Sales Manager Resume Example
A career as a sales manager typically involves managing sales teams and developing client relationships. A strong resume for sales manager applications showcases your skills, experience and achievements and helps you stand out from other candidates. In this article, we'll highlight tips and examples for creating a sales manager resume that makes a winning impression on recruiters and hiring managers.
This complete guide to a sales manager resume will equip you with the tools you need to compete in your applications. The article will take you through the key steps of creating a resume that presents your key skills, qualities and career achievements in a format that employers favor. It will also help you tailor your resume according to your unique skills and experience level. Read on to learn the tips Jobseeker careers experts recommend as the best for your sales manager resume.
What to include in a sales manager resume
Although the content of a sales manager resume may differ according to your experience and seniority, the main sections will remain the same.
If you're applying for an entry-level sales manager role and have limited relevant experience, consider using a skills-based, or functional resume format. The layout emphasizes your skills and education above your work experience. Likewise, an entry-level resume might focus more on soft and transferable skills, as well as details about internships, voluntary work or relevant training you've completed.
If you have some experience as a sales manager, use a traditional, reverse-chronological resume format and focus on showing how you've used the skills required for the job in your career to date. In your resume work experience section, outline your relevant achievements and showcase the impact you've made in your career to date. Make sure everything you include is relevant to the job description.
As a highly experienced candidate, you'll want your sales manager resume to showcase your depth of relevant work experience, as well as other achievements. Use a reverse-chronological format and add additional sections to prove you're a strong candidate. Senior resumes are often longer than resumes for junior roles. This is because you may choose to include extra sections, such as awards, professional memberships, publications, conferences or certifications on your resume.
You will have some choice over your resume layout and structure, but be sure to include these sections as the core of your document:
Resume Header and Personal Information
In your sales manager resume header, list your name, email address, phone number and address or location. You can also add your LinkedIn, if you have one, to help employers better understand your work history and skills. While in some countries, you might include additional personal information or a photo, these aren't necessary. Make sure your resume header is as brief as possible and doesn't take up too much valuable space. Choose a clear, professional design that sets the tone for your application.
Make sure your email address appears as professional as possible, and doesn't include anything like nicknames, inappropriate language or personal information. If it does, set up a new email account with an address based on your name or initials, and use that for your job applications. Always double-check your contact details are up-to-date before sending your resume.
Allison Perez
allison.perez@example.com
(111) 222 33 444 55
5150 Maple Drive, Twin Peaks, WA
linkedin․com/in/allison–perez123
Resume Profile
Following your resume header, write a resume summary to introduce yourself and showcase some of your key skills and achievements. Alternative names for this section are 'resume objective' and 'personal profile'. While a resume summary focuses on your career experience, a resume objective covers your ambitions and career plans. Always make sure your summary reflects the job description and highlights some of the key skills required for sales manager roles.
Alternatively, you could use this section to reference your objectives and ambitions, and how this role would fit into your career journey.
A great resume summary should highlight why you're an ideal candidate for sales manager roles by showing key skills and qualities that reflect the job description and provide evidence to support them. It should also introduce your personality and unique qualities to the reader, to help them start to form an opinion about you as a candidate. Take a look at some strong examples of how to approach a sales manager resume summary in the graphic below.
Good example:
Results-driven Sales Manager with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and extensive experience as a Sales Director. Proven track record in driving revenue growth, leading high-performing sales teams, and developing strategic sales initiatives. Adept at identifying market opportunities, building strong client relationships, and achieving sales targets. Skilled in sales forecasting, performance analysis, and implementing effective sales strategies to exceed business objectives
Bad example:
Sales manager with some experience in business and marketing. Worked in roles where I helped increase sales and led teams. Have worked on finding new market opportunities and building relationships with clients. Focused on reaching sales goals and using strategies to improve business outcomes. Skilled in looking at sales data and making plans to help the business grow
On the other hand, an unsuccessful resume summary is one that mentions irrelevant skills, qualities and achievements and fails to differentiate you from other candidates. The visual above includes some examples of what not to do with your sales manager resume summary
Work Experience
Next, list your relevant employment history and any key achievements that show you're suitable for a sales manager position. Mention only the most appropriate and relevant jobs you've had in reverse-chronological order, starting with your most recent and working backwards. Add your job title, the name of the employer, the location of the role and your dates of employment.
Under each job entry, add several bullet points highlighting your responsibilities and achievements. Consult the job description for a list of the key requirements for the role and make sure your work experience section showcases how you meet these requirements.
An effective resume work experience section is one that constantly echoes the skills and experience listed in the job description, and shows how you used your skills to positive effect in each job. Each bullet point should be carefully crafted to showcase a particular skill or achievement relevant to sales manager jobs, with evidence to show the value you added. See the examples below for some ideas of what a great resume work experience looks like.
Good example:
Sales Director, January 2022 - Present
SilverWave Solutions, Baltimore
- Increased annual revenue by 35% through strategic sales initiatives and team performance optimization
- Successfully expanded market share by 20% in under 12 months by implementing innovative sales strategies
- Reduced customer churn rate by 25% via enhanced client relationship management and tailored retention programs
Bad example:
Sales Director, January 2022 - Present
SilverWave Solutions, Baltimore
- Improved sales performance through various strategies and team efforts
- Expanded market presence using innovative approaches
- Enhanced customer satisfaction by focusing on relationship management
Above, you can see a weaker example of a resume work experience section to best avoid. Ineffective work experience sections tend to focus too much on everyday responsibilities over skills and achievements. If you use vague descriptions of activities and fail to back up your achievements with evidence, you're likely to fail to make an impact on the reader.
Education
In this section list any educational qualifications or degrees that are relevant to sales manager roles.
Opportunities as a sales manager and similar roles in the sector usually require a specialist degree. If you have a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree, be sure to mention this in your resume. You might also want to list any qualifications that highlight your market analysis tools or salesforce CRM proficiency.
List every relevant qualification, including the name and level of the course, the name of the school, college or university, its location and your graduation date. Include bullet points to show any specialist modules you studied, awards or exceptional grades and achievements that can set you apart from other candidates. These will all contribute to creating a positive impression on employers.
Additionally, mentioning any leadership roles or any societies and clubs you participated in while studying shows proactivity and initiative.
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Marketing, 2017 - 2020
Duke University, Durham, NC
Hard and Soft Skills
Listing your key skills can help to prove your suitability for sales manager jobs. These could be B2B sales strategy, CRM proficiency or various other relevant skills. Additionally, read the job description to make sure your skills match those required for sales manager positions. You could also include some unique skills that help you stand out as a candidate.
How to include hard skills on your sales manager resume
Hard skills are the key technical skills required for sales manager positions. They include specific industry knowledge and abilities that you could learn on the job, or through a specialist qualification. Furthermore, these skills are essential for a sales manager resume as they showcase your expertise in the field. Add up to five key hard skills that show you're an ideal candidate for the role. It can also be beneficial to add context to each skill, showing how you've used it to positive effect in your career to date.
Your resume hard skills list should reflect your unique and specific industry expertise and experience, while also fulfilling the requirements listed in the job description. See the examples below for an idea of what an effective sales manager resume hard skills list looks like.
- Salesforce CRM proficiency
- Pipeline management expertise
- Negotiation and closing
Showcasing your best soft skills
Soft skills are the personal skills and qualities that make you a good fit for the job. They include transferable skills and strengths that help you settle into the role, adapt to new challenges and build effective working relationships. Indeed, without soft skills, you may struggle to adapt to sales manager roles or meet the standards expected of you. So make sure you include several key soft skills on your resume. You should generally look to include up to five soft or transferable skills that match the job description.
The strongest resume soft skills sections include a mix of skills that match your best personal strengths, and that reflect the skills listed in the job description. See below for some examples of effective soft skills for a sales manager resume.
- Communication skills
- Emotional intelligence
- Problem-solving abilities
Certifications
Under certifications and licenses, add any further qualifications that show you're a good fit for the job. You could list accreditations for certain professional roles or licenses for certain activities that help to make you a strong candidate. Therefore, make sure you list the dates of your certifications and licenses so employers can see they're up-to-date and valid.
See below for some suggestions of relevant certifications for a sales manager resume:
- Certified Sales Professional, 2022
- Salesforce Administrator Certification, 2022
- HubSpot Sales Software, 2022
Expert Tip:
Optional Information
There are several additional sections you could add to a sales manager resume, to improve your chances of success. Pick from the optional sections below to help show the employer you have the skills and experience for the job.
Personal Hobbies and Interests
Add any hobbies and interests that reinforce your credentials for the position. They also help to show a different side of your personality, and can help your resume create a more memorable impression on hiring managers. If you're short on real world work experience, hobbies and interests can be a useful way of providing more information about your qualities. Just make sure any hobbies and interests you include in your resume add genuine insight into your personality, in ways other sections of the resume can't.
Volunteering
This section can be valuable for a sales manager resume, if you've done any voluntary work that showcases your relevant skills. List your volunteer job title, the organization you volunteered for, its location and the dates of your involvement, alongside a brief explanation of your responsibilities in the role.
References
Although it's rare to include references on a sales manager resume, some employers may ask for it. Don't add references unless they're specifically mentioned by the employer in the job advert. Only include referees that you've had prior approval from, and notify them to expect contact from the employer.
References are available upon request.
Best words to use in a sales manager resume
Start each bullet point in your work experience section with a strong verb to show actions you took. Choose from the list of words below to make the best possible impression.
- Drive
- Lead
- Strategize
- Negotiate
- Achieve
- Manage
- Optimize
- Coach
- Analyze
- Execute
Jobseeker's resume templates were created by careers experts to help you produce a professional resume in minutes. You can also find cover letter templates to complete an eye-catching job application that gets you noticed.
Sample sales manager resume
The sales manager resume example below includes all the sections above, so you can see how a completed resume looks:
5150 Maple Drive, Twin Peaks, WA
•
allison.perez@example.com
•
(111) 222 33 444 55
•
linkedin․com/in/allison–perez123
Dynamic and results-driven Sales Manager with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and extensive experience as a Regional Sales Director. Proven track record in driving revenue growth, developing strategic sales initiatives, and leading high-performing teams. Adept at building strong client relationships, optimizing sales processes, and exceeding targets in competitive markets. Skilled in data analysis, market research, and leveraging CRM tools to enhance sales performance. Passionate about fostering a collaborative and goal-oriented work environment
Regional Sales Director
2020
-2022
NexaTech Solutions (Milwaukee)
- Increased regional sales by 35% within one year, surpassing annual targets and driving $15M in additional revenue
- Expanded market share by 20% through strategic partnerships and effective team leadership across a multi-state territory
- Implemented a new CRM system, enhancing sales team efficiency and improving customer satisfaction scores by 25%
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)
2017
-2020
University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL)
Salesforce CRM proficiency
Pipeline management expertise
Negotiation and closing
Communication skills
Emotional intelligence
Problem-solving abilities
Certified Sales Professional
Salesforce Administrator Certification
English - Fluent
Spanish - B2
Do's and don'ts of a sales manager resume
Simple tips for creating a winning resume
- Kick off your sales manager resume with a strong summary or objective statement that highlights your key skills and achievements.
- Use reverse-chronological order for your work and education, starting with your most recent employment and education.
- Include your educational achievements, including any impressive grades. Focus on the most relevant qualifications for the role.
- Quantify your accomplishments by providing evidence that shows the impact you've made in your career.
- Proofread your resume before sending it, to avoid any unnecessary mistakes that may harm your chances.
Avoid these common mistakes on your resume
- Don't clutter your document by trying to add too many details. Focus on core sales manager skills and achievements that are relevant to the role.
- Don't use an email address that contains unprofessional content, and if necessary create a new, more professional email address.
- Don't write any unnecessary personal details on your resume. Details such as age, gender or nationality can lead to unintentional recruitment bias.
- Don't forget to keep your contact information up to date, to ensure the employer can contact you if necessary.
- Don't use passive language because it's less engaging for the reader. Change phrases like 'the target was exceeded' to 'I helped the team exceed the target'.
Guide to making your resume ATS-friendly
Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are increasingly taking responsibility for the management and processing of job applications, helping hiring practices to become more efficient. This can include screening resumes by scanning and ranking each application according to how closely it matches the job description. When drafting your sales manager resume, there are a few guidelines to follow to give you the best chance of passing the ATS screening stage and progressing with your application.
Follow these simple rules when writing your resume, to make sure it's ATS compliant:
- Choose a resume structure that matches the traditional, reverse-chronological layout or alternatively, the functional resume structure. This should make your resume more readable for ATS applications.
- Use of job description keywords throughout your resume will help it rank higher in the ATS scanning stage, as it will more closely match the requirements laid out in the job description.
- Add each section with clear headings that match the established resume conventions, so ATS software can easily identify each part of your resume.
- Use design elements that help make your resume more readable. These might include white space, clear, professional fonts and subtle color accents to help certain elements stand out.
- Use simple, concise language to keep your resume to a maximum of one to two pages in length. This will make it easier for ATS software to read.
For help crafting a winning resume, read our in-depth career blog and review our resume examples for inspiration.
Frequently Asked Questions about a sales manager resume
Now that you know how to write a professional sales manager resume, you might also want to learn how to write an accompanying cover letter that makes a similar impact.
Firstly, choose whether you're going to write a full cover letter, or whether a brief email confirming your application and drawing attention to your resume will be sufficient.
If you choose to write a full cover letter, follow traditional letter-writing conventions surrounding greetings, sign-offs and use of professional language. The body of the cover letter tends to be three paragraphs. The first introduces yourself and the role you're applying for, giving reasons for your application. The second briefly covers your key skills and achievements that are most relevant to sales manager roles. Finally, the third paragraph re-emphasizes your interest in the role and leaves a call to action, encouraging the employer to reach out to you.
If you want to impress employers with a professional cover letter, use Jobseeker's simple and beautiful cover letter templates.
Even if you have no work experience, following a few simple tips for your sales manager resume can ensure you make a strong impression on employers. Select a resume format that emphasizes your skills and education over your work experience, such as a functional format. Optional sections at the end of your resume can play a stronger role if you're lacking relevant work experience. Use certifications and training, hobbies and interests, volunteer roles and internships to show you've got the necessary skills for the job.
Use a resume headline to make it easy for the reader to start assessing your suitability for sales manager positions at first glance. A well-written resume headline is also a way to increase your chances of passing the ATS resume scanning stage, by referencing keywords that match the job description. Take the time to draft a concise, eye-catching headline which includes the job title, one or two key skills and reference to either your experience level or track record.
You can use this example resume headline as a template for creating your own:
- Aspiring Junior Sales Manager
- Dynamic Sales Leader Driving Growth
- Seasoned Sales Manager Achieving Excellence
The best resume format for you depends on two things. Firstly, it depends on your experience level. Secondly, it depends on the type and level of position you're applying for. For roles where you're lacking experience, such as graduate jobs or career changes, you could use a functional or skills-based resume format. This places your skills and education above your work experience. If, however, you have relevant work experience in the industry, it's typically best to use a reverse chronological resume format. This highlights your achievements in work, which is probably the most important factor for hiring managers to consider.
Key takeaways for your sales manager resume
The key to a strong resume is to showcase your relevant skills and achievements through your work experience and other activities. Select a resume format that suits your experience levels and the job you're applying for, and make sure you tailor your resume for each application.
Using the professional resume templates and resources of Jobseeker can help you create a great-looking resume that stands out from other applicants. Sign up today and follow the simple steps to get started. Whatever job you're applying for, a professional cover letter can make all the difference to your chances. Use Jobseeker's HR-approved tools and cover letter examples to inspire your applications.
Sources:
(1) Tips for Writing a Federal Resume, U.S. Department of Labor: https://www.dol.gov/general/jobs/tips-for-writing-a-federal-resume
(2) Resume Tips, Duke University: https://careerhub.students.duke.edu/resources/resume-tips/
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