Sales CV Example
Ensure customer satisfaction matters, identify yourself with the company, provide interest in market trends, business plans and more on your sales CV
Professional CV example for Sales
[Michael King]
[Sales Executive]
[123 Sales Street, London, UK | +44 4321 567890 | michael.king@email.com]
Personal Statement
Dedicated and results-driven sales professional with over 5 years of experience in maintaining and expanding client bases, demonstrating a strong commitment to customer satisfaction. Highly adept in customer interaction, utilising persuasive sales techniques and effective pitches to achieve sales targets and quotas.
Experience
Sales Executive, ABC Company, London, UK (2017 – Present)
- Successfully expanded the client base by 25% through proactive interaction and persuasive sales techniques
- Consistently exceeded sales targets and quotas by 10%, contributing to the overall success of the sales team
- Prepared and presented detailed sales reports to management, highlighting trends and areas for improvement
Sales Representative, XYZ Corporation, Leeds, UK (2015 – 2017)
- Maintained a high level of customer satisfaction, resulting in a 20% increase in repeat business and positive customer reviews
- Utilised effective sales pitches to persuade potential clients, leading to a 15% increase in closed deals
- Collaborated with the sales team to develop and implement new sales strategies, resulting in a 10% increase in overall sales
Education
Bachelor of Business Administration, Leeds University, Leeds, UK (2012 – 2015)
- Grade: 2:1
Skills
- Building and maintaining a client base
- Active listening
- Storytelling
- Critical-thinking
- Sales reporting and analysis
Certifications
- Sales Strategies Certification, London, Business School, (2016)
Languages
- English (Native)
- French (Proficient)
CV Vocabulary & Writing Tips
Brush up your sales vocabulary and make sure you’re using these key CV buzzwords to get through ATS (Applicant Tracking System) processes which sift through job applications to facilitate candidate shortlisting.
Words to use
- Client base
- Commitment
- Customer interaction
- Customer satisfaction
- Decision making
- Dedication
- Delegation
- Market trends
- Marketing sales
- Networking
- Product satisfaction
- Sales reports
- Sales targets
- Sales techniques
- Quotas
Action verbs
- Agree
- Answer
- Arrange
- Assess
- Communicate
- Contact
- Encourage
- Identify
- Implement
- Improve
- Interact
- Maintain
- Persuade
- Pitch
- Resolve
Sales CV Tips and Ideas
Given that sales positions often include persuasion, business tactics and marketing trends, it is vital that those writing a sales CV employ a professional writing technique to convey all knowledge, skills and experience. Strong communication skills are required of sales employees amongst many other job requirements. Focussing on these skills and highlighting your experience in the right way is optimal for writing a successful sales CV. Read our sales CV tips for more information.
Format
- Choose CV format
- Chronological
- Skills-based
- Combination
- Revise line spacing, layout, headings and font style & size
Design
- Choose between traditional or creative CV design
- Browse through CV templates to inspire CV design
- Use an online CV builder to avoid design problems
Photo
No
Sections
Yes
- Personal info
- Work history
- Education
- Skills
- Qualifications
Optional
- Achievements
- Languages
- Hobbies & interests
- References
CV Length
1-2 A4 pages
Format
Your format should be strategic and guide the reader to learn about your most influential and impressive knowledge, skills or characteristics in a clear and coherent way.
Choose from the top 3 formatting techniques for writing a CV:
- Chronological CV
- Skills-based CV
- Combination CV
The type of CV format you choose to adopt for your sales CV will have to do with how much experience you have and what you want to highlight the most. The above formatting styles differ in layout and format, complementing different professional profiles.
Chronological CVs are the most widely used CV format. Usually, the work experience is listed in reverse chronological order and is the main focus of the CV.
Skills-based CVs take the edge of shady or inconsistent work experience and concentrate on achievements and skills that can be used for the new job post. There are multiple reasons for choosing to use a skills-based CV format (sometimes called a functional CV), e.g., previous jobs may be irrelevant to your new desired job or you may not have a consistent work history.
Combinations CVs are ideal for those who like the idea of both CVs listed above. Combine a chronological and skills-based CV to create a CV that focusses on both work experience as well as your strongest skills.
When you format your sales CV, think about line spacing, headings and font size and style. All these factors add up to create a well-formatted sales CV.
Design
The design of your CV needs to be considered with care. The rise of the creative CV opens a wealth of questions, CV design doubts and adventures. Choose between a traditional design or create a quirkier looking CV to draw attention to your professional profile.
Using a CV template is a good way to avoid having to design a CV and instead, focus on the more important stuff, like why you’re the perfect salesperson for the job. Use our online CV builder to achieve a visually appealing CV with great results.
Photo
Unless you’re applying for a job in other European countries such as France or Spain, you don’t need to include a photo on your sales CV. In the UK, photos aren’t included in CVs like they are in other working cultures.
Sections of a Sales CV
Those applying for a job in sales should almost definitely include the following sections on their CV:
- Personal details
- Work history
- Education
- Skills
- Qualifications
CV Length
Don’t feel pressured!
If you think that some of the above sections aren’t necessary then don’t include them! Here are some more CV sections that might be relevant for your sales CV:
- Achievements
- Languages
- Hobbies & interests
- References
Sales CV Section Headings
Learn how to write each section of your sales CV and job-specific factors that you should take into account.
Work experience
If you have experience in sales, list your experience in a reverse chronological format to document a progressive career.
If you’re entering the sales sector, mention any jobs with relevant skills necessary or talk about your achievements and responsibilities in previous jobs. Despite not being completely related to sales, other jobs and your achievements or tasks completed provide evidence of what you are capable of.
Education
Giving evidence of training, qualifications or degrees in business, finance, marketing and sales are almost always required of sales job applicants. Work experience is heavily valued but you should also make room for your academic background if you have related studies.
To save space on your CV. mention your highest academic qualifications. You can also go into more depth about courses taken during your interview or in a cover letter.
Skills
Salespeople are required to know their stuff, keep their cool, all the while sealing the deal. It can be hard working under pressure or trying to collaborate with multiple partners. Prove your worth by listing examples of times you used a skill during a job or refer to how you picked up a particular skill.
You can bullet point your skills neatly but you can also make sure they get noticed in the work experience section. As you describe each job, you can mention one or two key skills that were used or helped to completed your main tasks.
Qualifications
This isn’t entirely necessary for all, as you may have a business degree which can be listed in your academic background section. However, if you’ve taken additional measures to improve your professional knowledge in sales, list your qualifications with the date and place completed in a qualifications section on your CV. Recruiters will be impressed to know that you took it upon yourself to expand your knowledge and improve skills.
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