Good resumes share certain attributes regardless of the type of job you do. But once you've incorporated the basic must-haves, there are a few additions that will help you land the sales job you want. Remember, your resume is the equivalent of the brochures and other material you use to sell products – the only difference is that the resume is intended to sell YOU.
First, put your major accomplishments right at the top of the resume. Hiring managers often spend only a few seconds skimming each resume, so you want to ensure that they will see your biggest selling points. These accomplishments should be as specific as possible. For example, instead of writing “Top-producing salesperson at Company X,” write “Top-producing salesperson - generated 34% more revenue than the next-best salesperson at Company X.” Use exact numbers whenever possible. Companies want salespeople who will generate lots of revenue, so if you can show how you've done so for other employers they'll be eager to speak with you. And by using specific amounts you'll sound far more believable.
You should also mention any useful connections you have, either relating to sales in general or to the specific industry you sell to. Because relationships are so important to sales, being able to bring a ton of important contacts with you is a big selling point to a prospective employer. If you have impressive social media statistics, like a huge network on LinkedIn or an enormous number of Facebook friends on your business page, list those as well.
After you've listed your accomplishments, it's time to break down your career history. Include the employer name, the dates during which you worked there, and a synopsis of your work for that company. Assuming that these were sales or sales management jobs, don't bother listing your responsibilities – hiring managers know what a salesperson does. Instead, talk about how your work benefited the company and the sales team. Again, use figures whenever you can. Mention things like the awards you received and the major clients you brought on board.
Next comes the section detailing your training and education. List any degrees you have as well as any job-specific courses you've completed. And don't forget certifications! They're especially helpful if they relate to your intended employer's industry (e.g. computer networking certifications for a company that sells products to network engineers).
Once you've crafted your basic resume, you've still got some work ahead of you. Each time you apply for a job you need to take your core resume and customize it to fit the position. At the very least, add a sentence at the top describing why you're applying for this job and how you can benefit the company. Ideally, you should also tweak the rest of your resume to play to those strengths that will be particularly beneficial for the prospective employer.
Before you send off your resume, check with your contacts to see if you know anyone inside the company. If you do, give that person a call and ask for advice. Odds are she'll know something about the position or the company that isn't public knowledge and that can help your application stand out. For example, she might know that the hiring manager in question loves it when applicants include photos with their resume packet – information which you can easily deploy to make your application stand out!
Finally, always include a cover letter with your resume. Resumes that arrive without cover letters are very likely to take a trip straight to the wastebasket. Hiring managers typically reason that if you won't take a few minutes to craft a cover letter, you probably aren't worth pursuing.
By Wendy Connick
http://sales.about.com/
First, put your major accomplishments right at the top of the resume. Hiring managers often spend only a few seconds skimming each resume, so you want to ensure that they will see your biggest selling points. These accomplishments should be as specific as possible. For example, instead of writing “Top-producing salesperson at Company X,” write “Top-producing salesperson - generated 34% more revenue than the next-best salesperson at Company X.” Use exact numbers whenever possible. Companies want salespeople who will generate lots of revenue, so if you can show how you've done so for other employers they'll be eager to speak with you. And by using specific amounts you'll sound far more believable.
You should also mention any useful connections you have, either relating to sales in general or to the specific industry you sell to. Because relationships are so important to sales, being able to bring a ton of important contacts with you is a big selling point to a prospective employer. If you have impressive social media statistics, like a huge network on LinkedIn or an enormous number of Facebook friends on your business page, list those as well.
After you've listed your accomplishments, it's time to break down your career history. Include the employer name, the dates during which you worked there, and a synopsis of your work for that company. Assuming that these were sales or sales management jobs, don't bother listing your responsibilities – hiring managers know what a salesperson does. Instead, talk about how your work benefited the company and the sales team. Again, use figures whenever you can. Mention things like the awards you received and the major clients you brought on board.
Next comes the section detailing your training and education. List any degrees you have as well as any job-specific courses you've completed. And don't forget certifications! They're especially helpful if they relate to your intended employer's industry (e.g. computer networking certifications for a company that sells products to network engineers).
Once you've crafted your basic resume, you've still got some work ahead of you. Each time you apply for a job you need to take your core resume and customize it to fit the position. At the very least, add a sentence at the top describing why you're applying for this job and how you can benefit the company. Ideally, you should also tweak the rest of your resume to play to those strengths that will be particularly beneficial for the prospective employer.
Before you send off your resume, check with your contacts to see if you know anyone inside the company. If you do, give that person a call and ask for advice. Odds are she'll know something about the position or the company that isn't public knowledge and that can help your application stand out. For example, she might know that the hiring manager in question loves it when applicants include photos with their resume packet – information which you can easily deploy to make your application stand out!
Finally, always include a cover letter with your resume. Resumes that arrive without cover letters are very likely to take a trip straight to the wastebasket. Hiring managers typically reason that if you won't take a few minutes to craft a cover letter, you probably aren't worth pursuing.
By Wendy Connick
http://sales.about.com/
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