a student member, include it.
Journalism background
If you worked as a journalist before moving into PR, frame it as an asset: media-landscape insight, storytelling instinct and an existing contacts book. A line like "Six-year newspaper career covering business news, now applying media instinct to PR" positions it as relevant experience, not a career gap.
Common mistakes to avoid
Quoting Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE) as a metric, e.g. "Generated £2m in AVE."
The CIPR, PRCA and AMEC have all formally rejected AVE as invalid. Use Barcelona-Principles-aligned metrics instead: quality-weighted share of voice, message pull-through percentage, sentiment score, or business-proxy signals like referral traffic or enquiry volume.
Writing vague coverage claims like "Achieved extensive media coverage" without naming outlets.
Name the publications. "Secured coverage in The Guardian, Financial Times and BBC News" is the single most persuasive proof point in a PR CV and shows you can land Tier 1 placements.
Leaving crisis communications abstract, e.g. "Managed a crisis for a major client."
Show the outcome with a hard metric: "Led the crisis response for a FTSE 100 client during a product recall, holding positive or neutral coverage at 72% across the news cycle."
Burying agency or in-house experience without making it explicit.
PR recruiters read agency and in-house as different skill sets. Name the agency (Weber Shandwick, Edelman) or flag the in-house role clearly so hiring managers understand your exposure.
Using a generic headline like "PR Professional" without signalling your sub-discipline.
PR covers genuinely different specialisms. A headline like "PR Specialist | Media Relations & Crisis Comms | CIPR Accredited" tells the recruiter which lane you are in within the first line.
Listing only "Microsoft Office" in the skills section.
PR hiring managers and ATS filters look for named PR tools: Cision, Meltwater, Roxhill, Hootsuite, Sprout Social. These prove you can build media lists, distribute releases and report coverage.
Junior vs senior: what changes
| Aspect | Junior | Senior |
|---|---|---|
| Personal statement | Leads with degree, internship and CIPR student membership; mentions early placements in regional or trade press. | Leads with years of experience, named Tier 1 placements, crisis work and industry awards; includes Chartered PR Practitioner status. |
| Coverage metrics | Counts pieces of coverage and names a few regional or trade outlets; may quote pitch response rate. | Quotes quality-weighted share of voice, message pull-through percentages and sentiment scores; names multiple Tier 1 outlets (Guardian, FT, BBC). |
| Crisis communications | May have supported a crisis response or drafted holding statements under supervision. | Led the full crisis response, drafted all external statements and Q&A materials, and reports the outcome metric (% positive/neutral coverage). |
| Team and client management | Worked as part of a team supporting one or two clients; no direct reports. | Managed a team of account executives and coordinators; led campaigns for multiple clients or a single high-profile in-house brand. |
| Measurement and reporting | Monitored coverage using Meltwater or Cision and compiled weekly reports; may quote basic sentiment or reach. | Designed Barcelona-Principles-aligned measurement frameworks; reports quality-weighted share of voice, message pull-through and business-proxy metrics. |
| Professional development | CIPR student member or working towards Foundation Award. | CIPR Professional PR Diploma or Chartered PR Practitioner; may mentor junior staff or contribute to industry bodies. |