Sales Resume Examples: Templates & Formats [Skills, Objective, Summary]

In this endless job-search marathon, a successful resume specifically for sales positions is the first step for anyone who wants to stand out among all the others. 

Sales should know how to build trust —— and build and build and build. A salesperson doesn’t just contact a customer and let it roll, but instead, they experience a series of rigorous processes to build trustworthy relationships between businesses and customers, and ultimately, converting that into real output (hence sales). This trust-building process is actually similar to job applications —— candidates are supposed to build trust with the recruiters, and promote themselves in the best light.

Before throwing into the thrill of job hunting, crucial knowledge and structured guidance can dramatically improve one’s resume and his/her writing process. 

Curriculum Vitae (CV) and resume both are a collection of one’s academic and professional experience, but…  

Despite the fundamental differences in CV and resume, beware there are language-specific preferences across different countries. Remember to check out the specifics for the requested sales CV/resume before submission. 

Writing a successful sales resume constitutes a structured organization format. There are 4 types of sales resume format: chronological, functional, hybrid, and targeted ones (to see more, check out "4 Popular Types of Sales Resume Formats") In order to notch up the job application race, candidates should choose the right format suitable for their sales experiences and context.

Writing based on strong sales resume templates and samples can be a good starting point. Check out resume examples for sales positions, tackle it down. Note down the “good parts” as well as the “terrible bits” of these sales resume examples, and remember to “borrow” or avoid it during your own endeavor. 

No matter if one’s applying for an entry-level sales job or a managerial one, always try the best to include quantitative achievements and past duties related to the sales position.

Speak with passion and sincerity why you want to serve as their salesperson and how your profile and sales skills on resume fit their sales role. 

Because errors and typos exist, so does proofreading. Ensure there are no careless mistakes at all means, keep your sales resume intelligible and trustworthy like your job. 

Even the candidates with less or even no relevant experience can land an interview if they prop their resumes up. A sales resume that includes everything one’s needed and excludes the unnecessary nonsense can possibly gain a stamp of approval. Yet, then, here comes the question: What EXACTLY should one put (or NOT put) on a sales job resume? 

1. Resume Profile (Personal Information)

In order for an employer to, at least, call a candidate in for an interview, they will need to know some basic information regarding his/her personal details. 

2. Resume Title/Headline

A headline is like the #hashtag on a resume: the one-line phrase on the top of a resume that paraphrases a candidates’ strength and experience, and tells the employers you are the ideal fit for the sales job position. Remember to use keywords related to the required skills, qualifications, or experiences, and keep the headline concise (max. 10 words). 

3. Sales Resume Summary & Objective

The summary and objective sections on a resume is the extended version for the “headline” (around 2-3 sentences). A sales resume summary will mostly include the highlights of your significant sales experiences and skills, whereas a resume objective focuses on one’s career goals. 

However, summary is much more preferred than objective as it concretely portrays a candidate’s competence, rather than gibbering vague and generic “visions” and purposes. 

Again, it basically answers the two questions: “What have you achieved?” and “Why are you here?” with proofs. 

4. Sales Skills for a Salesperson Resume (Personal & Technical Skills)

In a sales resume, a skill set is one of the most important sections that present and exposes one’s profession from a concrete-perspective. By “matching” one’s skills with the recruiters’ job description, one can easily show how you are (or aren’t) the perfect candidate.

5. Working Experiences on a Sales Resume

Most recruiters view the working experience as almost the most integral part of a sales resume: no matter how a person blabbers on the other sections, their actual employment history can’t lie (unless it’s fraud).

Remember,  brevity is the key!

6. Education on a Sales Resume

Despite seemingly irrelevant, a resume including an education section serves as a formal credential for candidates’ sales skills and background. 

It’s best to include basic information about your educational background: 

• School or University (include highschool education only if you’re a highschool student) 
• Degree and Major (Bachelor, Master, and Doctoral) 
• Year of Graduation 
• Honors & Awards 
• Minor, GPA, and extracurricular (optional) 

7. Additional Information on Resume: Sales Certification 

Although the market says sales is a magic gain through practice and experiences, having a sales certification can definitely help a candidate stand out from the crowd, showing their determination to back up their sales skills and selling ability with market-proven organizations. 

Moreover, for salespeople, language fluency and verbal presentation skills are also crucial for the position.

Here are some tips to help you through the tedious journey of writing a sales job resume. 

Roll up your seat and prepare to play an active role in your own application. A suitable and strong cover letter for a sales job will let you yield a higher chance in this thriving competition.

Here is a sales cover letter should go:

1. Contact information is a must; let them know who you are! Start with a name, email, and phone number. 
2. A proper greeting (polite and passionate) is midwives to success. 
3. Tell them why you want them. This is a great opportunity to blend in how you like the industry/company value & product) 
4. Persuade them why they should want you. Pick 2 to 3 experiences or achievements that match their needs (promote yourself in the best light!)
5. Have a nice closing then you’re done!