There is a reason why consumer brands spend millions on branding and packaging. It can make the difference between a product selling or not. Think about how often you have picked up something from a supermarket shelf simply because the packaging caught your eye. Companies invest heavily in branding because it works.
Your resume is no different. The difference between getting an interview and being passed over may come down to your resume’s presentation. If the hiring manager has to sift through pages of densely packed information, Google your company, and decide if you are worth an hour of their busy week, your application will likely end up in the maybe pile. And everyone knows what the maybe pile really means.
In an ideal world, every word on every resume would be read, but the reality is, hiring managers do not have the time. It is in your best interest to ensure they can quickly and easily assess your suitability.
I have seen resumes with inconsistent fonts and sizes, mixed formats, one line for the current role and twenty for a job held twenty years ago. If your resume is not as polished as a proposal you would send to a client, it is not good enough to send for a job application.
Here is an example of what a good sales resume should look like:
Name:
Location: Do not list your full address
Contact number:
Email address:
Profile:
Summarise who you are, what you do, what you sell, who you sell to, your achievements, and your strengths. This can be a few lines or bullet points. Get this part right, and you may earn an interview invitation before they even read further.
Career:
Company A
Job Title
Dates (include months)
Company A is a US-headquartered, Series-A funded start-up selling enterprise AI solutions used by banks to solve XXY problems.
- Role: New business sales targeting X customers in Y region. Full-cycle sales, from origination through to post-sale handover to customer success.
- Territory: Covers enterprise customers (>$100m revenue, market cap, employee count, Fortune 500, etc.), across X territory, focusing on Y personas (CIO, CTO, CISO, etc.).
- Track record: A sales resume without numbers is a big red flag for a hiring manager. If you cannot provide exact company names, a client description works.
- Records, marquee wins, president’s clubs, significant achievements.
- Reason for leaving: Optional but helpful for hiring managers.
Repeat for other relevant roles.
For roles not relevant to the position you are pursuing or jobs that are over ten years old, condense to company, job title, dates, and one to three bullet points. Focus primarily on recent career history and achievements.
Education:
For most sales roles, this should come last and only detail your highest level of education.
Interests:
This is contentious. Generic interests such as cooking, reading, and spending time with family add little value. Specific interests and hobbies are worthwhile if they illustrate traits that have value in sales, such as resilience, empathy, and work ethic.