How To Write A Resume That Every Sales Manager Will Read?

The salesperson is one of the 3 essential roles in a company. Without the sales staff, the company cannot sell their product and services.

Knowing the importance of a sales executive, every company will scout for an experienced salesperson with a large client base or a promising newbie that have the essential key skills to become a successful salesman. With that being said, how can you craft a resume that will get noticed by a sales manager? Let us answer your doubts with this resume writing workshop.

Who Reads Your Resume?

If you’re thinking that the sales manager have the time to read every piece of resume, you are sorely mistaken about the hiring process. They have no interest to deal with such a mind-boggling task. The Applicant Tracking System (ATS) will do the heavy-lifting for them and shortlist the applicants.

So what is the Applicant Tracking System (ATS)?

ATS is a recruitment software that shortlists job applicants based on the criteria and guidelines specified by a company. For instance, if a company wants a candidate who has certain qualifications or skills, the human resource team could preset their requirements on the recruitment software. The applicants who fail to “meet” the company’s specified conditions will be automatically removed from the selection process. On average, only a meagre 25% of all resumes will ever reach the hiring managers for further assessment.

To ensure your resume is one of the 25%, your resume should be crafted to be easily processed by the ATS and the hiring managers. WorkClass.co will impart to you the key elements and skills to include in your sales executive resume.

What Are The Essential Sections In A Sales Executive Resume?

7 essential sections in a Sales Executive Resume:

• Personal Information
• Objective
• Education
• Work and Related Experience
• Award and Honours
• Activities and Hobbies
• Skills

Personal Information

Include details like your Full Name (Name on Identification Card) and address in the personal information section. Your name should be written in CAPS. Your Address should be a full address with a postal code.

Also, remember to include your telephone number and email address for the human resource team to contact you.

Objective

This is the section that determines whether you get the job. As a salesperson, your objective section should be extremely polished and persuasive; like a sales pitch to market yourself. Sales Manager will often like to hear some of your past achievements with your previous employers/organisations - e.g. Raised Sales by 20% in 2021. Include some numbers to make your claims more believable.

Education

This section is important for luxury or Information Technology (IT) industries. Some industries prefer candidates who are proficient in “White-centric English” as their product is meant for white-collar workers. It will be great if you possess qualifications from an American/Australian International School.

Besides these niche sectors, most companies generally do not care much about their applicants’ education level. The employer emphasises more on the work experience and skills of their candidate.

Work and Related Experience

The most important section in a sales executive resume. Candidates with lots of relevant industry experience will stand a huge advantage over other job seekers. Every sales manager will prefer someone who can close customers without much coaching. If you have lots of industry experience, do include them in the Work Experience section.

For those who are new in this industry, please do not worry as there are some companies that want someone young and self-driven. Many insurance and property companies are willing to train young talents if they possess the right mindset. A rule of thumb is to look at the requirement section of a job post carefully. Jobs that welcome inexperienced applicants will be advertised on the job post.

Award and Honours

Another important section. Include details of your accolades like best salesperson of the month or rising stars of XXX company. Sales Manager like to look at this section to find the best candidate.

Activities and Hobbies

It is for the hiring manager to know more about you as a person. The activities and hobbies section is not necessarily the most important section, however, some sales manager will take the time to know more about you as they want an employee who can work in the company for a very long period.

Skills

The most important section. Some keywords should be present in your sales resume. Without including those necessary traits in your resume, we are sad to say that you will not even make it past the ATS screening. Read the next section to know the Hard and Soft skills of a salesperson.

What Are The Important Hard and Soft Skills?

Hard Skills:

• Product Knowledge
• Computer Savvy
• Business Communication
• Client Engagement
• Conflict/ Relationship Management & Resolution

Product Knowledge

Every hiring manager will want to know your knowledge of their industry. If you have previous experience in the same industry, your chances of getting an interview are much higher than the rest of the applicants.

Computer Savvy

In our modern time and age, it is almost essential for all office staff to be tech-savvy. Not to mention, a salesperson has to input figures into an excel sheet for their monthly/weekly sales report. Do go to upgrade yourself if you are unsure of your computer skills. Check out the WSQ website for more details.

Business Communication

That is basically what you do. You have to able to sell products through B2C and B2B.

Client Engagement

You should be able to have professional interactions with your customers. There are times where you will have to spend time with your clients after office hour to maintain a strong relationship.

You should be able to pitch your product engagingly so people will be interested in your company’s product or services.

Conflict/Relationship Management

Conflicts with customers are inevitable as your company product may not meet your customer’s expectation. A good salesperson will know how to manage such a situation; e.g. give more discount for subsequent purchases. The sales manager will normally ask you this in the interview and you will need to show that you are capable of controlling your emotions.

Soft Skills:

• Relationship Building
• Time Management
• Storytelling
• Research / Information Gathering
• Critical Thinking / Problem Solving

Relationship Building

As mentioned in the previous section, you will need to show that you can maintain a strong relationship with your customers. If they can be your recurring client, the company will certainly value your presence.

Time Management

Sales Executives are normally working on a tight schedule. Customers may be late for a meet-up or there are delays in your appointment. A good salesperson will need to know how to plan their time to preempt such situations from affecting overall appointments for the day.

Storytelling

A salesperson needs to show his/her ability to describe their products or services. It should be done in a descriptive manner that will pique people’s interest.

Research/Information Gathering

Market Research is a key skill of sales personnel. He/she will need to understand their competitor’s strategy and pitch the product to outsell their company’s competitors.

Critical Thinking

An essential skill of a salesperson. On many occasions, a salesperson will have to improvise information on the spot and convince the customers that they are capable of delivering premium goods and services.

Where To Craft An Effective Sales Resume

Use WorkClass.co’s resume builder to craft an impeccable Salesperson resume.

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