Write a Sales Representative CV Using These Examples

A professional CV should show that you are suitable for the role. For a salesperson, that means demonstrating you have the sales skills necessary to persuade customers to buy from you. It also means sharing evidence through things like conversion rates in previous sales experience and knowledge of sales strategies.

 

The perfect CV will highlight that you will be an asset to the business and that you can attract prospective customers while fulfilling the requirements of account management.

There are three different CV formats for you to choose from. These are the chronological format, which showcases work history, the functional format, which emphasises skills, and the combination format, which focuses both. You’ll use the same sections for each format. All that changes is the order. It’s up to you which CV format to choose. If you think your experience is a strength, go with the chronological format. If you don’t have much experience, go with a functional format to put your skillset front and centre.

 

 

The CV header with your contact information always appears first. Your full name with links to your LinkedIn profile and any other relevant professional links, as well as your phone number and address should be here. This makes it convenient for the hiring manager to contact you.

 

 

Your career objective or CV summary is like a newspaper tagline briefly highlighting your career background. This section should be clear and concise and no longer than three sentences. Outline your experience and highlight any specialties that you have, such as experience at trade shows. Looking for inspiration? Check out our How to write a summary for a CV page, as well as our tips for writing a clear career objective.

 

 

In the skills section, you have an opportunity to highlight the hard and soft skills you possess that will help in your future role. Sales team members perform various tasks, and you must use this section to show you have the skills necessary to complete them. In these bullet points are some examples of sales key skills for CV that a recruiter will be looking for:

• Communication skills — verbal and presentation style
• Knowledge of customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, like Salesforce
• Time management
• Interpersonal skills — the ability to network and build relationships
• Problem-solving skills — using data to find solutions
• Microsoft Office proficiency, including Excel
• Prospecting — using sales strategies to identify potential clients

These are some of the crucial skills you’ll need to show you have an awareness of what the role entails. Any hiring sales manager wants to see that you can perform the role’s duties. This should go beyond some experience with cold calling. They need to believe that you can genuinely expand their customer base and keep existing customers satisfied.

 

 

In the experience section, list your previous roles in reverse chronological order. Your years of experience should feature your responsibilities within each role. Focus on any overlap between your expertise and the demands of the position you are applying for. If you have industry-specific experience, focus more on those roles to show you already possess industry expertise. If you are an entry-level candidate, feature previous roles that showcase transferable skills. Help the recruiter see your potential by drawing a line between your experience and the advertised role. Senior sales managers are not averse to hiring a candidate with a lack of experience if they can see potential and ambition.

 

 

A sales representative will need at least a high school diploma to apply for a role. It is increasingly common for sales reps to have a bachelor’s degree in a business-related field. If you are applying for an in-demand industry-specific position, the education section of your CV should show you have the necessary training. For instance, if you would be selling products or services in the medical or pharmaceutical industries. Include any relevant certifications in this section.

Any sales representative CV should follow these basic do’s and don’ts:

 

Do:

• Take the time to review and edit. All hiring managers look for candidates who produce quality work. Messy, error-strewn CV simply get dismissed.
• Use the job description provided. You did a job search for a reason. Sales representative roles vary based on industry and the tasks you will be responsible for. Take the time to pinpoint exactly what is being asked of you and address this in your CV.
• Use the expert advice in the CV builder from CVHelp. It’s there to help you.

Don’t

• Falsify any claims about experience or industry knowledge. Sales recruiters know when there is a lack of substance to somebody’s claims, and it will only damage your application to overpromise.
• Overfill your experience section with roles that don’t apply to the job you want. Many candidates make this mistake. Concentrate on positions that reflect the job you are applying for. If the recruiter wants to know more, they can ask in the interview.
• Don’t make general claims on your CV without supporting them with examples, scenarios or data.