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6 Things You Need to Include In Your Sales Resume

sales resume

Recruiters and hiring managers will often review hundreds of resumes a day.

The only way they’re able to get through this large volume of candidates is by quickly searching for key indicators of success on each resume.

In fact, recruiters spend an average of only 6 seconds reviewing each individual resume before deciding whether to move on or dive in deeper.

When crafting your own sales resume, there are 6 things you should include in your sales resume to give the recruiter a snapshot of your success and experience and encourage them to reach out to you.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Including your employment history on your resume may seem like a no brainer, but it’s surprising how many candidates will leave off important dates or company names.

If your employment history is incomplete or inaccurate, it immediately shows the recruiter that you have something to hide or you have poor tenure.

Also, don’t try to lie about dates or employement history on your resume because it can cost you your job. It may not be apparent at first, but it will come out and when it does, you’ll be out of a job. 

Leaving off important dates on your resume is the quickest way to get a recruiter to pass on your resume.

PROSPECTING SKILLS

A good indicator of a B2B sales rep’s success is how they go about prospecting.

Sales reps should describe how they prospect and where they are getting their leads from. Specifically, they should include the percentage of the business they close from self-generated leads versus company generated leads.

Where a sales rep is getting their leads and how many they’re able to close says a lot about whether a candidate is a top performer or not.

QUOTA AND SALES ACHIEVEMENT

Using sales performance keywords on your resume can help grab the attention of recruiters.

Top performers often use words like ‘President’s Club’ or will describe their quota as ‘100% against quota achievement.’

Always include specific numbers when you can when you describe your success and sales achievement. Numbers provide greater context for the accomplishment. 

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES

There are a lot of successes and a lot of failures in the sales profession, and recruiters are looking to see if sales reps are able to learn from their failures.

You should include examples of accounts where potential customers had objections. If you were able to overcome these objections, describe how you were able to do this.

If you ultimately lost the sale, describe what you learned from the situation and what you did differently next time.

POINT OF CONTACT

A quick way for recruiters to determine a candidate’s experience and success is by who their point of contact is.

Sales reps should include the titles of people who they have sold to in the past. Listing your point of contact in an organization as the CFO or CEO, for example, is going to stand out to recruiters, even if they only look at your resume for six seconds.

INDUSTRY LINGO

One of the best ways for a candidate to demonstrate their experience level on a resume is to use industry lingo.

These days, the title Account Manager can be used to describe a variety of job functions. When a candidate uses a term like hunter or farmer, it immediately sets them apart.

Don’t let a poor resume be the reason you don’t get called back for an interview. Sales reps need to be strategic about how they get the attention of recruiters and hiring managers and adding these 6 indicators of success are sure to get your resume noticed.

Once you get the call back for an interview, then check out our Essesntial Job Interview Preparation Guide for Sales Candidates. It includes common sales interview questions, a sample Thank You note, interview mistakes to avoid, and much more. 

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