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Sales Representative Resume Examples

A sales representative is a critical component of any business. Every business will rely on its sales reps to meet sales goals, find new customers, take care of their existing customers or follow up after sales have been completed. As a sales professional, you’ll use many different skills to find, reach out to, and sell directly to your customers. Here’s how you can write a better sales representative resume.

Sales Representative Resume Example

What To Highlight In A Sales Representative Resume

Sales Representative Resume Example

The biggest skill to highlight as a salesperson is the fact that you have sales skills. You want to show that customers will regularly buy from you and that you have the knowledge necessary to effectively sell over your specific sales channel, whether in-person, online or on the phone. You must highlight how you’ll be an asset, whether with previous sales numbers, your knowledge of the sales field, or some other unique benefit.

Structure Of A Sales Representative Resume

Your first step for any resume should be to decide on your resume format. There are three options available: chronological, functional, and combination. Choose the format that works for your experience and education, then move on to writing the rest of your resume sections.

Header

In a professional resume header, you’ll include your contact information. This consists of your email address, phone number and professional social media links, such as your LinkedIn profile and portfolio.

Resume summary or objective

The first significant section of your resume should be your resume summary or resume objective. This is a two- to three-sentence paragraph where you generally show off what you want a recruiter to know about you. For those with many years of experience, a resume summary is best. This paragraph shows off your sales experience and achievements. However, if you have less experience, use a resume objective. The resume objective shows off your skills and accomplishments and what you hope to accomplish in this new role.

Skills

Your skills section needs to show off your knowledge of both inside and outside sales positions. Here are a few bullet points you may want to include in your resume:

  • Prospecting for potential customers
  • Generalized product knowledge
  • Cold calling prospective customers
  • CRM programs (Salesforce, HubSpot)
  • Work with sales team members
  • Time management skills
  • Communication skills
  • Consultative relationship with clients
  • Interpersonal skills
  • Problem-solving skills
  • Account management skills
  • Knowledge of high conversion rates
  • Understanding company products
  • Working with a large customer base
  • Making follow-up calls
  • Knowledge of many sales strategies
  • Work at trade shows

All job seekers will need hard and soft skills, but it is even more important for sales representatives to have both skill types. When working on your resume writing, include skills that you excel in for both groups.

Work history

You can list up to 10 years of experience in your work experience section. Remember to prioritize previous job titles where you’ve worked in sales, such as a sales associate, sales manager, or senior sales representative. List your experience in reverse-chronological order, with the most important jobs listed first.

Education

Depending on the job, you may only need a high school diploma in your education section or you may need a bachelor’s degree. List your highest education here, as well as any certifications you hold.

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Do's and Don'ts

  • Review and proofread your resume before you submit it. If your resume has spelling errors, the hiring manager will likely discard it.
  • Match your resume up with the job description. Highlight the key skills and experience the hiring manager is looking for, then add these elements to your resume.
  • Use the ResumeNerd resume builder to create your resume with expert advice. This tool can help you create an even better resume.
  • Lie on your resume. While it’s normal to focus on your positives, if you lie about experience or industry knowledge, it will only damage your application.
  • Include completely irrelevant experiences in your work history section. Concentrate only on positions that built your expertise for this specific job.
  • Make general, vague claims, like “Great salesperson.” Instead, support these claims with examples, such as “Successful salesperson with 3,000+ sales completed in one year.”

FAQ: Sales Representative Resumes

You should always write a cover letter for your application, even if the job description doesn’t state that you need one. A cover letter allows you to connect more effectively with a hiring manager, gives you a space to discuss your past experiences and skills, and can put you ahead of other job seekers who don’t have a cover letter. Use the ResumeNerd cover letter builder to create yours.

If you don’t have much experience in the sales field and are applying for an entry-level job, you won’t be able to list certain benefits, such as your number of sales or your industry connections. Instead, focus on your skills, education and any previous jobs that may have helped you work more effectively as a sales representative. For example, you might list previous positions as a retail worker where you learned how to predict customer needs on your sales representative resume.

Before applying for a new job, you must change your resume a bit. Read through the job posting and look for resume keywords. These are experiences, skills and knowledge that the hiring manager uses to indicate the type of person they’re looking for. It’s best to use the ResumeNerd resume builder to craft your basic resume, then go back through and personalize the resume for each job you apply to. There’s no such thing as a single perfect resume—only the best resume for each position.

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