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Staring at your resume for hours and still nothing in the pipeline? That must be exhausting! Let’s get your flow back and write a stand-out sales representative resume together.
This resume guide has a high conversion rate. It will turn job seekers like yourself into hired sales reps.
How?
You’ll show them you have the job experience, closing skills, and sales background they’re looking for with a great sales representative resume.
No worries—
Read on and you’ll see a professional sales representative resume example you can adjust and make yours. Plus, you’ll learn an easy formula for writing a resume for sales rep jobs that will land you 10x more interviews than any other sales representative resume you’ve written in the past.
This guide will show you:
A sales representative resume example better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
How to write a resume for a sales representative that will land you more interviews.
Tips and examples of what skills to put on a resume for sales representative.
How to describe your sales representative experience on a resume to get any job you want.
Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.
Efficient and effective sales representative with over 4 years of experience in medical and pharmaceutical sales and managing business, professional, and corporate client accounts. Member of the National Association of Pharmaceutical Sales Reps and awarded the CNPR Certification after completion of the Pharmaceutical Sales Training Program. Exceeded sales goals by more than 15% each quarter. Seeking to leverage solid negotiation skills and extensive product knowledge to be the senior pharmaceutical sales rep for Photon Pharma.
Experience
Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
Jurius Pharma, Boise, ID
August 2016–October 2019
Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
Serviced pharmaceutical client accounts for 20 organizations providing revenue of $1m per year or more.
Assessed client needs based on current objectives, supply and demand, and seasonable variables.
Developed customer relationships with more than 100 local physicians and dental practices around the Boise area in 3 years.
Cooperated with the sales and marketing team leaders to determine best products to promote or withdraw.
Key Achievement
Exceeded sales goals by more than 15% in every quarter since being hired at the company.
Junior Medical Sales Representative
Stanford Medical Equipment, Boise, ID
June 2015–August 2016
Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
Assisted mid-level and senior sales representatives in managing client accounts, generating leads, and maintaining customer relationships.
Organized meetings and appointments with regional companies to promote Stanford Medical Equipment’s services and supplies.
Reviewed sales performance for sales division and generated key reports for weekly, monthly, and quarterly meetings.
Education
Bachelor of Science in Retail and Sales Management
DeVry University, Arlington, VA
Completion: 2015
Relevant Coursework: Business Administration, Consumer Behavior, Sales and Marketing Fundamentals, Pharmaceutical Merchandising Management, Advertising and Public Relations.
Skills
Lead Generation
Closing Deals
Maintaining Profitable, Amicable Relationships
Knowledge of Pharmaceutical Supplies, Drugs, Medications, and Medical Equipment
Contract & Deal Negotiation
Certificates
CNPR Certification — Pharmaceutical Sales Training Program
Memberships
Sales Management Association (SMA)
American Management Association (AMA)
National Association of Pharmaceutical Sales Reps (NAPSR)
1
Use the Right Format for Your Sales Representative Resume
The BANT framework helps determine how likely a lead is to become a customer.
Our formatting guidelines below will help determine how likely you are to become an employee.
Before you go ahead with writing a sales representative resume, format it correctly to make it neat and orderly and a breeze for sales managers to read.
Here’s how to format a sales representative resume:
Introduction: write a short intro paragraph that compels them to read more.
Work experience: a bullet-point history of your past sales experience and job duties.
Education: a short description of your college background and accomplishments.
Skills: a list of the most sales-related abilities you bring to the table.
Extra sections: sales certifications, industry awards, foreign languages, etc.
One trick we’re going to show you here—
We won’t start at the top.
Instead, we’ll begin with your work history section and finish it off with your heading paragraph. This way, you’ll have a better idea of the most effective things to include by the time you come back around.
Start With a Sales Representative Resume Work Experience Section
Sales jobs are being added each and every day, meaning you’ve got more and more competition. Just have a look at the employment outlook for different positions for the decade between 2018 and 2028:
Insurance sales representatives will increase by 48,300 jobs (10%).
Real estate sales reps will increase by 32,400 jobs (7%).
Financial services sales representatives will increase by 18,500 jobs (4%).
Wholesale and manufacturing sales reps will increase by 35,400 jobs (2%).
As you can see, you’re facing off against plenty of other applicants.
List positions in reverse-chronological order, starting with the most recent on top.
Include your professional title, the company’s name and location, and the span of time you were employed there.
Give them around 4–6 bullet point entries describing your past work responsibilities.
Make it a targeted resume by listing only past duties which relate to sales jobs.
Always quantify achievements whenever possible so they get a solid picture of just how well you have and will perform.
Use action verbs to begin each bullet point for max impact.
Now—
Let’s look at two experienced sales professional resume examples to see those rules in action:
Sales Representative Job Description for a Resume Example
Right
Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
Jurius Pharma, Boise, ID August 2016–October 2019
Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
Serviced pharmaceutical client accounts for 20 organizations providing revenue of $1m per year or more.
Assessed client needs based on current objectives, supply and demand, and seasonable variables.
Developed customer relationships with more than 100 local physicians and dental practices around the Boise area in 3 years.
Cooperated with the sales and marketing team leaders to determine best products to promote or withdraw.
Key Achievement
Exceeded sales goals by more than 15% in every quarter since being hired at the company.
Wrong
Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
Jurius Pharma, Boise, ID August 2016–October 2019
Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
Worked with other sales representatives.
Met sales targets and goals.
Assisted in managing corporate client relationships.
See the differences?
While the second sales representative resume example falls short, the first one meets all its targets—it’s detailed, personalized, and uses numbers to seal that deal.
They’ll immediately see you’re a candidate with a high lifetime value!
Now—
What about when writing an entry-level sales representative resume?
Don’t worry.
Even if you’ve only a little job experience with another job title, all you have to do is list the most sales-relevant job duties and achievements you had.
Here are another two sales representative resume samples for your reference:
Beginner Sales Representative Resume—Work History Example
Right
Customer Relationship Officer
Zabar Pharmamed Solutions, Augusta, GA
September 2018–October 2019
Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
Acted as liaison between Zabar and corporate clients to facilitate and maintain healthy business relationships.
Checked in on clients on a weekly basis to ensure needs are being met and supplies are being filled.
Managed database of clients and potential leads in a customer relationship manager (CRM) program.
Key Achievement
Maintained positive and happy client relationships with 15 corporate customers.
Wrong
Customer Relationship Officer September 2018–October 2019 Zabar Pharmamed Solutions, Augusta, GA
Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
Kept clients happy.
Brought client issues to company meetings.
Managed CRM program upkeep.
See the difference?
The first candidate used their past experience and proved it’s relevant to the new position they’re applying for.
When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.
Bachelor of Science in Marketing, Major in Professional Sales
Florida State University College of Business, Tallahassee, FL
Completion: 2017
Relevant Coursework: Professional Selling, Sales Management, Advanced Sales & Selling Techniques, Cloud-Based CRM Systems, Sales Organization Fundamentals, Inside Sales & Outside Sales, Using AI and ML to Facilitate Lead Generation.
Minor: Leadership & Communication
Leave your high school diploma off resume if you’ve completed a university degree.
If your education is more impressive than your work history, say on a junior pharmaceutical sales resume, put it above your job education section for maximum visibility.
List the Right Skills to Put on a Resume for Sales Representative Jobs
A sales representative resume must show the manager or account executive that you are the best applicant to close deals on their behalf.
How do you show them?
By identifying the sales rep skills and abilities they’re looking for and adding it to your resume.
Here’s what to do:
Make a master list of all the skills you have related to sales jobs in general.
Identify skills-related resume keywords in the sales job description by scanning the job responsibilities section.
In the sales representative skills resume section, include 5–10 of the most relevant talents which are both on your list and requested in the sales rep job description.
Are you struggling with writing entry-level sales representative resumes? If you have any unpaid work, you not only add valuable experience to your resume, but you also look like a hero.
Are you fluent in French, proficient in Portuguese, or articulate in Armenian? Showing off your proficiency in a second language could open up new markets for them and interview room doors for you.
If you have interests and passions related to sales, marketing, or client relationships, add those onto your industrial or medical sales rep resume for added oomph. Skip the “long walks on the beach” and save that for your diary.
Industry Memberships
Do you have a membership in a sales organization or other trade body? Adding a small section to the bottom of your sales representative resume shows your dedication. Here are just a few examples:
A resume summary is a short paragraph highlighting your experience, skills, and accomplishments from past sales jobs. It promotes you further by including a numbered achievement or two which you’re most proud of to verify your sales talent.
Here are two example summaries:
Sales Representative Resume Summary Sample
Right
Results-oriented sales representative for over 5 years with 2 years of experience as a sales manager for industrial supplies and products. Skilled at maintaining profitable client relationships and developing ambitious sales targets. Achieved over $500K in sales in each fiscal quarter from 2018 until the present.
Wrong
I have several years of sales management experience, with a few more years of sales representative experience before that. I’m looking for a job where I can use the vast knowledge I have in sales to land a better job.
If your sales representative resume summary resembled the second example, you’ll have a high churn rate.
The right example resume for sales reps, on the other hand, does everything we need—it’s short, relevant, and uses numbered achievements.
You can just about relegate this resume into the “Closed-Won” column!
Rather than show your illustrious past, give them the future. Explain your career goals and how you plan on sticking around as a sales representative. Also use a numbered win here to address any of the employer’s pain points.
Here are two sales rep resume objective examples:
Resume Sales Representative Objective Sample
Right
Relatable customer relationship officer at large Augusta corporation with 1+ year of experience maintaining excellent relations with 15 company clients. Skilled at communication, collaboration, and using CRM software (Hubspot & Salesforce, primarily). Seeking to leverage ability to anticipate needs and increase NPS to become the junior sales representative at Zabboo Pharmaceuticals.
Wrong
I don’t have experience as a sales representative or even in sales, but I would like to switch to it from my current career path as a customer relationship specialist. I am available to work anywhere in and around the Augusta, Georgia metropolitan area starting immediately.
Always show rather than tell on a resume for sales positions, meaning give them numbers to prove your worth to them.
Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:
Across all industries, good sales reps are in high demand, and with your perfected, tailored resume for sales rep jobs, you’re going to be in high demand, as well.
Let’s sum it all up—
Structure your sales rep resume right by using bold headings, a legible font, and plenty of white space.
Save the heading statement on outside or inside sales resumes for the end.
Document your work experience with detailed bullet points, numbered achievements, and action verbs.
Highlight your education with extra details when writing an industrial, medical, or car salesman resume with less or no experience.
Create a list of skills using the most relevant abilities as found in the sales representative job description.
Add extra sales rep resume sections such as languages, certifications, or awards, to stand out from the other job applicants.
Go back to the top and craft a compelling sales job resume objective or summary.
Always include a sales cover letter attached to your email before sending it off.
Now, we’d love to hear from you:
Need help writing pharmaceutical sales resumes or medical sales resumes?
Struggling for the best abilities to add on a sales skills list for resumes?
Have any stories to share about past sales job interviews or places of work?
Let’s talk about it in the comments below, and thanks for reading
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Christian is a career expert and Certified Professional Resume Writer who has been writing for Zety since 2017. From job hunting to acing interviews to settling in on the first days at a new career, his guides cover the entire career spectrum.
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