Sales representatives are sought by many businesses looking to build a customer base, boost sales of products or services, and to manage customer relations. The employment of sales reps grows steadily: according to Bureau of Labor Statistics, it is projected to grow 4% by 2031. It gives all nature-born salespeople plenty of opportunities to choose from.
To make an initial contact with the employer, you need to submit a targeted resume that positions your strengths for this particular company and sells your accomplishments. If negotiating with customers, building relationships, communicating the strengths of the product and closing deals make you thrive, below you will find actionable tips on how to present all of this to your potential employer and get shortlisted.
There is a faster way to your dream job than doing it all yourself. You can hire sales resume writing services online, and the experienced sales resume writer will create an effective resume for you in just 24 hours. The writer will emphasize your strengths and showcase the achievements in retaining customers and exceeding sales targets to get you noticed. A resume editing service is affordable even for entry-level salespeople.
The structure of a powerful sales resume
No matter your industry and years of experience, a traditional resume contains sections including:
- Your name and contact details
- Career summary, or objective
- Professional experience
- Educations
- Skills and competencies.
You may add other sections as well, for example, Voluntary work, Projects, Community engagement, Publications, Hobbies, etc. Yet, the above listed ones are a must, and if any of them is missing, the recruiter might decide that your resume is incomplete.
Choose the appropriate resume format
A chronological resume format is the most popular, and hiring managers prefer this type of resume. Here, you list work experience in reverse chronological order starting with the most recent position. This format is suitable for sales representative, sales associates and account managers with some experience in the field and a steady work history with no gaps.
A functional resume, on the flip side, puts emphasis on skills and competencies, as well as education. In this case, you put the Skills section right after the Career summary and describe your competencies in detail. Work history is moved to bottom and is listed briefly. This resume type is effective for students with no experience or those switching careers.
If you have at least 2-3 relevant jobs or internship, stay on the chronological format, as it is favored by employers.
Career summary section
This section is your elevator pitch, so it should be as concise and rich in details and accomplishments and possible. As a sales professional, you can brag a plenty of achievements, such as expanding the customer base, increasing the client loyalty and satisfaction, boosting sales and training associates. Make sure to illustrate your accomplishments with figures so that the hiring manager could imagine the scope of work done.
Another important component of a good summary is your enthusiastic or even aggressive self-promotion. Good sales reps have to be persuasive and good communications, so this always counts.
Write no more than 3-4 sentences, focusing on the position in mind. Mention what you can contribute to the organization or what you can improve if hired. If you are a recent graduate, you can also mention your long-term career goal if you get a position.
Here’s an example of a good Summary section:
Result-driven Outside Sales Representative with 3+ years of experience in retail and technology industry. Adept at using consultative sales approach to address customer needs, manage objections and surpassing sales quotas. Exceeded sales goals by 23% each quarter and awarded a Salesperson of the Year in 2020.
Professional experience
In both inside and outside sales experience matters more than formal education, so if you have any experience, put it above education and training. Although this section is to describe your major responsibilities, do not limit it to job duties only. Give context to your experience by adding numbers and figures. If numbers are confidential, use percentages to illustrate your impact. Your main goal is to show the impact and growth, and emphasize your contribution.
List at least 2-3 accomplishments for each job. Examples of accomplishments are surpassing sales goals, creating a sales pipeline, resolving customer issues, improving sales strategies, etc. The optimal length of this section is 5-7 bullets per job. You needn’t list all the accomplishments and daily duties, though. Focus on those relevant to the company and industry you have in mind.
Education
Sales jobs have a low entry barrier, meaning that you don’t have to obtain a college degree to start a career. Yet, if you have an associate’s or a bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance or marketing, this will be a plus. List the college name and your degree. If you have a degree or are currently a college student, no need to list the high school.
Some employers will prefer hiring candidates who attended specialized courses or training. People who take training and expand their knowledge tend to deliver better results in the workplace. So, if you attended some courses, whether it was a corporate training, in-person or online courses, be sure to mention them here.
Hard and soft skills
The Skills section, if written correctly, can immediately inform the hiring manager about your strengths and areas of expertise. Moreover, you can include keywords here and make your resume ATS-friendly. Basically, your list of skills should contain both hard and soft ones. The exact list will depend on your target position.
Generally, for a sales professional, soft skills and communication abilities are more important than the hard ones. However, if you are in B2B sales or sell software solutions, technical proficiency is a must. If you want to apply for a managerial position, emphasize your ability to lead and organize the efficient work in the department as well.
Examples of good skills for sales professionals include:
- Written and verbal communication
- Relationship building
- Consultative sales
- Product knowledge
- Empathy
- Problem solving
- MS Office or Google Suite
- Sales software proficiency
- Negotiation
- Strategic thinking
5 tips for writing a sales representative resume
Mind the audience
The final content of your resume should depend on the type of sales position and the level of seniority. Good phone etiquette, stress resistance and lead qualification are crucial for an Inside sales rep. Yet an outside sales rep who works with customer directly need to emphasize completely different skills. Pay attention to the tone of voice as well. Take a look at the company’s website and social media to understand how they talk to potential customers to get an idea if your resume should sound strict and formal, or rather casual.
Insert the relevant keywords
Nearly 99% of Fortune 500 companies, as well as lots of smaller ones, use ATS. Your resume should be keyword-optimized to pass the electronic selection and be seen by a human hiring manager. Submit your resume in DOCX or PDF format, as other files might not open correctly. Use the names of skills and qualifications from the job posting, but don’t just copy and paste. Insert them in job descriptions so that they sound natural.
Do not exceed 2 pages
Entry-level salespeople can keep their resume to one page only. Such a length is enough to summarize your education, skills and 2-3 years of experience. Sales representatives with over a decade of experience can use a second page to give a more detailed picture of the achievements and skillset. If your resume takes longer, consider removing early jobs or some bullets that do not relate directly to your target position.
Attach a matching cover letter
49% of hiring managers consider your job application incomplete without a letter. Always attach a customized letter, even if the job posting doesn’t ask about this. Write 3-4 sentences summarizing your highlights of past experience, top achievements and how you plan to contribute to the company’s sales strategy if hired. Address the letter to the hiring manager directly – it always makes a strong professional impression.
Edit before submitting
Typos, grammar mistakes or vague bullets can spoil the first impression. Many recruiters see writing issues as signs of sloppiness, lack of attention to detail or poor communication skills. So, read the document a few times to make sure that tenses are correct, punctuation is consistent, and every sentence makes sense. Consider hiring a professional editor to check your resume. An experienced editor can fix all minor typos and mistakes and give helpful suggestions for improving the quality of your resume in general.
