Sales Representative Resume Examples, Skills, and Keywords
By its nature, sales is a competitive field full of driven people. Your resume is your best opportunity to stand out in the crowd and impress potential employers. Here's what you need to know about writing a resume that makes a great first impression.
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Sales Representative Resume Sample
Sales representatives are a major part of every industry. They are responsible for connecting with potential customers, explaining products, and closing deals. Getting yourself hired is very similar to making a sale, and you can approach your resume as your first contact with a potential customer.
Your resume needs to show both your hard and soft sales representative skills. For example, you need to have technical knowledge about the industry, or at least the ability to learn and understand it. You also need strong interpersonal skills to make connections with customers and help them find the perfect solution from among your products.
This sales representative resume example shows how you can sell your experience and skills in a single page and convince hiring managers that you’re the perfect person for the job.
New York, NY 10003 • (555) 555-1234 • aliceliddel@email.com • linkedin.com/in/alice-liddel
SALES REPRESENTATIVE – Account Executive
Performance-driven professional with a wealth of experience and knowledge in sales data analysis, interpretation, documentation, reporting, and presentation for senior executives and global sales teams. Known for leveraging sales background with sales operations to implement processes that improve production, communications, efficiencies, and revenues. A natural ability to anticipate and meet the needs of executive and field sales team, while delivering innovative solutions that fit the goals and objectives of the division and the company. The go-to person in the division with consistently strong performance reviews.
Sales Reporting & Analysis Sales | Operations Training & Development | CRM Administration & Launch | Project Management & Planning | Process Improvement & Implementation | Contract & Commission Administration | Marketing Collateral Revisions & Maintenance| Presentations & Communications
- Launched and deployed the CRM system to the global salesforce. Collaborated with vendor on integrated custom updates, supervised the testing/validation, and designed a training document and webinar.
- Serve as CRM administrator for the new CRM (Oracle) system and presided on the selection project team and the main lead for the project.
- Successfully implemented new process for proposal and contract review that improved communication and document control while meeting all quality requirements which contributed to the recertification of AS9120A.
- Instrumental contributor to the ACME acquisition preparation, integration projects, and other cross-functional projects such as merit increase process.
- Received President’s Awards for achieving sales goals from 2014-2020.
- Oversee interview process logistics and scheduling, internal communications, organizational chart updates, new hire onboarding process, 5 executive expense reports, and travel coordination, and manage account payable (AP) process for 5 executives.
- Manage interns and full- and part-time employees.
- Assist with preparation of regional and global performance reports, bid and quote development, customer presentations, tracking sales incentive plans, and reporting CRM results.
- Manage analysis on key sales pipeline reports; deliver sales-related analysis to measure sales strategy effectiveness.
- Tasked with defining territory alignment, CRM management, and business integration.
- Coordinate and schedule monthly/quarterly meetings for sales, operations, inventory, and finance.
Resume written by Lezlie Garr
Sales Representative Resume Skills and Keywords
Keywords matter in the online sales and marketing world, and it’s become essential to use the right resume keywords in your applications. Since so many candidates apply for every sales position, hiring teams use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to filter less-qualified people out of the pool. Adding a dedicated skills section and including resume skills in your job history will help you make it through the ATS and onto the hiring manager’s desk.
Top Sales Representative Resume Skills
- Account acquisition
- Customer support
- Presentations
- Lead generation
- Negotiation
- Domain knowledge (pharmaceuticals, construction, etc.)
- Interpersonal skills
- Collaboration
- Social media
- Time management
- Referral marketing
- Initiative
- Goal orientation
- Resilience
- CRM software
- Research
- Objection handling
- Adaptability
- Raising Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
- Lowering Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
- Growth mindset
- Data analysis
- Territory management
- Cold calling
- Networking
- Public relations
- Strategic thinking
- Active listening
- Persuasiveness
- Prioritization
5 Resume Writing Tips for Sales Representatives
Writing a great resume is not that different from writing a solid sales pitch. You can increase your chances of closing the deal and getting the job by following these five tips.
1. Sell yourself from the start
After your header, the very first element of your resume is your personal statement. This is your elevator pitch, a short paragraph where you describe your skills and experience. It’s your first and possibly only opportunity to make an impression on the reader, so you should make the most of it.
A great sales representative resume example summary might be this: “Enthusiastic sales representative looking to use interpersonal skills and industrial supplies knowledge at Brown Manufacturing. 2+ years of sales experience include maintaining profitable client relationships and exceeding sales goals by 15%.”
This summary is short and sweet, and effective. It lists two important accomplishments and uses hard numbers that will attract attention. It mentions the candidate’s relevant skills and their time in the industry. Finally, it specifically names the company for which they’re applying. That says they took the time to customize their resume.
2. Edit your resume for every job
Every industry needs sales representatives. You might be applying for positions in wildly different industries at the same time. It’s in your best interest to edit your resume for each of these potential jobs.
Why take that time? It’s because employers will notice if your resume isn’t relevant to them. Your domain knowledge about construction equipment won’t matter if you’re applying for a pharmaceutical sales position, after all. Read the job posting and tailor your resume to highlight your most relevant responsibilities in past jobs.
3. Include your most relevant skills
People are often tempted by the potential earnings of sales representative positions. Underqualified candidates are the majority of applications for some of these jobs.
Hiring managers will separate the wheat from the chaff by using ATS to select only resumes that include certain keywords.
Adding a sales representative resume skills section allows you to neatly add those keywords to your resume. You’re selling your skillset, so make sure you pitch it correctly.
The skills section also lets hiring managers quickly skim your resume. If your document lists the abilities they need under a dedicated header, you’re more likely to be chosen for an interview. You’ve made their job easier, so you’re already helping them solve problems.
4. Use active language
Which catches your attention more: the phrase “responsible for customer service” or “responded to customer inquiries and offered solutions”? The second one is more precise and uses stronger verbs. Remember, your resume is an opportunity to sell yourself. You wouldn’t use vague words in your sales pitch, so you should avoid them in your resume.
Phrases to avoid are:
- Responsible for
- Participated in
- Attended
- Worked with
Instead, use words such as:
- Managed
- Achieved
- Acquired
- Built
- Organized
- Coordinated
- Raised
- Lowered
These explain exactly what you did, not just that you were present while work was happening.
5. Always proofread your resume
The last step of your application process should be proofreading and formatting your resume until it’s error-free. A polished document makes a much better impression than a resume filled with typos or mistakes. The extra time helps you demonstrate your dedication to the task at hand.
Don’t rely on spell-check either. Step away from the document for a while so you can read it with fresh eyes. You can also have a friend or colleague check it for you. You may be surprised at the mistakes you missed while staring at the page too long.
Further Reading
How to Write an Entry-Level Resume
10 Tech Keywords Missing from Your New Tech Resume
