Sales Resume: Examples + Sales Skills & Resume Tips

You’re just a few mouse scrolls away from finding the best sales resume writing practices.

But first—

You’ve got that sales X factor and a knack for figuring people out.

However, that may not be enough to coax that coffee-addled hiring manager to get you on board.

Your resume needs that X factor, too.

This guide will show you: 

• A sample sales resume better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
• How to write a sales resume that will land you more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to put achievements and skills on a sales resume.
• How to describe your experience on a resume for a sales position to get any job you want.

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Take a look at our dedicated guide for a sales representative resume, or check out our other sales-related guides here:

• Car Salesman Resume Examples
• Retail Resume Examples
• Sales Manager Resume Examples
• Retail Manager Resume Examples
• Insurance Representative Resume Examples
• Call Center Resume Examples
• Consultant Resume Examples
• Buyer Resume Examples
• Retail Sales Associate Resume Examples
• Pharmaceutical Sales Resume Examples
• Leasing Agent Resume Examples
• Leasing Consultant Resume Examples
• Insurance Sales Agent Resume Examples
• Sales Associate Resume Examples
• Grocery Store Resume Examples
• Best Resume Samples for Any Profession

Sales Resume Template

Let’s show you how to write a great sales resume:

1. Format Your Sales Resume Properly

Sales professionals are tasked with selling a company’s services and products. Reading the customer’s needs and expectations, they provide great customer service and develop long-term relationships with key clients. Sales resumes should show excellent communication and interpersonal skills. 

Now picture James, the sales manager, looking through a stack of resumes, trying to find the perfect candidate.

There are several hundreds of them, and good ol’ James isn’t getting any younger.

How do you make it convenient for him to find that what he actually needs is you?

By introducing the right tricks to format your resume in a clear and transparent manner.

Here’s what to keep in mind:

• Start by adding contact information to your resume. Your resume header section is the best place for it. 
• Choose the reverse chronological layout for your resume. It closes the deal right away by showing the recruiter exactly what they want to see—your job experience—at first glance.
• Divide your resume into distinct sections to make it even easier.
• When it comes to resume font choice, go with classics such as Arial, Garamond, or Cambria, and set them to 11–12 pt.
• When deciding on the best length for your resume, keep it nice and trim: a single page should suffice. This isn’t a product catalog.
• If you’re a sales pro with 10+ years of experience, you can write a two-page resume—but only if your list of achievements is genuinely impressive. 
• Lastly, when you’re finished, save the resume file as a PDF to prevent things from going awry.

That kind of approach to resume formatting gets interviews at the drop of a hat. Read more: Best Resume Writing Tips, According to Experts

2. Create a Great Sales Resume Summary or Sales Resume Objective

So you got the recruiter hooked by not having a gut-wrenchingly ugly resume format—right on!

But you got to keep rolling. You’ve got their curiosity, now you need to fight for their attention—and the best way to get there is through crafting a compelling profile section of your resume. You should feel right at home: it’s basically a powerful elevator pitch describing your strengths and best accomplishments.

There are two types of profiles to choose from. Experienced sales professionals should create a resume summary. In it, describe your years of experience in bright colors, talking about your greatest and most impressive career achievements. Your sales resume summary has one goal: to sweep the recruiter off their feet with your amazing sales track record that rivals Michael Scott in his sales hey-days!

And one would go like this:

Sales Resume Summary Example

But not like that, no. 

That second example is a bad joke that Jim wouldn’t even dare pull. It simply lacks significance.

So what if you’re not in their league yet?

Don’t worry—you can always use a resume objective. Instead of sales experience, focus on any transferable skills you acquired elsewhere, and the knowledge you have that would help you generate leads, pitch convincingly, and close deals. 

Like in this example here:

Sales Resume Objective Example

Regardless of whether you choose to write a sales resume summary or objective, remember to include a measurable achievement or two. And keep it short and sweet: 4 sentences should suffice! 

One last tip: writing this section can often feel like a slog. If you’re uninspired, start with something easier first, like the work experience section (more on that in a minute). This one is too important to not give it your all.

Read more: How to Write a Job-Winning Resume Introduction: Guide & Examples

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

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3. Craft an Amazing Work Experience Section

Research shows that 20% of all salespeople make 80% of all sales.

So—

To snag that job, you have to prove you’re a fierce salesman and part of that 20%. An organized, well-written work experience section is your best tool for the job.

• As mentioned before, you’ll be going with the reverse chronological format. So, put your most recently held position first, then the second to last, and so on.
• State your job title, years worked, and describe your activities and biggest sales achievements in 4–6 bullet points for the freshest entry, and 3–4 for others.
• ABC – Always Be Closing, or in this case, ABCFYRA, or Always Be Clutching For Your Reader’s Attention. In other words, use resume action verbs as they help you do exactly that. 
• You know better than anyone that at the end of the day, it all comes down to the numbers. So, add as many as possible to your work experience section. Numbers pop! 
• For best results, always tailor your resume to the given job, just like you would tailor a pitch to each customer by appealing to different values.

I’ve won your attention and interest, so now it’s time for the desire and action. With the below inside sales resume examples, you’ll never want to write anything but in the experience section. See for yourself:

Sales Resume Job Description Examples

Ouch!This is a bad-lead type of nightmare.

A sales manager reading a sales resume knows what you do. So change the responsibilities to accomplishments real quick if you see them!

For juniors, responsibilities are out of the question, too. Instead, write what you’ve accomplished in the previous jobs that sells your transferable skill set.

Let’s look at the entry-level sales associate resume example:

Entry-Level Sales Resume: Experience Example

Big time!

Excelled, resolved, handled… and numbers? Power words and quantified results work like magic on junior sales resumes.

Read more: What Is Relevant Experience for a Resume? Deciding How Many Jobs to Include

4. Polish the Education Section on Your Sales Resume

If you’ve been told this part doesn’t matter and is essentially an instant skip, you’ve been told wrong because that’s baloney. There’s a catch, though:

If you’re really well experienced, say 5 years in the industry or more, you can state your degree, school name, year of graduation, and move on.

Just like in this example here:

Sample Sales Resume: Education

Otherwise, peppering in some extra info from your college years can be the right move to fill in some gaps. 

Here’s what you could include if you’re writing an entry-level resume education section: 

• Adding GPA to your resume is a good idea if it was 3.5 or higher. Otherwise, don’t mention it—it won’t work to your advantage, anyway! 
• Listing Latin honors on your resume helps to prove you’re a high achiever. 
• Extracurricular activities on a resume can show you’re a proactive individual and a team player, especially if they’re relevant to sales. 
• Mentioning relevant coursework on a resume is an easy way to include important sales- and business-related keywords. 

See the above rules in action:

Sales Resume Examples: Education

If you have virtually no experience in retail sales or as a sales associate, swap the positions of the work experience andeducation sections. The idea is to start with your best foot forward, and in that case, your school years are your biggest advantage.

Read more: How to Write a Resume with No Work Experience and Land a Job

5. Add the Right Sales Skills to Your Resume

The skillset of a superior and effective salesperson has to be incredibly versatile, there’s no two ways about it.

But your skills section can’t just say “Everything” (even if that’s true!).

Follow these steps to select the best sales resume skills:

• Open up Excel and create a spreadsheet. In it, divide your skills into three categories:soft skills, hard skills, and technical skills. Though if you come up with anything that doesn’t fit those, it’s okay, write them down as well.
• Go back to the job posting and scan it for the most important resume keywords mentioned. Usually, you will find they are looking for specific qualities in their prospective sales hire.
• Cross-reference the spreadsheet and the job ad. See any matches? Great, put those skills front and center on your resume.

Congrats, in less than 5 minutes not only did you pass the watchful eye of the dreaded resume ATS, you also impressed the hiring manager who simply cannot believe he stumbled upon a one in a million candidate like you!

Here’s a sample list of sales skills for your reference:

Sales Resume Skills

• Product Knowledge
• Rapport Building
• Interpersonal Skills
• Critical Thinking Skills
• Lead Qualification
• Communication Skills
• Relationship Building
• Active Listening
• Organizational Skills
• Time Management Skills
• Problem Solving Skills
• Customer Needs Analysis
• POS & Payment Handling
• Conflict Resolution & Mediation
• Customer Service Skills
• Marketing Skills
• Brand Management
• Specialized Product Knowledge
• Contract Negotiation
• Self Motivation
• Client Nurturing
• Adaptability
• Closing Sales & Signing Contracts
• Decision Making Skills
• Project Management Skills

Next, see how to incorporate sales skills on a resume:

Sales Skills on a Resume: Example

• Excellent customer service
• Extensive knowledge of the automotive industry
• Outstanding interpersonal skills
• POS knowledge
• Generating leads
• Maintaining great relations with existing clients
• Brand management
• Teamwork and excellent communication
• Problem-solving skills

Skills for a Sales Resume With No Experience: Example

• CRM knowledge
• Lead qualification
• Defining buyer personas
• Cold calling
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Relationship building
• Problem-solving and strategic thinking

Closed-Won!

Read more: 99+ Best Skills to Use on a Resume: Skills List, Examples, and Expert Tips

6. Show Your Personality and Extra Skills by Adding Other Sections

If you’ve been reading carefully and dutifully implementing the tips we’ve shown you so far, you have a decent resume on your hands—not bad!

Shall we make it even better? I think so!

Time to show your passionate side and prove there’s even more to you than your excellent skills and experience. 

The easiest way to do that is through including additional resume sections. Here are some ideas: 

• Sales- or customer service-related certifications and licenses on a resume prove you invest in professional development. 
• Listing foreign languages on your resume will give you a boost, especially in large companies that work with international clients. 
• Memberships in relevant associations go a long way towards proving you’re dedicated to your career. 
• Hobbies and interests on a resume add a personal touch; however, in a vp of sales resume, they’d look just silly. 
• Similarly, volunteer work on a resume gives the recruiter a glimpse of your individuality and commitment to social issues. 

As an example, have a look at how you can include certificates in your sales resume:

Sales Resume Examples: Additional Section

Read more: What to Put on a Resume: Expert Guide

7. Seal the Deal With a Professional Cover Letter

Do you need a cover letter?

Yes—because 45% of recruiters won’t bother looking at your resume without one.

Follow these tips, and you’ll knock one out in no time:

• Before writing, make sure to format your cover letter properly.
• Start the cover letter by introducing yourself, talking about how you found out about the job, and listing a few of your sales career highlights to get the reader hooked.
• Then, in the main section, emphasize what makes you and the company a match made in heaven. In short, you need to sell yourself in the body of your cover letter. 
• Finish the cover letter with a compelling call to action and an offer to achieve a specific goal for the company if hired.

And, much like the resume, the length of a great cover letter should definitely not exceed one page. 

Pro Tip: Don’t be afraid to send a follow-up email after submitting your job application. It shows you care about this position and are actually invested in getting a shot at working for that company.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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That’s it! A perfect sales resume!

Did you have any trouble creating a sales skills list for your resume? Did your sales resume summary give you any trouble? Our team is here to answer your questions, just let us know in the comments!