How to Prepare a Resume for a Sales Position

Writing a winning sales resume is the first step to landing that new job.

When writing a sales resume it is important to emphasize your achievements rather than abilities. A sales position will be awarded based on your history of reaching and exceeding sales goals. Your future employer will be looking for fact-based data that shows what you were able to sell for previous employers. To land that sales job you will first need to "wow" the interviewer with your past performance. Write you resume for a sales position by showing you can deliver.

Instructions

1. List your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address at the top of your sales resume. Your contact information is one of the most important things you can list on your resume. Add an additional phone number of a family member or friend that can take a message for you in case the employer cannot reach you right away.

2. Begin by giving a career goal or a summary statement. Write two or three sentences briefly explaining what kind of sales position or related field you are interested in. This is a great place to plug in keywords. Keywords are words the employers look for to match you to a job listing. If the job is looking for a sales representative and you have sales person listed on your resume, employers may skip your resume. (See Resource 2)

3. Start with your most recent employers and list the jobs you've held. Make sure to highlight your sales positions and be prepared to supply references for each position. References should be people who know your strengths and capabilities. They can be former supervisors or colleagues. Be prepared to give the name, address, phone number and e-mail of each reference. Having the right references can be the deciding factor in getting hired for the sales position.

4. Title your next section "Achievements." Here is where you will list all of your results-oriented sales performances. Give specific examples of your accomplishments. Begin each bullet point with an actionable verb. For example: "Increased retail sales by 25 percent in three months."

5. Finalize your last section with "education, training and seminars." List your most recent formal education first. Follow with sales training, seminars and workshops you attended to enhance your sales abilities. Be sure to proofread for typographical errors. Most employers will ignore or overlook a resume that has glaring errors in it. According to Easy Job, "The resume is the first impression a potential employer will have: it better be a good one."

Tips & Warnings

• Be detailed and to the point.

• Limit your resume to two pages. Any more will be too lengthy to read.

References

• Kelley Services: How to Write a Sales Resume
• Resume Help: Resume Examples
• Resume and Career Portal: Benefits of Sample Resumes

Resources

• Easy Job: Outline of a Winning Resume
• Sample Resume Objective