Any job you apply to requires you to have a perfect CV that displays all your qualifications and achievements. Even if you are an expert in your field, you will still need a CV to land a great job and your CV must contain all the relevant information that speaks for your experience. People working in sales are experienced in selling their products and services to consumers but if you are confused about writing a creative CV that sells your experience then we have got just the thing for you.
Marketing and Sales jobs contain a lot of positions and each one of them can differ significantly from the other so make sure you tailor your CV according to the sales job position you are applying for. You can also take help from the job description as it will provide you with all the information you need to know regarding what the recruiter is looking for.
Sales Jobs can include some of the most promising positions and you will definitely be able to expand your career if you step into the sales industry as it is ever-growing and expanding. Some of the most common sales jobs include:
- Digital Marketing Executive
- Sales Representative
- Sales Manager
- Social Media Representative
- Marketing Manager
- Sales Support Representative
- Customer Service Officers
Some skills that should be highlighted in your CV if you are looking for a job in the sales industry are Management, Interpersonal Communication, Problem-Solving, Critical Thinking, and many more. Aside from these skills, a sales professional should have all standard CV sections in their CV filled with utmost perfection. In this article, we will discuss how to make the perfect sales CV.
Profile Summary:
The first thing a recruiter will see is your Profile Summary so you have to make a great start. A recruiter usually views a CV for 7 seconds. Your profile summary should be engaging and captivating enough that the recruiter becomes interested in learning more. You can start your summary by mentioning a really significant sales skill that you have and then explaining what you do and have an experience in. After this, briefly mention all the tasks and responsibilities that you have an experience with that are a basis of any sales job such as overlooking end-to-end sales operations or creating sales objectives for a newly launched product. Include your key achievements by using quantifiable data to further enhance them. In the end, write down what you will be able to do for the company and how you will be an asset to them. Remember, a recruiter is not interested in what you want from the job but rather in what you can offer to the company.
A recruiter views hundreds of CVs daily and it is highly likely that they will only read your summary so you have to make it impressive enough that it lands you an interview. Keep your profile summary short and precise but it should have all the information that is enough to make a recruiter see that you might be a perfect fit for the job. A profile summary should not exceed 10 lines and it should highlight all your significant qualifications and accomplishments.
Professional Experience:
List down your professional experience in reverse chronological order meaning you start from your most recent job and then go backward. Include your daily job responsibilities and duties in bullet points so that the recruiter can skim through them easily. Avoid writing too many daily responsibilities and instead focus on your key achievements. Did you manage the marketing team of a new product that went on to become a hit? Include it in your CV. Better yet, include how many sales the product had. Showing results and using quantifiable data and figures will verify all your accomplishments and impress the recruiter as well. Include key accomplishments for your every job role. Make sure you write down the start and end dates for each of your job positions as they help a recruiter learn more about your professional work history. You can format the figures in bold to make them more prominent and eye-catching. A sales job can have lots of positions such as:
- Marketing Director
- Sales Assistant
- Marketing Manager
- Social Media Executive
- Brand Manager
- Marketing Assistant
- Content Marketer
Education:
This is also one of the most important sections in your CV and the one that the recruiter will definitely read it before extending you an invitation for the interview. The same reverse chronological order will be followed here as well. List down all your education from the most recent one. If you do not have a degree specifically in marketing or sales but your degree had a course relevant to marketing, then you can write that down separately to show the recruiter that you have enough knowledge.
If you have any certifications or you have done any extra courses relevant to the target job then they will also be included in the Education Section. You can also mention your educational achievements in this section such as if you scored more than 3.0 CGPA.
Skills:
Sales job require a lot more skills than just being good at managing. There are many hard and soft skills that are a must-have if you want to make a successful career in sales. Make sure you include a combination of both hard and soft skills in your CV. You can also add any technical skills that you have relevant to the job position. Some of the most common skills that are required for any sales position include:
Soft Skills:
- Critical Thinking
- Multi-Tasking
- Strategic Problem Solving
- Time Management
- Adaptable
- Coordination
- Collaboration
- Interpersonal Communication
Hard Skills:
- Project Management
- Relationship Management
- Technical Support
- Data Analysis
- Sales Report
- Policy Management
- Digital Marketing
- Research and Development
Technical Skills
- CMS Tools
- SEO
- SEM
- UX Design
These are the standard sections that are a must-have for your Sales CV no matter which position you are applying for. You can also include some additional sections such as Honors, Awards, Memberships, etc., to further elevate your CV. Use the proper format to make your CV attractive. Do not include too much information in your CV that will make it look cluttered. Your CV should be 2 pages long at max unless you are applying for an executive position and have more than 8 years of experience.
Make sure you have used all the relevant keywords from the job description in your CV to make it ATS-friendly and optimized. Make sure you use Power Words in your CV and keep it concise and short. Avoid including any personal information in your CV and make sure you proofread it at least twice before sending it in. You can also include a Cover Letter in your application to make a positive impact on the recruiter.