By Peter Miller · Published August 11, 2026 · Last updated: October 8, 2026
7 min read · format comparison for UK marketers
Your UK marketing CV looks sharp in PDF, but Greenhouse imported HubSpot under education and left your agency dates blank. That's usually a format choice, not a talent gap.
You're comparing two real choices tonight: Word versus PDF, and one column versus two. Start with a free ATS resume check on the file you plan to submit. If metrics and tools land on the wrong employer, fix layout before you rewrite bullets. It's faster than rewriting campaigns you already ran well.
Greenhouse ATS resume optimization UK marketing teams care about is readable structure. Recruiters still search on channel keywords, but only when those keywords attach to a dated role. You won't fix a scrambled import by stuffing keywords into a sidebar.
How Greenhouse parses a UK marketing CV
Greenhouse is common at UK scale-ups and US firms hiring marketers in London, Manchester, and Dublin. Upload builds a profile from text it can extract, not from layout intent.
Marketing CVs fail imports when metrics live outside Experience. A sidebar of tools looks tidy to you and random to the parser.
Greenhouse ATS resume optimization UK marketing hiring managers want is simple: channel skills next to the brand or agency name, Month Year dates on the employer row, and plain links to portfolios.
If you've only ever exported from Canva, you're not alone. Most fixes don't need a new portfolio. They need a Word file where the parser can see who employed you when you ran those campaigns.
Greenhouse UK marketing CV: DOCX vs PDF and columns
Criteria that matter on upload
Judge formats on reading order, date attachment, and whether tools stay with the right job. Design polish is secondary until the paste test passes.
| Choice | When it wins in Greenhouse | When it fails |
|---|---|---|
| DOCX single column | Portal accepts Word; file built in Word or Docs | Hidden tables or text boxes in a template shop DOCX |
| PDF from Word export | Posting requires PDF; fonts are standard | Designed PDF from Canva with columns and icons |
| Two-column CV | Human-only email when no ATS upload | Greenhouse upload for performance or CRM roles |
DOCX path: agency performance marketer
Before: Two-column Canva export with Meta Ads and GA4 icons in the right rail, jobs listed without dates in column one.
After: Single-column DOCX: Performance Marketing Executive, Northwind Agency, London · Jan 2022 to Mar 2025, with bullets that name Meta Ads Manager and GA4 inside the role.
PDF path: in-house brand marketer
Before: Scanned PDF portfolio merge where employment history is an image page.
After: Text-based PDF exported from Word: Brand Manager, Cedar Retail Group · Apr 2020 to Present, bullets with email CRM and content calendar wins, portfolio link typed as https:// in the header.
Single column vs two columns for CRM and lifecycle roles
Before: Left column lists Salesforce, Marketo, and SQL; right column lists jobs without tools attached.
After: One column: Marketing Operations Executive, Lumen SaaS, Edinburgh · May 2021 to Present, with Salesforce and Marketo named inside bullets that include pipeline influenced figures.
Decision rule before you click Apply
If Greenhouse offers DOCX, upload DOCX single column. If it requires PDF, export from Word after the paste test looks clean. If you still want two columns for networking, keep a separate human-facing PDF and do not use it for Greenhouse.
Copy-paste employer block for UK paid social roles
Copy-paste block:
Paid Social Manager, Brightline Agency, Manchester · Jun 2021 to Aug 2024
Managed £42k monthly Meta spend across three FMCG accounts, lifting purchase ROAS from 2.0x to 3.2x in two quarters.
Built GA4 dashboards for weekly creative tests, cutting cost per acquisition 18% without lowering lead volume.
For wider format rules, see formatting mistakes that break parsers when tools import but dates do not.
UK marketing CV parsing mistakes in Greenhouse
I've opened Greenhouse profiles where the PDF showed five years of agency work and the import showed one, and the fix was always column layout or a designed PDF, never missing keywords.
Logo rows instead of employer names
Client logos do not parse as company names. Spell out the agency or brand on the employer line every time.
Campaign tables detached from roles
A grid of channel metrics imports as a blob. Move each metric into a bullet under the job where you earned it.
Headers that say Profile but mean Creative Summary
Use Experience, Education, Skills, and Profile or Summary. Cute section names map to blank fields.
When you're unsure which file to send, upload DOCX to a test req or a saved draft application, then open the preview. If dates look wrong there, a prettier PDF won't save the apply.
Confirm Greenhouse UK marketing CV text order
Run your DOCX or PDF through the ATS resume checker and compare channel tools and dates to your source file. Adjust column layout before you tune keyword density.
Match bullets to the posting with job match score after structure is stable so you are not optimising a scrambled import.
Submit the format Greenhouse can read
Greenhouse ATS resume optimization UK marketing candidates need starts with DOCX single column when allowed, then a plain Word PDF if required. Compare layouts with a paste test, attach metrics to employers, and only then polish design.
When the import preview matches your CV, recruiters can judge campaigns instead of guessing which role owned HubSpot.
Add a tailored note with the cover letter generator if the posting asks for a short pitch beyond the CV.
Frequently asked questions
DOCX is the safer default when Greenhouse accepts Word. A plain single-column file built in Word or Google Docs keeps employer lines and Month Year dates attached. PDF is fine when exported from Word with standard fonts and no text boxes. Canva or InDesign PDFs often scramble column order.
Often yes. Sidebars that hold tools like HubSpot, GA4, or Meta Ads Manager import after experience or merge into the wrong job. Rebuild as one column, run a paste test, and only reintroduce light design after the text order looks right in plain text.
Inside Experience bullets under the dated agency or brand name, not in a metrics table or infographic header. Write increased paid social ROAS from 2.1x to 3.4x over two quarters under the role where you ran the account, with Month Year on the employer line.
Put one plain HTTPS link in the header or Skills section, spelled out in full. Avoid button graphics or QR codes as substitutes for text. Greenhouse indexes the URL string when it is typed, not when it is embedded inside an image.