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21 Sales Resume Examples That Landed Jobs in 2024

• Sales Resume
• Sales Resumes by Experience
• Sales Resumes by Role

Writing Your Sales Resume

Sales are the lifeblood of any growing company. Without sales, companies grow stagnant—or worse, fail. But with a good sales department, a company can truly thrive.

You know how to care for customers, present solutions to problems, and adapt to any situation. Unfortunately, getting a new sales job involves more than just a short resignation letter at your current job and being stellar at what you do.

You shouldn’t have to create an effective resume or write a sales cover letter alone, which is why we’ve analyzed hundreds of professional resumes and created 21 sales resume examples just for you. These examples have helped salespeople get hired by companies like Google and Facebook , and they’re here for you to achieve the next role of your dreams in 2024.

Sales Resume Example

or download as PDF

Why this resume works

• Whether your most significant impact was in total sales, conversion rate, retention rate, or lead generation performance, it doesn’t matter—numbers speak louder than words, so include them whenever you can!

Sales Assistant Resume

• Find a way to include metrics to really sell your skills!
• Don’t just say you used a certain skill; demonstrate how you used that skill. For example, did you use your organization skills to stock many items? 
• Pack your resume objective with proactive language that shows your eagerness for growth and improvement. If you’re looking for a career-building role, then say exactly that!

Entry-Level Sales Representative Resume

• Sales is a people management game. If you have charm and patience, that’s much more valuable in the eyes of the hiring manager than an impressive educational background.
• You can also include a  resume objective  to mention some of your accomplishments and skills right off the bat; if you choose to do so, make sure you tailor it for every job to which you apply.
• If your education is your strongest area, include your minor, GPA, and any relevant courses you’ve taken.
• If you’ve worked on several projects, make room to include them on your resume in place of work experience.

Experienced Sales Associate Resume

• Your true competence as a sales associate shines through the most when you mention how you effectively calmed angry customers and offered practical, compassionate solutions.
• If you’re not overly familiar with a skill, leave it out—honesty is the best policy, and many skills are easy to learn on the job.

Experienced Retail Sales Associate Resume Example

• If you don’t have past retail experience, don’t fret; use the positions you have to highlight transferable skills, like time management, customer service, and problem-solving.
• Instead of just listing responsibilities, include any achievements, too. Were you a top salesperson in your store? Did you increase your customer review rating? Did you cross-sell effectively and increase revenue? All of these are great examples to include!

Senior Sales Analyst Resume

• Include a  resume summary  (also called a career summary) if you can boast 10+ years of field experience. Make it a concise, customized snapshot of yourself by including your specializations, defining expertise, and mentioning the target business by name.
• You can include the number of employees you manage or mentor, the rate at which you’ve increased revenue, the rate at which employees have hit sales targets during your tenure, the number of departments you collaborate with, the number of monthly presentations you give, and any other metrics that showcase how you’ve improved company performance.

VP of Sales Resume

• A good example is the training program you initiated, which boosted team morale and overall productivity by 38 percent.

Pharmaceutical Sales Resume

• Did you help expand market share? Did you leverage technology to help close more sales deals? Add all that in and sit back as your past success elevates your candidacy to the top of the shortlisted applicants.

Insurance Sales Resume

• Highlight how you’ve tapped InsurGrid, NowCerts, ClearSlide, etc. to improve customer service, and attract and retain customers. Also, back your competencies with realistic figures that underscore your impact.

Tech Sales Resume

• Be bold, like Asher, in showing off to what extent your skills and knowledge contributed to the company’s sales department.

Sales Representative Resume

• Make sure every section of your sales representative resume is easy to read and distinguish by either capitalizing them, bolding them, or using a colored font.
• Any mistakes will be easy to see and will hurt your chances of getting an interview. So, always  check your resume  before you submit it!

Sales Manager Resume

• Focus your work experience on your sales achievements and management expertise. Even if you have no sales management experience, you can still show off your sales skills and leadership qualities wherever it was that you worked. 
• When you can, include metrics that quantify your success. Saying you conducted meetings is one thing, but conducting meetings that resulted in a 14% increase in leads is another.

Digital Sales Representative Resume

• A  good resume template  will help you structure your content effectively, but be aware of spacing—even a good resume template won’t help if your text is too tiny to read or spreads into the margins.
• If you’re stumped on what numbers to include, consider these options: response time, the number of active accounts, size of the average account, churn dollars, team size, ROI, social media post engagement, the number of products you know, and how many awards you’ve won.

Sales Strategist Resume

• There are many  good resume examples  if you know where to look, and they can help you break out of your writer’s block funk. Take a look and get some inspiration!
• Moreover, you can ask some co-workers to help you, too! They can help you decide what metrics to include and how to sound confident but not arrogant.
• For example, if you’re a senior-level employee, you don’t need to include much in your education section, but you should include more work experience bullet points.
• However, if you’re new to the field, you can include your GPA and educational awards while minimizing your work experience in favor of projects.

Sales Consultant Resume

• A strong network on LinkedIn indicates that you’re good at building professional relationships, which is an essential element of sales.
• If you haven’t updated your LinkedIn in a while, make sure you do that as soon as possible.
• For example, you can talk about unveiling events for clients, creating working relationships, and building up networks. These details demonstrate that strong customer rapport is, in fact, a skill you possess.

Sales Engineer Resume

• For example, if the job you’re applying to emphasizes the importance of using CRM software or building long-lasting relationships with customers, emphasize these skills in your skills section. 
• Focus on including hard skills similar to the ones used in the  sales job description .
• If you’re just starting your career in sales engineering OR transitioning to a different type of role, include an objective.
• If none of the above applies, leave it out in favor of more work experience.

Director Of Sales Resume

• Don’t forget to list accomplishments related to leading people and building customer relationships, starting by recording how many customers you helped or how many people you led. Then look for percentages relating to KPIs from there.
• If you’re stuck on what to include in your  resume skills section , go back to the  sales job description  and see what soft skills they require, whether explicitly stated or implied.

Outside Sales Representative Resume

• Good examples include the number of new accounts you opened, conversion rate, retention rate, lead generation performance, and overall growth.
• Sales revenue is the main statistic related to every sales position, but make sure you venture outside the box to include other metrics, too.
• You’d be amazed at what tiny typos and punctuation errors can slip through without your noticing, and employers will appreciate your attention to detail!
• Run your resume through a  resume checker  or spellcheck system, then proofread it again with your own eyes.

Software Sales Representative Resume

• For example, did you exceed your sales quotes, and if so, how many times? How much did you increase profits for the company? 
• Provide details that prove you can boost numbers at the next company you’ll work for!
• If you can, shoot for half and half between technical and soft skills, but if you’re an entry-level candidate, it’s okay to have more soft skills.
• As a software sales rep, you should include the programming languages you know, plus soft skills like “negotiation” and “interpersonal communication.”

Fragrance Sales Associate Resume

• For a successful career in sales, you’ll want your communication and persuasion skills to shine just as brightly as your technical knowledge. Be sure you include some of both in your fragrance sales associate resume .

Sales Development Representative Resume

• Sales are all about the numbers. When you’ve brought about tangible positive results at your past workplaces, it speaks to how effective you are as a salesperson and should be touted in your sales development representative resume .

Related resume guides

• Sales Associate
• Sales Representative
• Sales Manager

Proper formatting ensures your resume is readable, logical, and complete. If you neglect the formatting, you risk potential employers not taking your application seriously (or not even seeing your resume). When it comes to formatting, remember the following: 

• Choose one of three resume format options 
• Draw attention to your resume header 
• Make your sales resume accessible for the ATS and employers

Overall resume format options

Hiring managers’ preferences tend to change over time, but for 2024, it’s clear that three  resume formats  are the most popular:

• Reverse-chronological format:  This format emphasizes your most recent experience by placing work experience toward the top of your resume. Ordering your experience this way highlights career growth and development.
• Functional format:  A functional format stresses skills over work experience. This type of format may be appealing if you have little work experience or if there are gaps in your employment. 
• Combination/hybrid format:  This type combines reverse-chronological and functional formatting, placing equal weight on job history  and  skills, but it can be hard to read because of this.

Though all three types are popular,  hiring managers prefer   the reverse-chronological format . It’s easy to read, underscores career growth, and looks honest regarding your job experience. 

Draw attention to your resume header

Presenting your contact information may seem unimportant. However, this is the most important information in your resume; without it, how can you expect hiring managers to tell you “you’re hired?” Don’t make the mistake of underestimating the importance of an accurate and beautiful resume header.

Start by aligning your header either to the left or center. Then write your name in a large font size so you can see it from far away.

Right below your name, include your job title in a slightly smaller font. Then if you like, you can tastefully add some color to show your personality. (We love cobalt blue and buttercup yellow, but we’re a bit biased.)

Underneath your name and title, list your contact information. Keep the text the same font size as the body of your resume, and consider including a border (with or without color) to make it pop. This section should include:

• Your email (make sure it’s professional and not something like “[email protected]”)
• Phone number (with an area code)
• City & State (optional but recommended)
• Professional links to portfolios or sites like LinkedIn (optional but recommended)

Make your sales resume accessible to the ATS and employers

Once you upload your resume to an online job application, it won’t go straight to a hiring manager’s desk. Instead, it will go through the ATS, or Applicant Tracking System software.

This system uses keywords in your resume to determine your likelihood of being a good fit for a particular sales job. If you don’t pass the ATS scan, it’s doubtful you’ll get an interview.

To get past the software and reach human eyes, pay attention to:

• Margins:  Use standard half-inch or one-inch margins all around.
• Fonts:  Use professional, easy-to-read fonts like Times New Roman, Arial, or Georgia. 
• Font sizes:  The body of your resume should be the smallest font at around 12-point, your job title should be 20-point font, and your name should be approximately 24-point font.
• Header names:  Instead of adjusting font size for section headers, try bolding them or using all caps. 
• Skills:  You can list them in a horizontal or vertical list; we recommend using bullet points in a vertical list unless you lack space. 
• Logical order:  As we suggested earlier, we recommend a reverse-chronological format since it’s easy for the ATS to scan. 
• One page:  You must fill one page  exactly . You can slightly adjust fonts, font sizes (just a touch), vertical spacing, and margins to hit this target.

If you’re struggling to  build your resume  with enough content and proper formatting, remember this: the most important thing is to  ensure your resume is read . If you have to cut content to keep your formatting easy to read, do it.

Do you really need an objective or summary?

Contrary to sources floating around the internet, there  is  a difference between a  resume objective  and a  resume summary . Both are short paragraphs written explicitly for every application you submit, but there are a few key differences between them. 

An  objective  identifies why you’d like to work for the company under the specific job title for which you’re applying. A  summary  highlights the skills you possess and what achievements you’ve earned within your past positions.

Objectives and summaries are strictly optional, but there are a few instances where adding one would help.

• Consider including an objective if you’re seeking an entry-level role or are transitioning careers.
• Consider using a summary best suited if you have 10+ years of sales experience.

Customized resume objective:  Seasoned floor salesperson with 4+ years of experience hitting sales 7% above targets. Seeking a position with Neiman Marcus, where my specialization in high-end retail will continue the tradition of upholding the highest standard of luxury retail experiences for clientele. 

• This objective is specific to the job and includes a customized job title, quantified metrics, specific skill sets, and the company name. It adds real value and will impress any hiring manager.

Poor summary statement:  Dedicated applicant with experience in sales and marketing looking for a sales associate role to improve customer service skills. 

• This statement is anything but specific, and it could be on any number of sales resumes. More than just that, it doesn’t highlight any skills or qualifications beyond dedication. Major yikes.

Customized summary statement:  Results-driven sales associate with 13+ years of experience developing rapport and good customer relations. Leveraged top marketing strategies to yield results, performing in the top 5% of sales associates at all workplaces for over a decade. From informing customers about purchases to designing trending storefront decor, I am confident that my proven excellence in results-driven sales strategies would positively impact the movement of products at Decor 101. 

• This summary statement is customized and unique, including specific skills and quantifiable metrics to support their claims; this candidate is a top choice for an interview.

Know what to include in your job experience section

When writing your sales resume, you may be tempted to include every job you’ve had since you were 16. Though this may be an appropriate choice if you have limited job experience, we recommend including two to four highly relevant jobs on your sales resume if you have more experience. 

Write your work experience bullet points purposefully

When you write your work experience section, remember that space is crucial. To take up less room, use bullet points to break up chunks of text. Start each bullet point with an action verb, such as “oversaw” or “championed,” to drive your value (and cut filler).

Using action verbs will also lay the foundation for using active (rather than passive) voice. For example, a passive sentence like “The store was closed by the sales team” sounds weak and boring. Active voice gives agency to the subject and shortens the statement: “The sales team closed the store.” 

Avoid personal pronouns when writing about your experience, such as “I” or “we.” Ending punctuation is up to you—just be consistent. (Avoid having periods at the end of all your bullet points except for one, for example).

Finally, keep your verb tense in the past, and make sure it’s consistent.

Good bullet points can look like any of these examples:

• Executed an outbound calling strategy to warm leads, leading to a close rate of 16%, which exceeded targets by 50%
• Implemented and expanded the use of Salesforce, saving over 18 hours of weekly manual reporting time by sales staff
• Led initiatives for prospective home buyers to improve brand awareness and increase inbound customer interest, resulting in a $275,000+ increase in incremental revenue

These bullet points are successful because they start with action words, maintain an active voice, avoid personal pronouns, and are consistent with punctuation and tenses. 

Getting these things correct is tricky, but you can return to this guide anytime to review these tips!

Use numbers to your advantage

You may have noticed that all the bullet point examples we included contain numbers. Metrics are essential for any resume, but especially your sales resume. Words tell hiring managers you’re good at your job, but numbers show undeniable value. Include quantified metrics within at least 50 percent of your bullet points. 

Here’s how:

• Performance relative to targets:  Have you ever or do you consistently outperform sales targets? By what percentage do you exceed targets on average? 
• Improvements per customer:  Do your customers have higher purchase totals than others? Are they making more repeat purchases than customers helped by other sales associates? What’s your close rate? 
• Efficiency standards:  How many customers do you help on average, per hour, day, or week? How long does it typically take you to make a sale? How many seconds does it take you to greet customers? 
• Customer relations:  How many customers have reviewed you positively on customer surveys? Have any customers mentioned you by name in positive reviews?

It helps to see these tips in practice, so here are some examples: 

• Improved the shopper-to-customer conversion rate of the store by 6% by prioritizing immediate customer service of inbound customers
• Responded to customer questions with a detailed understanding of products, resulting in a customer satisfaction rating of 96%
• Recognized as a Top 5% Salesperson in the most heavily trafficked Kay’s store in Maine 
• Exceeded annual membership targets by 23% by encouraging a compassionate, customer-centered approach

Select appropriate sales skills for your resume

The skills section is one of the shortest sections on your resume and one of the most mysterious. Unfortunately, the ATS plays a big part in this section since it scans your resume for pre-selected keywords.

Not enough keywords? Not the right keywords? ATS wins, 1 to 0. 

We’re here to shed light on this mystery using a simple trick. When writing your skills, choose those mentioned in the  sales job description . Of course, don’t include every skill they list, but use the job description to guide your strengths.

Ideally, include a mix of both hard and soft skills for a total of six to 10 skills. Hard skills are easier to measure, so we recommend listing mostly hard skills. However, soft skills, such as “organization” and “customer service,” are critical in a sales role, so include a few that match your abilities. 

Let’s put this trick into practice! Here’s an excerpt from a sales job description: 

Seeking qualified sales associates! Our ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced work environment and can maintain a positive, upbeat attitude with co-workers and customers under stressful situations. Must utilize standard software to track and follow up with leads. Should be charismatic, comfortable with public speaking, and have a solid ability to memorize merchandise details and answer complex customer questions. We serve a predominantly Hispanic population, so Spanish speakers, please apply! 

From this job description, we can create a list of skills that would be particularly appropriate for this job position: 

• Salesforce and HubSpot CRM
• Bilingual (Native English, Fluent Spanish) 
• Customer relations
• Interpersonal communication
• Product knowledge 
• Sales demos and pitches
• Time management 

 No matter the job you’re applying for, you’re likely to see some of these skills: 

• Cold-prospecting 
• Negotiation
• Work stream management
• Trend forecasting
• Traditional lead-generation
• Presentations 

Education, certs, interests, and hobbies

In sales, employers typically only require a high school diploma or equivalent. However, specific educational requirements will vary widely in such a large field. Some employers will seek applicants with a bachelor’s degree in business or even an MBA. 

So in your sales resume, list your highest level of education. If you have a graduate degree, you can include both it and your undergrad degree.

If you have any certifications or additional training, such as software certification for a particular type of CRM, you can include that, too, although it isn’t required.

Typically, sales professionals don’t include an optional  interests and hobbies section on their resumes , but there are a few circumstances where it may be appropriate: 

• Hobbies can demonstrate that you’re the type of person a potential customer might enjoy chatting with, which is a bonus for employers.
• Use projects, like volunteering or academic extracurriculars, in place of work experience if you’re light on jobs. 

Here’s an example of what projects could look like on your sales resume:

Tailor your sales resume to the job description

Remember to customize your resume  every time  you apply for a job. Tailoring your resume to the job description is the best way to land an interview quickly.

Start by reworking your resume objective or summary statement (if you have one). Then adjust your skills section to include skills relevant to the role. Finally, adjust your job description bullet points to include relevant qualifications. 

For instance, if a job description mentions they’re looking for a sales representative who can begin giving presentations on day one, emphasize your comfort in public speaking roles. Highlight your previous presentation experience, and perhaps de-emphasize the data analysis skillset that is less relevant to this job. 

Pro tip:  You can keep a master list of bullet points for each job title in a separate document . Write down as many skills and responsibilities as you can for every job title, and organize them based on their emphasis (time management, customer relations, data analysis, etc.). Then you can pull from this document to create fully-customized resumes quickly. 

Edit and polish your sales resume

When finished  writing your resume , it’s tempting to submit it immediately, but it’s best to take a step away first. Give your eyes and mind a rest for a day, and send your resume to trusted family and friends for review. Then you can adjust your content and  check your resume  for errors before you submit; that way, you don’t miss the little details you may have inadvertently overlooked!

Ready for the Next Step?

The first step to having an interview-ready, professional sales resume is to take the time to research and prepare. Congratulations on helping out your future self by using our guide! 

Our easy-to-use  resume builder  will allow you to build your resume from the ground up with perfect formatting, so you can save serious time and focus on your next sales job. If you’re ready to find out how your resume stacks up, use our  resume checker  to give you AI-powered suggestions to polish your resume to perfection. 

We know that wherever you get hired, you’ll be helping customers and growing revenue in no time!

Land your next job with our AI-powered, user-friendly tool.

Gut the guesswork in your job hunt. Upload your existing resume to check your score and make improvements. Build a resume with one of our eye-catching, recruiter-friendly templates.

• Work in real-time with immediate feedback and tips from our AI-powered experience. • Leverage thousands of pre-written, job-specific bullet points. • Edit your resume in-line like a Google Doc or let us walk you through each section at a time. • Enjoy peace of mind with our money-back guarantee and 5-star customer support.

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Sales Resume - Example & Writing Guide for 2024

You’re a sales rep.

You use your skills to sell products or services to customers and companies.

But when it comes to creating a convincing resume, you’re left confused.

How do you make a sales representative resume, anyway?

Surely it’s no different than a resume for any other profession, right?

Fortunately, this guide will answer all of your questions. In fact, we take you through a simple step-by-step process to creating a sales resume with a super-high conversion rate . 

• An example of a finished sales resume that works
• How to write a sales representative resume that’ll fill up your interview diary
• How to make your sales representative resume stand out [with top tips & tricks]

Before we look at the finer details, here’s a sales resume example , created with our very own online resume builder :

Looks good, right?! Follow the steps below to create a sales representative resume that get results, just like the above example.

Applying for a different job position? Feel free to check out our related resume examples here:

• Sales Associate Resume
• Marketing Executive Resume
• Marketing Resume

How to Format a Sales Representative Resume

Before you can wow the recruiter with your vast sales expertise, you need to pick the best format.

Basically, you need to make your resume easy to read.

You will also want to highlight your core strengths, which rely on choosing the correct format for your specific situation.

If you want to impress, the “ reverse-chronological ” resume format is recommended. Essentially, it puts your most recent and most notable strengths at the top, which allows the recruiter to see your value in an instant. We recommend starting with this format .

The following resume formats also get our approval:

• Functional Resume – If you’re confident about your sales skills, but lack the experience, this resume format is recommended
• Combination Resume – Combining both “Functional” and “Reverse-Chronological” formats, use this format if you’re an experienced sales representative

Once you’ve chosen your format, you need to organize your resume layout .

Use a Sales Representative Resume Template

Here’s the harsh truth –

You won’t get any sales job if your resume isn’t formatted correctly.  

It needs to be scanned by humans and robots alike. 

You could use Word, but the resume format is at risk of falling apart with a single change.

If you want to skip formatting issues, use a sales rep resume template .

What to Include in a Sales Representative Resume

The main sections in a sales representative resume are:

• Work Experience
• Contact Information

Want to go a step further? You can also add these optional sections:

• Awards & Certification

Interests & Hobbies

That sounds great, but what do we write for each of these sections? 

Read on to learn how.

Want to know more about resume sections? View our guide on What to Put on a Resume .

How to Correctly Display your Contact Information

Unlike your sales presentations, this section doesn’t require flair.

But it must be factually correct. 

One misplaced digit can completely destroy your chances of receiving a phone call.

The contact information section must include:

• Title – Align this to the job description. In this case, “Sales Representative”
• Phone Number – Check this multiple times
• Email Address – Use a professional email address ([email protected]), not your childhood email ([email protected])
• (Optional) Location – Applying for a job abroad? Mention your location and if you are open to relocate.
• Phillip Green - Sales Representative. 101-358-6095. [email protected]
• Phillip Green - Superhero Salesman. 101-358-6095. [email protected]

How to Write a Sales Representative Resume Summary or Objective

Just like a customer glancing over products on the shelf, the hiring manager will only spend just a few seconds looking at each resume.

Although worrying, this fact highlights the importance of a resume that makes a big impact within the first few sentences.

But how can you do this?

Well, by using a resume summary or objective.

These are short, snappy paragraphs that sit at the top of your resume, just under your contact information.

But how do the two differ and which one should you pick?

A resume summary is a 2-4 sentence summary of your professional experiences and achievements.

• Experienced sales representative with a strong background in boosting sales for a diverse clientele. Seeking to leverage solid sales skills and extensive technology knowledge to be the senior sales rep for Random Technology Store. Notable achievements include achieving over $250,000 in sales for every fiscal quarter, maintaining relationships with 15+ large contractor companies, and increasing gross profit by 42% from 2017 to 2019.

A resume objective is a 2-4 sentence snapshot of what you want to achieve professionally.

• Motivated individual with passion and vast knowledge of gaming technology, seeking to become the new sales representative for Random Technology Store. Experience includes working as a sales associate to help customers find products, answer stock questions, and promote store awards program.

So, which one is best, summary or objective?

Whether you choose a summary or objective will depend on your experience as a sales representative. Those with a strong history on the sales floor should go with a resume summar y, whereas those who have sales skills, but lack the industry experience, should choose an objective.  

• As a sales representative, you know that benefits sell. As such, make it clear how your experiences and skills will HELP the company.

How to Make Your Sales Work Experience Stand Out

The recruiter is looking for someone that can sell.

And when we say sell, we mean SELL .

The easiest way to prove that you can sell ice to the Eskimos is with your work experience .

Here’s the best way to structure your work experience section:

• Position Name/Title
• Company Name
• Responsibilities & Achievements

Sales Representative

WeSellCars Ltd.

03/2015 - 06/2020

• Achieved over $250,000 in sales for every fiscal quarter 
• Maintained relationships with 15+ large contractor companies
• Increased gross profit by 42% from 2017 to 2019
• Lead and presented all company product promotions

To really sell your value, you should focus on your best achievements, rather than your daily tasks.

Instead of saying:

“Sales lead”

“Achieved over $250,000 in sales for every fiscal quarter.”

Simply put, the first statement is way too vague. It shows you were in charge of sales, but it doesn’t say whether you actually sold anything or not. 

The second statement shows that you managed to sell A LOT , and consistently too. Hard numbers that prove your skills – can’t argue with that!

What if You Don’t Have Work Experience?

Maybe you’re a graduate looking for your first sales job?

Or maybe, you have experience in sales-related jobs, but never as a sales representative?

Don’t worry –

Simply list all previous job responsibilities that are most relevant to the job description.

Even though you haven’t held an official sales representative job title , it doesn’t mean you don’t have relevant experience or skills.

Are you recent graduate? Make sure to check out our student resume guide !

Use Action Words to Make Your Sales Resume POP!

…are all common words that the recruiter sees time and time again.

However, you want to separate your resume from the competition, which means using power words to make your achievements stand out:

• Conceptualized
• Spearheaded

How to Correctly List your Education

Next, it’s time to talk about your education.

Depending on the job you apply for, you may require a degree or high school diploma. 

Those with impressive sales achievements may not need to impress with their education at all.

There’s nothing too complicated with this section, just list the basics in the following format:

• Degree Type & Major
• University Name
• Years Studied
• GPA, Honours and relevant courses.

B.A. in Strategies in Sales Management

University of Michigan

2012 - 2016

• Relevant Courses: Sales Forecasting & Budgeting, Developing Strategic Relationships with Major Customers, Managing Sales-Related Change, Developing and Using Customer Insight

We understand that you may have further questions. If so, here are the answers to some of the most frequent questions that we get:

What if I have not yet finished my studies?

• Regardless of whether you’re a sales graduate or still studying, you should still mention every year of education to date

Should I include my high school education?

• Just include your highest form of education, which will likely be your high school education if you didn’t go to college 

What is more important, my education or experience?

• In the sales field, your experiences are the most important, so those go first.

Be sure to check out our guide on how to list education on a resume .

Top 15 Skills for a Sales Resume

A top sales representative is able to show their talents through the number of sales they convert.

You won’t even get to that stage if don’t include the correct skills on your resume.

Here are some of the most common sales skills that the recruiter will be looking for:

• Product Knowledge
• Rapport Building
• Time Management
• Product Presentation
• Contract Negotiation
• Closing Sales
• Prospecting
• Public Speaking
• Problem Solving
• Conflict Resolution

Here’s a more comprehensive list of 100+ must-have skills this year .

What Else Can You Include?

We’ve now covered every essential resume section .

But ask yourself one question –

Have you done enough to make the sale ?

You need your resume to stand out !

Adding additional sections can really round you out as a candidate.

Awards & Certifications

Have you won salesperson of the month?

Have you completed any courses to improve your sales skills?

If you said yes to any of the above, make sure to mention them in your resume!

Here’s an example:

Awards & Certificates

• “The Art of Sales” - Coursera Certificate
• “Public Speaking Masterclass” - MadeUpUniversity

As a sales representative, you will be communicating with a diverse clientele. 

As such, it can be useful to know other languages.

Either way, being able to speak a second language is always an impressive skill to a hiring manager, so feel free to add a language section if you have space.

Rank the languages by proficiency:

• Intermediate

This section simply requires a sentence about what you like to do when you aren’t working. 

Doing this allows the hiring manager to see what kind of person you are. 

This section also adds a more personal touch to your resume.

Here’s which hobbies & interests you may want to mention.

Include a Cover Letter with Your Resume

Want to increase your chances of getting the interview call?

Attach a cover letter with your resume.

Cover letters are still an important part of the hiring process.

You see, a cover letter is a specific and personal piece of content. 

Unlike an applicant that sends a generic resume to every company, a cover letter shows the hiring manager that you care about working for their company.

Here’s the winning formula:

You should complete the following sections:

Personal Contact Information

Your full name, profession, email, phone number, location.

Hiring Manager’s Contact Information

Full name, position, location, email

Opening Paragraph

It’s no secret that recruiters skim through applications. As such, your opening paragraph must be immensely powerful. Use concise language to mention:

• The position you’re applying for
• Your experience summary and best achievement to date

Once you’ve sparked the reader’s interest, you can get deeper into the following specifics:

• Why you chose this specific company
• What you know about the company
• How are your top skills relevant for the job
• Which similar industries or positions have you worked in before

Closing Paragraph

• Don’t just end the conversation abruptly, you should:
• Conclude the points made in the body paragraph
• Thank the hiring manager for the opportunity
• Finish with a call to action. This is a good way to start a conversation. A simple “At your earliest opportunity, I’d love to discuss more about how I can help company X” will work

Formal Salutations

End the letter in a professional manner. Something like, “ Kind regards ” or “ Sincerely. ”

For more inspiration, read our step-by-step guide on how to write a cover letter .

Key Takeaways

If you combined your sales skills with the advice above, you should have successfully convinced the recruiter to give you an interview. 

Before leaving, let’s sum it all up:

• Format your sales resume correctly. Prioritize the reverse-chronological format, and then follow the best practices on content layout
• Start your resume with a summary or objective to hook the recruiter
• Highlight your top sales achievements, rather than your daily duties
• Use your sales skills to write a convincing cover letter

Suggested Reading:

• The One-Page Resume of Richard Branson
• What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment? [3 Proven Answers]
• 101 Career Paths for Every Personality [2024 Guide]

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How to write a sales resume?

[ Click here to directly go to the complete sales resume sample ]

To get the sales job of your dreams, you need to pass the interview - and in this blog, we will help you achieve this.

Isn’t it ironic that you generated stellar sales in your last sales profile, are confident that you’ll crack any interview, but a tiny snippet of a fact skipped your mind - that you have to reach the interview stage?

If you’re looking for a new or better sales job, there’s no point in registering record-breaking sales in your previous profile if you can’t sell yourself on a piece of paper. That’s what a perfect sales resume is, isn’t it? You are selling yourself and if the recruiter likes the product, you are shortlisted.

But if you start counting the number of companies you sent your sales professional resume to, you might need a third hand (or fourth?). And how many of those bothered to call back? Is your hand curling into a raging fist because, surprise surprise, no one did?

So what happened?

Is it because your sales resume did not have what it takes, or is it because the competition is just too high?

Both maybe?

How about you let go of the raging fist and take a step back. What can you do now? The key to unlocking that mystery lies in that one-pager sales professional resume that you mindlessly send anywhere and everywhere.

Our guide to writing the best sales resume will tell you how to beat the competition and help you find the Wolf-of-Wall-Street-esque company you are looking for and deserve!

• Managing a team of 10 people to increase sales in North America while fostering a sustainable network of buyers
• Directing, supporting & motivating team members to meet pre-set targets and key performance indicators
• Developing and executing sales strategies for whole of the northern region to achieve the sales quota
• Directing business development & sales functions including new products launch, contract negotiations & order fulfillment
• Optimized sales results and maintained high service standards with existing accounts while adding new customers
• Implemented company business plans and provided recommendations to the senior leadership to improve the same
• Created monthly reports for documenting sales activities while staying up-to-date with current industry trends & norms
• Trained 10 interns to enhance their skills and assisted 20 customers per day for solving their queries
• Increased sales from USD 10 million to USD 30 million for the northern region in 1 year
• Awarded ' Employee of the Month ' in Jan '16 out of 10 Sales Associates
• Top 10 percentile of the class

By the end of this article, you'll be able to:

• Write an on-point resume headline
• List out your skills in the correct format
• Decide when to make an objective section and when to go for a summary section
• Provide the correct personal information
• Write your resume points in the correct fashion

... All to get that much-desired interview!

Our guide will broadly cover the following topics:

Sales Resume: Personal Information

Sales resume: header.

• Sales Resume: Summary or Objective

Sales Resume: Key Skills

• Experience In Sales Resume

Sales Resume: Education

Sales resume: additional information, resume for sales related profiles, how to make an ats friendly sales resume.

• Advanced Tips For Sales Resume

Before you go to sleep at night, do you calculate the number of companies that you sent your sales resume to? Do you have nightmares of a cubicle full of HRs pouring over your sales resume and having a hearty laugh?

Do you try to compute the ratio of how many callbacks you received? And does that ratio make you feel helpless?

It’s not the ratio itself which is disheartening. It’s what you do after that. Are you the one to wallow in self-pity, or are you the one to take charge of the situation and do something about it?

If you’re a sales professional who has been in the field, you know the level of competition which is out there. You know it’s a dog-eat-dog world simply because of the very nature of the profession. And in such a scenario, the formula to survive is simple: eat or be eaten.

Ever wonder what happens when weeks go by without you receiving even a single confirmation from the recruiter? Was your sales resume so bad that they did not see it worth their while to even spend a second on it?

Before you blast off a list of back-alley insults to the recruiter, consider this: what if s/he didn’t even get a chance to look at your sales resume?

Believe it or not, this happens more frequently than you think. Most companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to filter out all job applications. You can’t expect a bunch of poor HRs to pour over thousands of applications that they receive for a single sales vacancy, right?

The situation is worse in most MNCs (yes, including the MNC that you have your eyes on), where the scale at which they operate makes the ATS an indispensable tool for filtering out applications.

While we’ll talk about making sales resumes ATS-friendly in detail in this guide itself, there are a few things which are not in your control - the number of applicants, how exactly an ATS is programmed, what specific things the HR is looking for, etc. But there are a few things which you can certainly do.

By understanding how a sales resume is structured.

The broad structure of sales resumes is divided into the Professional Summary, Professional Experience, Key Skills, and Education.

How these 4 sections are played around on an actual sales resume can range from professional to professional. Professionals with 20+ years of work experience in sales will structure their sales resumes differently than, say, people who have finished half a dozen different internships and are now ready to start.

Sales resumes of freshers in this field should be of one-page and for those who have over 10 years of experience it should be two pages. Sales resumes should not be 1.5 or 1.75 in length. If you're utilizing the second page, make sure you reach the entirety of the second page and do not breach the limit of one line for each point.

So you saw an infographic sales resume somewhere online, and thought to yourself ‘What better way to present all your sales achievements in all their glory than fancy graphs and charts? That ought to triumph everything else, right?’ Um, no. Granted, they do look fancy, but the job of sales resumes is not to look fancy, it’s to get people shortlisted.

Prima-facie, infographic sales resumes do deliver quite the impact, but the truth is, they make most ATSes go haywire. An ATS is programmed to parse only basic text. That means logos, tables, and graphs are out of the picture. A graph showing a meteoric rise in your sales will be useless if the ATS goes ‘huh?’ and trashes the same in the bin.

As dumb as it sounds, don’t write ‘CV/Resume’ on the top. We’ve seen sales resumes with a ‘RESUME’ in bold for a heading, so let’s avoid that. Simply start with your name, and then continue with your current/targeted profile below it and then provide your contact details.

What about the file format? Most companies specify what they want (.docx, .pdf, hand-made paper from septuagenarian artisans in Japan, etc.) in the Job Description itself. In case of a lack of information about the same, you can go for a .pdf with minimal formatting.

Since you can never possibly know which ATS the company is using, or which way it has been programmed, you can play it safe by sending a .doc file to the ATS and a .pdf to the recruiters.

That’s alright, but what about the font, font size, or the margin? Go for sans-serif fonts like Calibri or Tahoma instead of serif fonts like Cambria or Times New Roman. If you pick a font, make sure it’s consistent throughout your sales resume.

Having the heading in some fancy font and then the points in the standard font is a rookie mistake that we’ve seen countless times. Avoid a font size smaller than 10 or 11, and don’t underline words as they can distort the legibility of lower case letters like g, j, or y.

When it comes to margins, go for a margin spacing of 0.5 on all sides. Do not manually extend it to try and fit your point in one line. The formatting of sales resumes is as important as the content in them. So, make sure it is also on point.

How many pages? Size matters, but not like the way you think. We’ve seen top-level executives and CXOs bragging about their 20-pages long resumes containing their entire life history, starting from their cashier job at Walmart 30 years ago. Don't do that and if you're on a senior position then just limit your sales resume to just 2 pages.

Most HRs don’t think twice before throwing away a 5-pager resume in the bin.

What is your argument? That if you mention everything, you’ll come across as being comprehensive and detail-oriented? Put yourself in the HR’s position and you’ll find out why that is not the case. Moreover, limiting your entire professional trajectory to just two pages is a skill on its own.

Also, if sales resumes exceed the limit of 2 pages there is a high chance that the recruiter might not even think of them as worth taking a glance at.

Design : The content of sales resumes is of prime importance and then comes the design of sales resumes. So, keep that in mind while making your sales resume.

Prioritizing design by compromising on content can land you in trouble. Just to clarify, no one is downplaying the role of good design. It can automatically give you a boost over a majority of other sales resumes, even before the recruiter can dive down into the finer points. But that’s just it.

A good design is just a gateway for the reader to enter the domain of content. But if the content isn’t engaging enough, no amount of flashy design can save you. And while we’re there, unless you’re applying for a Graphic Designer profile, you’d be better off toning down the flashiness a bit.

Spending hours fine-tuning the subtle nuances of design for sales resumes is pointless if doing that very thing will render the sales resumes as un-parseable by the ATS.

So broadly, you've got 2 options.

The first one is to make your sales resume on MS Word and the second one is to opt for Hiration's Online Resume Builder where you'll get more than 25 premium design templates as well as a ready to use the content template to make your sales resume.

You can also check out 10+ sales resume examples given on our Online Resume Builder to get more clarity on how to write your sales resume.

Go, check it out and see for your self.

When it comes to writing the perfect sales resume, finding the correct way to add your contact details somehow doesn’t feature on top, right? But you do remember the dreadful ATS, don’t you? An ATS might as well come with a ‘My way or the highway’ bumper sticker, you might think. And that’s true.

It’s true because if one fails to write the contact details and relevant information in the prescribed manner, the ATS is programmed to not even consider the rest of the resume. And you can’t blame it as well, right? In any professional environment, there’s an established process for everything. Why should resumes be any different?

Most resumes in the US follow a fixed standard for contact details. Don’t write your complete address down along with the flat number - it serves zero purposes at this stage of the recruitment process. Just the area and city code will do.

Have a professional-looking e-mail address. If your ID is on a college domain name, it doesn’t matter if the college is Harvard, it just means that you still haven’t grown up.

The country name comes only if you’re looking for a switch in location. If you’ve worked in the US your whole life and aren’t particularly looking for a change, don’t bother writing the US at the end of each work profile.

That only makes sense if you have a track record of thriving in multiple continents and are open to recruiters globally.

LinkedIn/Skype : Are you sure your external profile will give a boost-up to your sales resume? Or are you having trouble remembering the last time you updated your LinkedIn?

Linking your sales resume to a bland LinkedIn that still shows your work profile of 5 years ago as your current job, will not help your case, will it? A Skype ID only makes sense if you’re applying for remote profiles, or if the company specifically asked for one.

Remember, you only have one page to showcase your entire career to date. So, make every word count.

Take a glimpse at the sample sales resume given below to get more clarity on how to state your personal information in a sales resume:

Additionally, you can go for Hiration's Online Resume Builder wherein you will get the option to customize the personal information section. You'll get all sorts of social media icons according to your need. For example, icons of WhatsApp, LinkedIn, GitHub, etc.

You will also get 25+ designs for your sales resume template along with 10+ sales resume templates with ready to use content in them.

So, come and make your sales resume at Hiration's Online Resume Builder Today!

Are you a Sales Executive, a Sales Representative, or a Sales Associate? Where are you right now, and where do you want to go?

Don’t think of job titles as sacred keywords that can’t be played around with. If earlier you were an Executive but came across a Sales Representative profile that looks appealing, you can write Sales Representative right below your name.

It’s surprising how little attention is paid to the job title. Most sales resumes we encounter don’t even have them in the first place. The reader has to scan the resume for the current profile to find out what the applicant is doing, and that goes against our mantra of doing everything to make the recruiter’s job easier.

In case you are looking for jobs similar to your current profile, the job title can remain unchanged, but we strongly advise you to have it on top. But in case you are looking for a switch or scale up, you have ample room to play around.

What you essentially have to do is bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to go. It can be a bit tricky, and you’ve to be cautious to avoid misleading the recruiter. Your task is not to get shortlisted by the ATS.

Your task is to prepare a stellar sales resume which can form the basis of your interview with the recruiter, leading to your inevitable selection.

Doing research will help. Scan the job description for skills and requirements which you can align with your existing job profiles. You’ve to narrow down the search to that one catchphrase which will get you more hits than any other. Say it out loud before you proceed with your sales resume - every word counts.

More particularly the words which are right below your name.

Have a brief look at the example given below to get better understanding of how to write your job title:

In addition to this, for profile-specific sales resume samples, go to our Online Resume Builder where you will get 10+ ready to use sales resume templates.

Sales Resume Key Sections

Sales resume: summary or objective.

Yo mama so old she still uses an objective section in her resume.

While we would strongly advise you to not use that in your next rap battle, the truth remains. We’ve seen people devote hours on just optimizing their objective section, without bothering to find out if it would even serve their purpose.

We often throw around a JFK quote when we have to explain the difference between an objective and a summary section in a sales resume ‘Ask not what the company can do for you, but what you can do for the company.’

Merely pointing out that you’re good in x, y and z is only half the job. You’ve to be explicit in pointing out how the skills that you possess will help the organization in achieving their goals - it’s the latter half which will get you shortlists.

For this reason, it’s of paramount importance that you ditch the objective section, go for a crisp Professional Summary section instead, and as Dylan said, don’t think twice, it’s alright.

It’s common knowledge that any recruiter will devote not more than 6-10 seconds on your sales resume at first glance. And if at that moment, they see a drab objective section where you have a shopping list of all the things that you are looking for, s/he won’t have any reason to continue reading.

A concise summary section, on the other hand, will not only mention your skills but also provide a proper context on how it would add value to the organization.

Since the summary section in your sales resume will be the first thing that the recruiter will notice, let’s dive deeper and try to figure out how to go about framing points in this section.

So you have a list of all the achievements across your entire career - how do you zero in on what all will cut the top? That’s where the Job Description of your targeted sales profile, your Bible for your job-hunt, comes in handy.

Scan the JD for skills which the recruiter is looking for, and go back to your sales resume to find out what all existing achievements can be showcased along those lines. If on the first attempt, you can’t find anything, see what all points can be rephrased. Rephrasing is a double-edged sword though.

The goal here is to customize your sales resume in such a way that it looks like it was made in response to the JD itself, that the person behind that piece of paper holds the solution to all the problems ailing the organization.

But on the other hand, if you do manage to fool the ATS but the recruiter ends up feeling that you stuffed your sales resume with keywords from the JD...well that’s some irreversible Jurassic Park-level damage right there.

When you break down your sales resume, you can’t change your achievements in your work profiles. The summary section is what will take you from where you are to where you want to go. You can upload/paste the JD into this tool which examines the frequency of words used and gives you a jazzy word-cloud.

It will give you an accurate idea of what all skills are highly prioritized by the recruiter.

It’d also help to know what the Summary section of a sales resume is not. It’s not a board for pinning all your achievements where you go about spouting numbers and clients. Reserve that for the relevant work profile.

You can reserve a separate Key Achievements bucket/sub-heading (more on that later) under each work profile. In the summary section, avoid the specifics of your achievements and instead provide an overview of what you are capable of.

To give you an even better idea, here’s a sales resume sample summary section of a sales resume:

~7 years experienced, result-oriented and value-driven Senior Management Professional & Regional Sales Head with a track record of spearheading cross-functional teams to formulate strategies and effectively execute key project deliverables. Proficient in combining an entrepreneurial drive with management skills to drive major gains in revenue, market share, and profitability. Highly skilled in cultivating excellent relationships with new prospects and existing customers.

Briefly look at the sample sales resume given below to get better understanding of how to optimize your sales resume summary:

For getting profile-specific sales resume examples of summary, visit our Online Resume Builder where you will get 10+ sales resume template with ready to use profile-specific summaries.

What are some broad-level key skills for sales resumes?

The Key Skills section of a sales resume is where you have the chance to dump all your research around keywords and job descriptions. But a word of caution. Don’t go overboard! For an experienced recruiter, it won’t take a minute to find out if the key skills are genuine or whether they’ve been dumped for the sake of it.

Like we mentioned, the journey of sales resumes does not end at ATS. If keyword-stuffing was the solution to all ATS problems, everyone would be doing it.

You can fool the machine (even though most modern ATSs are equipped to deal with cases of keyword stuffing, and some even penalize the applicant by blocking them from all subsequent vacancies) but the recruiter sitting behind the ATS has been handling resumes for years. Good luck fooling them.

Add only those skills which have been substantiated in your work profiles below. Any discrepancy in this regard can backfire, you can bet your bottom dollar on that. And a side note: MS Office as a skill doesn’t count. I mean, c’mon.

Another thing we’ve seen people bungle up on their sales resumes is to have an unhealthy mix of soft skills and hard, professional skills. What we forget is that the ATS, the machine we hate because we don’t understand it, is, at the end of the day, operated by humans alone.

Adding soft skills like ‘creative’ and ‘team-player’...just how exactly do you see it working out in your favor? You don’t expect a recruiter to filter out applicants based on those skills, right?

The ideal way is to have a healthy mix of both, with priority given to professional skills that you’ve gained in the course of your tenure. It’s your job to anticipate what all keywords the recruiter might use to filter out the thousands of applicants, and it’s your job to optimize your sales resume according to that.

Additionally, having a ready list of your core competencies in your sales resume will allow you to easily remove and add relevant keywords based on the profile you’re applying.

Here’s a sales resume sample list of key skills in a sales resume which you can use:

• Key Account Management
• Sales & Business Development
• Team Management & Leadership
• Client Relationship Management
• Product Development & Promotion
• Budgeting & Cost Management
• Negotiation & Portfolio Management
• Partnerships & Alliances
• Training & Stakeholder Management

See the sales resume example of key skills section given below to get a better idea around how exactly to write your skills in your key skills section:

Moreover, you can opt for Hiration's Resume Reviewing Service to get your resume reviewed for relevant key skills by select industry experts.

Along with this, to get profile-specific sales resume samples of skills, you can make use of our Online Resume Builder where you will get 10+ sales resume templates that have profile specific, ready to use key skills section. In addition to this, you can also use trendy graphs to demonstrate your skills as shown in the sample above.

How To Describe Your Experience In Sales And Frame Points In Your Resume?

It might help to research and find out the norms which are followed in your industry or location - whether companies ask for functional resumes or reverse chronological ones.

Additional factors are also considered; for instance, whether you were a Sales Consultant or in public service, if there are gaps in your career if you were working on an ad-hoc or contract basis, etc.

A common ATS blunder which most people make is to mention the date of joining or location before the company’s name. The order to be followed is the company’s name > job title > location > date.

So how should one go about detailing the work experience for the sales resume? For writing succinct points, we recommend the Princeton formula: A+P+R=A.

action/power verb (begin every point with a power verb) + project (what you did) + result (why you did) = Accomplishment (what was the outcome)

Why do we recommend it? If you can keep this formula as a backdrop for all the points that you frame:

You can effectively weed out all the fluff which otherwise becomes hard to even identify in the first place

When you only have one line to sensibly link all these 4 parameters, it will not be easy in the first go, but trust us, the result is worth it.

99% of the sales resume that we see daily will have 2 or 3 of these factors, but never all. Your existing sales resume will invariably fall in that bracket as well. And this formula is how you jump the ship from 99% to the creamy layer of the top 1%.

The keywords from your research on JD and beyond will be incorporated here as well, in addition to the Summary and Key Skills section.

Most people invariably fall on two extreme ends of the spectrum - either their sales resumes will be entirely responsibilities-based or they’ll only list out their achievements. Either of the two only paints an incomplete picture.

But the Princeton formula flawlessly ties up your job role, what you did, how you did it, and its quantifiable impact.

There are two things to keep in mind while formulating points for sales resumes:

Buckets/Subheadings : Let’s say you smoothly applied the Princeton formula for your current work profile and are now left with 8-10 odd points. Now, the vast majority of the people will stop here and will continue with the rest.

But not you. You need to jump from the poor jetty with 99% of applicants sailing in it to the luxury liner with the top 1% on-board. How do you that?

Start with having another look at those ~10 points and grouping similar points together. Let’s say some points are around Sales & Business Development, a few points focus on you forging strategic alliances & partnerships for boosting the business, others talk about the various stakeholders that you were coordinating with, etc.

Why do we do that? ‘Making the recruiter’s job easier’ is our mantra, that’s why. Instead of spending time pouring over each point, HR only has to go through the buckets/sub-headings. If they look relevant enough, only then will it make sense to go deeper.

You can go a step ahead and try to link the sub-headings that you use with the keywords research and Key Skills that go on top. That adds a tremendous and unparalleled amount of coherence to sales resumes.

Given below are examples of buckets in action. Below you’ll see perfectly framed points more or less along the lines of the Princeton formula. You’ll notice how the journey of framing points does not end here. Here’s why.

Grew business to 7 cities from 1 & client acquisition from ~25/month to 350 & raised INR 250k for the Christmas community site Established a 35-seater outbound telesales call center from scratch and managed the entire team independently Tasked with brand-building and process implementation for overcoming previous attempts to form a footing in the state Groomed 2 members to get them promoted to State Heads & the entire region won the sales contest for a Bangkok trip in '12 Led a team of 50+ to increase business/month from USD 50,000 to USD 750,000 and achieving 106% growth in 12 months Handled Direct Sales and DSA distribution business models across 7 locations with minimal infrastructure Established dynamic sales, marketing, customer care and operations teams with 50 employees including 4 Cluster Heads Ensured zero attrition by designing reward/recognition schemes to further increase employee productivity by 20% Partnered with Google for an SME event and appointed as a member of the panel for press meet covered by 30+ reporters Enhanced collection from 10% to 85% by stopping credit, a decision appreciated and later implemented across the country Set up an inbound call center and executed brand awareness campaigns to increase reported calls from 3/day to 800/day

What’s the first impression? Do you just see a wall of text and nothing else? Do you feel like you need to take a few deep breaths before you begin reading? Surprise surprise, the recruiters going through your sales resume also feels the same.

And how can you blame them? You did not follow our mantra of making their job easier, did you?

Now have a look at the same points in a slightly different light

Sales & Distribution Tasked with brand-building and process implementation for overcoming previous attempts to form a footing in the state Handled Direct Sales and DSA distribution business models across 7 locations with minimal infrastructure

Team Building & Management Established dynamic sales, marketing, customer care and operations teams with 50 employees including 4 Cluster Heads Ensured zero attrition by designing reward/recognition schemes to further increase employee productivity by 20% Groomed 2 members to get them promoted to State Heads & the entire region won the sales contest for a Bangkok trip in '12 Established a 35-seater outbound telesales call center from scratch and managed the entire team independently Set up an inbound call center and executed brand awareness campaigns to increase reported calls from 3/day to 800/day

Key Achievements Led a team of 50+ to increase business/month from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 25 lakhs and achieving 106% growth in 12 months Enhanced collection from 10% to 85% by stopping credit, a decision appreciated and later implemented across the country Grew business to 7 cities from 1 & client acquisition from ~25/month to 350 & raised Rs. 22 lakhs for Navratri community site Partnered with Google for an SME event and appointed as a member of the panel for press meet covered by 30+ reporters

If this isn’t mic drop stuff, we don’t know what is. The points remained the same, but simply assigning buckets exponentially enhanced the readability of these points. That’s what you should ideally be targeting.

Cause-effect : Using the above given 4 parameters to frame your sales resume points is the key to make your sales resume stand apart from the rest of the sales resumes. It will help you in highlighting your accomplishments in such a way that they cannot be overlooked.

Another way in which you can highlight your accomplishments is by making a separate 'Key Achievements' bucket at the end of your work experience section and then jot down all your achievements related points in that bucket. So, you can choose either of the two ways to highlight your accomplishments.

Look at the below-given sales resume examples to see the difference between a point with no cause-effect methodology used and a point written by using the cause-effect methodology.

• Grew business to 7 cities & raised money for the Christmas community site

The above point in example 1 does not have the methodology of cause-effect used in it. So, it is not providing complete information.

• Grew business to 7 cities from 1 & raised INR 250k for the Christmas community site

Now, example 2 is written using the cause-effect methodology and is providing complete information around the work which one did.

Have a brief look at the below given sample sales resume to get more clarity around how to make your professional experience section:

Further, for profile-specific sales resume examples of professional experience points, you can opt for Hiration's Online Resume Builder where you will get 10+ sales resume templates with ready to use professional experience points which will provide greater clarity around how to frame points.

Another section that gets the least attention is the education section. But, just so you know, the ATS pays a lot of attention to the education section as well. So, you must make your education section the correct way.

You must be well aware of how tough the competition is when it comes to jobs. Everyone wants to get a job in a top company and all the top companies make use of the ATS to shortlist the best candidates out of all the people who have applied for the jobs there.

So, just make sure that your education section is on point.

Look at the below given example of education section to get more clarity around how to make the education section:

Besides this, to get more sales resume examples of the education section, you can go for Hiration's Online Resume Builder where you will get 10+ sales resume templates to refer to.

Apart from the 4 sections which we talked about previously, there are also additional sections which can be added to sales resumes. One such section can be of certifications. In this section, you can include any and every certification which you have done and is relevant to your target profile.

Do not include your certifications in the education section. Keep the education and certifications section separate. Doing so will also make it easier for the recruiter to gauge what is your educational qualification and what all additional certifications you've done just at a glance.

Make sure to write dates for both enrollments as well as for graduation from your certification course.

Another section which you can include is the 'Additional Information' section. In this section, you can include additional information like your hobbies or if you're multilingual, then you can include all the languages which you know in this section.

Also, for instance, you write 'photography' as a hobby and if you've taken any classes on photography, then including that course in your sales resume will further add value to your sales resume as well as to your hobby.

See the below given sales resume sample to see how to include additional sections in your sales resume:

Furthermore, you can opt for Hiration's Online Resume Builder to make your sales resume with ease as all these sections come pre-arranged in our Online Resume Builder along with 25+ designs for sales resume template.

Besides this, you will also get more sales resume samples to refer to as our Online Resume Builder has 10+ sales resume templates.

So, what are you waiting for? Go and make your sales resume at our Online Resume Builder Now!

• Car Salesman Resume : If you are making a car salesman resume then make sure you highlight your achievements while framing your points in the professional experience section. These achievements can be by how much you were able to expand the customer base or your contribution to promotional and sales campaigns and the likes.

And as far as it's about key skills, include skills like documentation, persuasion, task management, etc.

The key skills section should ideally be a healthy mix of functional and soft skills.

• Insurance Agent Resume : In an insurance agent resume highlight those achievements in your resume points which will demonstrate how skilled you are in your fields. These points can be around how you suggested changes or additions to your clients' existing insurance policy and how it benefited the company.

Or it can be how you customized policies around the needs of each client and then mention what was the outcome of the same. And then follow the same cause-effect methodology for writing all your insurance agent resume points.

Then while making your key skills section, writing skills like financial data computation, evaluation & presentation, inspection & installation, etc. Write skills which show in what all functions of your domain you hold expertise in.

By now, you know that before your sales resume lands on the table of a recruiter, it has to pass the ATS test. But an ATS is not necessarily a roadblock in your way to getting that much-deserved interview. You can use it to your advantage and can get on top of the job getting race.

When writing your sales resume, keep in mind that you have to write it in a way that makes it able to pass the ATS test and easy for the recruiter to read through.

So, let us first tell you how an ATS works.

It scans for specific keywords and phrase which were given in the job description. It will scan for these keywords throughout your sales resume sections like the education section, key skills section, professional experience section, etc.

After the ATS is done scanning your sales resume, it will move up your sales resumes only if it'll have the highest number of matching keywords and will reject it if it won't have any relevant keywords.

So, this shows us how important it is to include the information in the job description carefully and correctly in our sales resume.

Another thing that the ATS is quick to reject is the information in the header. So, make sure that there are no headers or footers in your sales resume.

If there are certain tools, platforms, or technologies given in the job description, then make sure you add them to your sales resume. Also, if you don't know how to use those tools, platforms & technologies, then do not include them in your sales resume.

Then comes the functional skills which you need to include in your key skills. Some functional skills have their short forms as well. For instance, if you are including Customer Relationship Management in your key skills section, then also write CRM in brackets.

The ATS can be programmed to scan for this skill in either of the ways. By writing such skills in both ways will increase your chances of getting shortlisted for the interview. To further increase your chances of passing the ATS test, you can include these skills in the points of your professional experience section as well.

Now, that you've made your sales resume ATS friendly, its time to make it recruiter friendly. To make it recruiter friendly, keep in mind the below-given tips:

• Make sure your sales resume point does not exceed the limit of one line.
• If they do, then split them into multiple main-points or sub-points.
• Frame all your points using the cause-effect methodology.
• Bold important words, phrases, and numbers throughout your sales resume.
• Do not use fancy acronyms or any slang words.
• Include a one-line company description for all the companies where you've worked.
• Do not write your complete address. Just the city name and country code are enough.
• Do not use any graphics, logos, or tables.
• Use san-serif fonts like Calibri & Tahoma.
• Write section headings in 12 pt font size and the rest of the resume in 10 points.

Additionally, to see how an ATS friendly sales resume looks like, then you can go to Hiration's Online Resume Builder where you will get profile-specific sales resume examples along with 10+ sales resume templates whose content is completely ATS friendly.

Advanced Tips For Sales Resume (Master Resume And A Few Other Pointers)

The best way to start with making your sales resume is by making a master sales resume first. A master sales resume goes a long-long way. Not only it helps you in making your present sales resume, but it will also help you in the future when you'll need to update your old sales resume.

A master sales resume is the one in which you simply dump all the information related to your sales resume. And by all the information we mean every little detail that you can remember related to the work which you have done so far in your professional life.

You don't have to sort any information at this stage. The basic idea of making a master sales resume is that you have all the details which you think should go into your sales resume at a single place.

In the master sales resume, you don't have to edit your point to frame them in a cause-effect manner. Since the sole purpose of the master sales resume is to contain all the information related to your sales resume so that you don't have to look here and there when you sit to make your final sales resume.

Also, you don't have to limit your master sales resume to just 2 pages. It can extend up to 5 to 8 pages or even more.

Once you've dumped all the information in the master sales resume, then you can pick the information which you think should go in your final sales resume. Now, to make your final sales resume look perfect and on point, make sure you follow the below-given pointers.

• Do not use first-person and second-person pronouns anywhere in your sales resume.
• If your sales resume points are exceeding the limit of one line, then you can remove an article or two to limit it to just one line.
• Do not use full-stop anywhere in your sales resume except for the summary as all the other points in a sales resume are not complete English sentences.
• Do not write any personal information like your age, gender, religion, etc.

Then before sending your sales resume to a recruiter or posting it on any job portal, make sure you proofread it at least 2-3 times. If you send out a sales resume that has dozens of grammatical errors then you'll completely lose your chances of getting that shortlist.

Also, it is a good idea to give your sales resume to your friends or family members to proofread. As fresh eyes are always a good idea to get your resume proofread.

Got some questions or tips on how to make a great sales resume? Give us a shout out in the comments section!

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Why TopResume is best suited to write your Sales Resume

With a professionally-written resume, you’re more likely to be contacted by recruiters, invited to an interview and, ultimately, more likely to land your dream sales job! 

As the world’s largest resume-writing service, TopResume has written over 1 million resumes. We understand how to create a personal brand that tells your career story, reflects your values, and successfully positions you in front of your target audience - recruiters and hiring managers! We’ve written sales resumes for professionals ranging from Account Executives to Chief Sales Officers (CSO) - and everything in between. 

Who are the TopResume writers?

Senior Resume Writer

4+ years of experience, bachelor of arts in humanities and classical studies.

Billie is a passionate writer whose mission is to write impactful resumes to support career growth, evolution, and transition targets. Billie’s love of the written word spans her entire life, and she enjoys utilizing that passion to empower successful career transitions.

10+ years of experience

Master of arts in english.

Traci has a Master of Arts in English and has been writing since middle school. After spending several years in marketing, she used her writing skills and corporate knowledge to help job seekers put their best foot forward and achieve their career goals.

15+ Years of Experience

Bachelor of arts in english and business writing.

Jeremy has helped 6K+ clients gain the confidence to apply for and get their dream jobs. His educational background in English and business writing and dedication to supporting clients’ needs inspire him to deliver top-tier career support.

Specific job role writing services

VP of Sales

Sales Executive

Software Sales

What you’ll get

Every order includes a professionally-written resume, formatted to catch an employer’s eye while also being ATS friendly. Based on our expertise, research, and any job advertisements that you provide, we’ll add desirable sales skills such as business development, competitive analysis, lead generation, market penetration, and sales forecasting. 

How we ensure that your Sales resume will help you to reach your job search goals

We understand the sales sector

Our diverse team of professional writers come from a broad range of industries, so you’ll be able to work with someone who has expertise in writing strong, targeted sales resumes. They’re all up-to-date on current resume-writing best practices and know how to best display your sales skills and business development knowledge to hiring managers. 

We tailor your resume to a sales role of your choice

When you work with TopResume, you’re able to include the specific sales jobs you are interested in. Using these job postings, your writer will ensure that every possible box is ticked on your resume in order to show how your experience, skills, and education align with the role. We make it easy for the employer to see how well you meet their requirements.

We include sales-specific skills and qualifications

Our writers aim to fully comprehend your career and current goals, so that your resume is filled with the specific language that recruiters and hiring managers want to see. If you’re looking for a business development role, we can focus on strategic planning and pipeline development. If you’d prefer medical device sales, we’ll think about customer relationship management and sales prospecting. It’s your choice!

We work collaboratively with you

Our writers develop your resume based on the questionnaire you fill out when you order. But that’s not all! You’ll have the chance to collaborate with your writer, requesting revisions and asking questions about our strategies. We want you to be confident that you’re well-positioned to land that new sales role in no time!

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More From Forbes

30 powerful resume keywords to beat ats in 2024.

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Using the right resume keywords ensures you are able to shine a light on your skills and experience

More than 90% of employers use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to initially filter out or rank middle-skilled and highly-skilled candidates for job postings, according to a 2021 global study conducted by the Harvard Business Review.

This means that there is at least a 90% chance that your resume will not make it past the screening software.

Applicant tracking systems rely on keywords to assess candidate suitability—and these keywords are the ones that are located within your resume. The problem is, many candidates do not know how to make a resume effective because they fail to include the most appropriate keywords for their industry and role they are applying to. Consequently, they never (or hardly ever) make it past the screening stage to secure an interview.

While there are several factors that determine whether your resume makes it past the ATS or not (although a few are beyond your control), knowing what skills to put on your resume and which resume keywords to include, are a few of the most critical steps you can take to ensure your resume beats ATS.

Why Use Resume Keywords?

"A recruiter will never see that candidate’s application, even though it might fill all of the employer’s requirements," continued the HBR study. Therefore, being the perfect fit for a role is not good enough. You might tick every box and fulfil all the requirements listed on the job description, yet fall short of being shortlisted for the role, all because your resume did not effectively evidence the criteria and skills the employer is looking for.

Here is a simplified example of how an ATS works from a recruiter's point of view:

• You send your resume through a job portal.
• When the recruiter is sifting out 1,000 applications, they'll enter a skill such as "project management," "Power BI," or an education requirement such as "MBA," from the job description.
• This filters available resumes to 300 candidates.
• If your resume is optimized to include the keyword they are looking for, it will show up; if not, it will never be seen and you've just lost the potential to land a career-boosting opportunity to an AI-powered gatekeeper—ATS.

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Matching keywords is an essential step to take before sending an application, or you could risk ... [+] being sifted out at the screening stage

Where To Find Keywords To Put On Your Resume

There are number of sources you can use to find keywords for your resume. The first and most obvious of them is the job advert itself. Taking a careful look at the job description, and the key requirements/person specification/ideal candidate section, carefully identify what are the core requirements that the employer is asking for.

You might find it useful to undertake a keyword highlighting exercise by copying and pasting the entire job description and person specification into a Word document, and highlighting the technical and soft skills that stand out to you the most, which are relevant to what you already have to offer.

For example, take a look at this sample job description from Workable for a cost analyst role:

"We are looking for a cost analyst to help us audit our expenses and find ways to make our operations more cost-efficient. You’ll be the go-to person for cost analysis and you’ll get to prepare reports to help management make better decisions. To do this job well, we’d like you to be well-versed in data and financial analysis, and have strong attention to detail. Ultimately, your job will be an integral part of our efforts to ensure profitability and business success."

It then proceeds to list the following responsibilities for the cost analyst role:

• Gather and analyze financial data
• Determine standard costs and investigate variances with actual costs
• Prepare detailed reports, both periodically and ad-hoc
• Help management make important decisions based on costs and benefits (e.g. investments, market growth, pricing changes)
• Create and manage budgets, and monitor spending
• Conduct audits on financial processes and transactions
• Monitor changes in processes or methods to calculate effects on overall costs
• Estimate product costs for existing and new products
• Forecast and analyze costs of processes, labor and inventory
• Suggest cost-reducing or profitable solutions
• Conduct market research to support future business planning

And then the advert proceeds to list requirements and skills for the role (pay close attention to this):

• Proven experience as a cost analyst, cost specialist or similar role
• Experience in data, operational and financial analysis
• Knowledge of accounting processes and software
• Strong analytical skills
• A business acumen
• Great attention to detail
• Good communication aptitude
• Degree in Finance, Accounting or similar field
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) preferred

With the above job advert, how many keywords can you easily identify?

Considering the above data, some of the likely resume keywords and skills used for the job posting above, which you would want to incorporate into your resume for a cost analyst role, include:

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
• Good communication
• Attention to detail
• Cost analyst
• Accounting processes and software (and name a few)
• Financial analysis/Analyzing financial data

You can incorporate these keywords into your professional summary, skills highlights, and work experience and education sections.

ChatGPT can help you analyze a job description quickly and can even provide guidance on how to ... [+] tailor your resume for that specific role

How To Use ChatGPT To Find Resume Keywords

One time saving method you could employ to find keywords from the job advert and interspersed them throughout your resume, is to solicit the help of ChatGPT. ChatGPT is an AI-powered chatbot developed by OpenAI, that has millions of users around the world—with one of the fastest, unprecedented technology adoption rates in history.

It uses LLM (large language models) to engage with you as any other human being would, providing you with timely information and shortening the length of time it takes to accomplish administrative and content writing tasks. While it is not wise to use ChatGPT to draft an entire resume for you on its own, it certainly can be helpful at key junctures in the resume writing process, for example, when analyzing and inputting keywords.

To use ChatGPT to find the best keywords to include in your resume, follow the below steps:

• Provide ChatGPT with a copy or excerpt of a job description for the role you want to apply for, and then prompt: "I am tailoring my resume to apply for this role. Please select and suggest keywords and phrases from this job advert that I can put into my resume. Include any technical skills, software tools, certifications, industry terminology, and soft skills listed in the advert."
• Now that ChatGPT has provided you with a list you can then begin incorporating these words and phrases throughout your resume, ensuring you proofread with each edit so it reads naturally and doesn't give the appearance of meaningless keyword stuffing.

Powerful Keywords To Include In Your Resume

Now that you have this background understanding, here is a sample list of some of the most common and essential keywords you should consider adding to your resume, for three specific industries—information technology, healthcare, and sales. These are categorized for ease of navigation and will provide you with an idea of what to look out for, as relates to your industry:

Resume Keywords For The Information Technology (IT) Industry

• Programming languages (e.g., Java, Python, C++)
• Cloud computing
• Network administration
• Agile methodologies
• ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library)
• Artificial intelligence (AI)
• Machine learning
• Data analytics
• IT project management

Resume Keywords For The Healthcare Industry

• Electronic Health Records (EHR)
• Clinical research
• Medical billing and coding
• Telemedicine
• Healthcare compliance
• Health informatics
• Medical imaging
• Healthcare quality improvement
• Health insurance
• Healthcare technology

Resume Keywords For The Sales Industry

• Business development
• Account management
• Client relationship management (CRM)
• Lead generation
• Prospecting
• Sales cycle
• Pipeline management
• Value proposition
• Sales forecasting
• Competitive analysis

Keywords include a range of technical skills, soft skills, and education requirements—and even your ... [+] years of experience

Using the right keywords can help you effectively sell yourself and shine as a star candidate to employers, ensuring your skills and experience do not go to waste or escape their notice. Through highlighting your expertise in this way (without keyword stuffing) you increase your chances of securing an interview.

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Top Entry-Level Remote Jobs for Beginners in 2024

Do you have a better chance of spotting a unicorn than you do finding a remote job when you don’t have experience ?

The short answer is no. You can work from home as a freelancer, gig worker, or contract employee for various employers. We’re going to show you how!

While having remote work experience on your resume was relatively uncommon 10 years ago, the COVID-19 pandemic saw a burst of opportunities. Working from home steadily became more commonplace and made way for more hybrid roles too.

It’s estimated that up to 32.6 million Americans will work remotely by 2025, according to a June 2023 Forbes article. Furthermore, a March 2023 paper published by the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) shows that six of the top 10 cities in the world that have seen an increase in remote jobs are U.S. cities: Washington, DC; San Francisco; Chicago; Atlanta; Phoenix; and New York.

So, how can you get one of these highly desired remote jobs when you don’t have experience? Read on to find out!

How Can a Beginner Start Working From Home?

‘But what about my lack of work experience?’, you might wonder. Don’t you need a lot of relevant experience to land work-from-home jobs ?

Again, the answer is no. There are many diverse work-from-home jobs available for those who may not have an extensive background in their target role. Job opportunities can be found in education, marketing, customer service, administration, computer programming (you will probably need a degree or certification for this one!), sales, and editing.

Some of the top skills that you should possess to be considered for at-home jobs include basic IT skills, organizational skills, time management, communication, self-motivation, and teamwork skills .

You should also have the ability to work with little to no supervision and an understanding of basic computer systems , as nearly any remote job will require an internet connection and specific computer software. Many of these skills can be learned when you are a student, serving in volunteer positions, or through paid or unpaid internships .

What is the easiest work-from-home job to get? Let’s explore t he type of work you might find when searching for at-home jobs with no experience and how and where you can find these types of jobs.

Launch Your Remote Career: 10 Entry-Level Work-From-Home Jobs

From data entry clerk to writer, you’ll find that there are more than a few legitimate remote jobs that require little to no experience on offer by many companies across the country.

1. Data Entry Clerk

Perhaps among the top entry-level remote jobs with no need for experience is that of data entry clerk . Candidates for these positions typically need only a high school diploma, strong typing skills, and above-average attention to detail. 

According to O*NET Online , Data Entry Keyers need to locate data errors and report them to supervisors, compile and check data accuracy, and know how to store their materials securely. 

They also need basic IT skills to use the software for data entry , such as Office suites or databases.

You can find job postings on websites such as FlexJobs, Fiverr, Upwork, and Virtual Vocations. Take care when looking at job listings though. If any of them require you to buy software or pay to do training, it may be a scam . Platforms are getting better at filtering out these listings though.

2. Administrative or Virtual Assistant

Administrative or virtual assistants are another group of professionals who can conduct their job duties online. In many cases, a high school diploma will suffice though some employers might prefer a college degree. 

Candidates should demonstrate strong organizational skills , excellent communication, as well as multitasking skills while being detail-oriented. It is also vital to be knowledgeable about basic computer programs , such as word processors and spreadsheets.

Duties include answering and redirecting calls, managing schedules and calendars, checking and organizing email accounts, filing and organizing documents, and writing or maintaining records. 

Sometimes you might need to update social media profiles which can give you experience for finding work later as a Social Media Specialist .

You can search for these kinds of roles on sites such as BELAY, Great Assistant, Ajilon, and Boldly.

3. Call Center or Customer Service Representative

Remote call center positions are also among the best for those seeking work-from-home jobs without having experience. Customer Service Representatives or Customer Support Representatives need strong communication skills but often do not need to meet any specific education or experience requirements to assume these positions.

While there has been some concern that AI will make these jobs obsolete , it actually helps streamline processes for agents. Hubspot’s State of AI Survey (2023) found that AI can have a positive impact on service jobs. 35% of customer support specialists said that AI helps them “spend less time on manual tasks (data entry, scheduling meetings, etc.)”.

This means you might need some basic AI skills or experience working with AI technology as an assistant.

If you have a way with words and creative flair , writing website content such as blogs and web articles is among the jobs you can do from home. You might in some cases be asked to show an online writing portfolio . Remember, this could include writing you did for a volunteer role, during an internship, or for a college newspaper.

Other potential employers may ask you to complete a trial written piece, and if you display the writing skills being sought with your samples, you just might land the job without having an extensive working background in this area. 

Additional remote writing job titles include content writer , copywriter , SEO copywriter , technical writer , and newsletter writer .

Set up a profile on Fiverr or Upwork and network on Linkedin to find opportunities that suit you and any specialist knowledge you have.

5. Online Tutor or EFL Teacher

If you have some background in working with students , such as at a summer camp or through a community program, you might explore tutoring opportunities for work-from-home positions. You can also tutor adults through adult learning programs or teaching English as a foreign language. 

Candidates for Online Tutor jobs should have strong knowledge of the subject matter they will be teaching and familiarity with educational technology , including specific online tutoring platforms.

You can investigate remote tutoring positions on sites such as Varsity Tutors or Chegg. If you want to teach English as a foreign language, you should aim to get the CELTA or TEFL certifications in order to find the best roles. You can find online resources to help you on the Cambridge English site.

6. Proofreader

If you are detail-oriented, have a strong understanding of grammatical rules, and are knowledgeable about various style guides, such as AP and The Chicago Manual of Style , you just might be a candidate for an online proofreader job. 

Consider getting certified in the field such as this option from NYU . Having an official accreditation badge or listing on your LinkedIn profile and resume might make you stand out from the competition.

In many cases, only a high school diploma is required, though s ome employers might prefer a college degree . You might also need to be familiar with terminology in a specific field , such as proofreading medical or legal documents.

Have a look at this post from Make Use Of which lists sites where you can find good positions as a proofreader. 

7. Sales Representative

If you have a way with people, you might consider looking for work as an online sales representative. You would need to use your outstanding verbal communication, customer service, and persuasive skills to sell products or services. 

Entry-level remote sales roles do not typically require any background in sales as long as you possess the already-mentioned skills and a passion for sales. 

An outgoing personality, the ability to form relationships, and being energetic are huge pluses if you decide to pursue this type of work. You may need to travel occasionally, depending on the role, or need to attend face-to-face client meetings. 

Check LinkedIn and Glassdoor for these kinds of remote roles, or research the companies you might want to work for and reach out to prospective employers via LinkedIn.

8. Social Media Coordinator

With companies constantly seeking to increase their online presence to reach out to wider audiences, online social media coordinator jobs continue to increase. You need to be creative, understand your audience, have strong data analysis skills , be able to plan content strategies and have excellent time management skills . 

You must also be familiar with digital marketing strategies and various social media platforms. It’s a bonus if you are an active user of TikTok, Instagram, or X, and know what works well on each platform for each kind of audience persona. A d egree in marketing might be necessary to advance in this field.

You can find this role posted on most online job search sites, but you might need to filter results for remote roles.

9. Graphic Designer

Looking to bring your creative, technical, and collaborative skills to an online position? Remote graphic design jobs might be for you. While employers may require a bachelor’s degree in graphic design, fine arts, or a similar area, many will accept candidates with no formal background in this field. 

You need to have full knowledge of design and layout software such as AutoCAD, Adobe Illustrator/Creative Cloud, or Trimble Sketchup Pro.  You should have a portfolio to show employers, and this can include work from college, volunteer work, or personal projects as well as any freelance work .

Don’t forget you will need to be a good online communicator , as you have to understand project briefs without talking to the client in person. You may need to learn to receive feedback via email only, or via video call , or rethink how to pitch ideas to your clients online. 

You can check sites such as Dribbble, The Design Kids, and AIGA Design Jobs for this sector.

10. Software Engineer

While you will likely need a bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, or a similar area , you might be able to secure an entry-level Software Engineer position that allows you to work from home without any/much work experience. 

Employers generally seek candidates with strong communication skills, collaborative, and problem-solving skills . If you intend to pursue a work-from-home software engineer job, you should be prepared to spend some of your time learning how to program on your own , through coding bootcamps, or formal software engineering courses if you lack experience. 

Many remote software engineer employers require that candidates have full knowledge of at least one specific programming language.  

Where to Find Remote Jobs With No Experience Required

While there are, unfortunately, more fraudulent job postings these days that make it seem as if remote jobs are the stuff of fairy tales. However, many legitimate at-home jobs don’t require experience, pay well, and offer steady work. 

Do your homework when it comes to applying for online jobs with no experience ; major job sites such as Indeed and LinkedIn are increasingly getting hit with fake job scams. Check the company website to see if the job is also listed there, or reach out to their HR department if in doubt about a job listing’s legitimacy.

For remote-specific jobs, it’s suggested to use sites that are reputable when it comes to these types of job listings. As well as the specific industry-related examples mentioned throughout this article, you might consider checking these sites:

• We Work Remotely
• Remote Work Hub

These sites not only list remote jobs with no experience needed , but they also include work-from-home blogs, Q&As, work-from-home trends, and lists of the highest-paying remote jobs out there.

You might need help putting together or updating your resume for these roles. We can help!

Check out our online resume examples to help guide you through the resume writing process for various types of jobs, including Graphic Designer, Software Engineer, and Sales Representative .

Make a Start by Freelancing

One way you can start working remotely is through freelancing or gig work .

With freelance and gig work, you can build a portfolio that shows potential employers you possess the skills and discipline it takes to work independently in remote positions. Freelance work also provides the opportunity to develop and strengthen organizational, motivational, and collaborative skills.

Luckily, several top sites list job opportunities for freelancers, many of which we have listed previously in this article. These include Upwork, Freelancer, Truelancer, Fiverr, and Guru.

Don’t expect to pursue freelance work long-term if you need a steady income, desire paid time off, or wish to have healthcare and other benefits. Freelancing is a great way to get some experience and build a portfolio, but it may not provide the stability many are looking for.

Find Your Perfect Work-From-Home Fit

With some research, you should be able to find jobs you can do from home with no experience . Remember our key advice from this article to help you on your way to finding the remote position you are looking for.

• Be vigilant for job posting scams.
• Try to use job sites that focus exclusively on remote online positions or which specialize in your niche.
• Consider freelancing or gig work to build a portfolio and show employers you can work remotely.
• Understand that you’ll give up a steady schedule, benefits, and other perks when freelancing or taking on gig work .
• Research the company offering the remote job you’re applying for and check if the listing exists on their jobs board , or by contacting an HR representative.

Finally, consider making a digital resume when applying for these roles, as well as assembling a portfolio if necessary. The chances are the HR team and managers are also working remotely and it’s almost standard process now to apply via email with digital formats, which can include links or interactive elements. 

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The shame of LinkedIn

Why posting on the site feels so embarrassing — and how to overcome the cringe factor

The other day, a friend of mine liked one of my LinkedIn posts. I was mortified. I quickly sent him a text explaining that posting there was a function of my job, not for funsies. While my frantic embarrassment was perhaps a tad of an overcorrection (OK, a lot of an overcorrection), I nonetheless feel deeply self-conscious about what I post on the work-focused website. I don't want to come off as overly earnest, too self-promotional, or dare I say it, cringe.

That LinkedIn is a cringey space is well established. The issue has been dissected on Reddit, in the media , and even on LinkedIn itself . LinkedIn is just a weird place to be in the first place. It's a jobs board with a social network layered on top of it. It's an artificial space where everyone is trying to put on their best face, but one that leaves people feeling quite exposed.

Why does LinkedIn feel so cringe? And is it possible to post there without being cringe yourself? I decided to reach out to some experts to try to find out, which was an embarrassing endeavor on its own.

Why LinkedIn feels so cringe

As much as LinkedIn is a professional platform, something about it feels really personal . Even when you're posting with your real name, other social-media sites like Instagram, Twitter/X, or TikTok have an air of anonymity to them, a sense of removal. A tweet is more fleeting, and Instagram is more private, even if your profile is public. On a lot of these platforms, everyone's sort of doing a bit. On LinkedIn, you wind up putting a lot of yourself out there: your picture, your work history, your education, your professional past, your aspirations. You're there for a specific reason — to advance your career and network. You have a specific audience in mind — prospective employers, potential business leads . That all requires you to be your best, most workiest self.

"The way people position themselves and kind of discuss really anything is filtered through that lens of etiquette and knowing that all eyes are on you all the time," Nathan Allebach, a social-media strategist and creative director, said. "It's just almost like an omni-surveillance state."

On LinkedIn, people face a case of "context collapse," where they communicate with disparate groups of people all at once. In most places, you know exactly who you're talking to — friends in a group chat or your work colleagues on email — but LinkedIn folds all of them together. That leads to a self-presentation conundrum: Which you do you want to be?

"It's hard to think about how to post, what to post, when you have, for example, your bosses there, your former bosses there, maybe your high-school friends are there, with your current colleagues or interns," Sunny Xun Liu, the director of research at the Stanford Social Media Lab, said. "We usually behave differently based on who we talk to. When all those people are there, it's very challenging to find a way that we feel comfortable."

LinkedIn users are trapped in a culture of professionalism and all that comes with it. The person you are with your boss or a client is probably not your truest self. This setting makes posting — or even just creating and maintaining a profile — feel extra high-stakes and, in turn, contrived. On LinkedIn, there is no dancing like no one's watching.

This high-wire performance has helped foster LinkedIn's reputation as a space for content that's a little extra, grimace-inducing, and often insincere. It's known for guys spouting broetry and CEOs crying and wannabe thinkfluencers posing as experts in areas nobody needs their expertise in. There's a reason social-media accounts like Best of LinkedIn , which pokes fun at over-the-top LinkedIn posts, exist. Even the people who run LinkedIn know that when something goes viral there, it's often not a good sign.

LinkedIn has made some efforts to change things — it's adjusted its algorithm to try to elevate more quality content and show people stuff from their networks. And while there are fewer "pure meaningless platitudes" on the platform, as Brendan Gahan, the cofounder of Creator Authority, a LinkedIn influencer marketing agency told me, there's still a "hangover" from how LinkedIn is perceived.

LinkedIn might not be as cringe as it used to be, but it's still awkward. Posting and interacting there, for most people, entails a level of forced positivity and performative professionalism that isn't really matched anywhere else online.

"LinkedIn is an echo chamber," John Hickey, the creator of Best of LinkedIn and a freelance creative director, said. "Everyone's on their best behavior, but in some ways that best behavior is also their worst behavior because they're not being their true selves."

How to be less cringe on LinkedIn

OK, so if LinkedIn comes with a bit of cringe baked in, what's the best way to minimize that impulse as much as possible? LinkedIn declined to comment for this story, but it sent over a couple of links, one to a blog post about how its users want "knowledge-based content" and another to a guide on becoming a LinkedIn creator that includes a fair amount of content but is a little hard to wade through. I am not among the 3,224 people apparently interested in an hourlong webinar on "nailing your niche," nor do I really want to see people share their posts and ask others why they think they underperformed. The goal for most people on LinkedIn is not to be a creator, anyway, it's just to live to fight another day in the working world. Given the weakness of the official advice, I decided to ask a bunch of people for tips on how to post in a non-cringe way on LinkedIn.

Brandon Smithwick, a LinkedIn creator and the head of content at Kickstarter, said it's generally a good idea to keep it short. "A post that's a huge dissertation or paragraphs, I'm scrolling past it, I'm going to bounce, I'm not reading that," he said. Memes do well, but it's also fine to just engage casually — share a blog post you like, comment on other people's posts, or just keep up a decent-looking profile. He schedules his posts and suggests others do the same, especially if it feels daunting to spend a lot of time on LinkedIn and come up with ideas. It may also be helpful for people who dread hitting the "post" button and seeing a message immediately go up.

Natalie Marshall, who goes by Corporate Natalie on social media, told me that since posting anywhere is by its nature cringey, the best approach is just to try to make content that isn't too forced. She tries to add some personal narrative or anecdotes to her posts and will ask followers about their experiences and feedback, but she's cognizant of length. "We're not storytellers here," she told me. She feels like she can "hide behind the written word" on LinkedIn more than on platforms where she's posting videos. It's a tough balancing act — she suggests people use a personal flair on the platform, but at one point in our conversation, she thought I accused her posts of being cringe.

Also, people should remember they can opt out of posting altogether. "If you don't want to post, don't," Marshall said. "Why is there this pressure to build your personal brand and build your LinkedIn and do these things?"

I also asked a pair of social-media managers — one at Business Insider and one at a different company — for their thoughts on LinkedIn posting. They offered up some tips: Try to ask a question at the end of a post, include some extra detail, maybe toss in some hashtags. Both also came to the same conclusion: There's no way to get around the cringe. "I have thought of it as part of the job, but doesn't make it any less cringe!" one told me. "I would say to embrace the cringe," the other said.

None of this is to dunk on LinkedIn as a platform — I like it very much! Of all of the social-media websites, I find it the most useful for my job. I just feel like a complete idiot being there sometimes. A lot of people do. Those are just the rules of the road.

"Eventually, you just kind of give in," Allebach said. "I'll do my best to write this how I would say it in real life, but ultimately I know I'm going to be still using certain line breaks and certain hooks and certain bulleted points or whatever it might be that I know the algorithm and my audience is going to favor, because ultimately I want to get some type of lead through this platform. I'm not just posting for my enjoyment on LinkedIn."

Nor am I. But I'll still be there, posting my stories (including this one), hoping people won't judge me.

Emily Stewart is a senior correspondent at Business Insider, writing about business and the economy.

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The No. 1 AI mistake job seekers make, from a career expert: So many people use ChatGPT 'in exactly the wrong way'

As a leader at the education nonprofit Khan Academy, I was thrilled when ChatGPT came out in November 2022. It meant we could use generative AI to provide personalized tutoring to more kids than ever.

But as a hiring manager and cofounder of a career development business who's trained first-gen students at CUNY and MBAs at Harvard Business School alike, I was heartbroken to see that so many job seekers were using these tools in exactly the wrong way. 

They forgot that no matter how exciting this new technology is, humans are still in charge of the hiring process. Which is why having a robot write your resume is a recipe for disaster.

But given that I wrote the literal book on using ChatGPT in your job search , I know you can still turn to AI to make your resume shine. Used properly, it can help you land the interview — and ultimately the job. 

The wrong way to use AI for your resume

In my experience, most job seekers using ChatGPT or other AI platforms begin with a prompt like "Generate a marketing resume." This might seem like a great place to start, but it's the biggest mistake you could make. Here's why: 

The results are massively generic 

Take this summary, for instance:

As a hiring manager, the first thing I'm always looking for is evidence of specific accomplishments. When I scan this, though, my first thought is "Wow — this candidate is great at buzzwords, but not so great at actual marketing." 

That's hardly the first impression you want to make when employers spend seven seconds , on average, reviewing your resume!

ChatGPT and other AI tools are going to make stuff up 

As if that wasn't bad enough, check out what comes next under a single job listing under the experience section:

Not only do these bullet points lack specificity (with no clear projects or outcomes), but the sheer range of skills covered is literally unbelievable. As in, I've never met a marketer in my two-decade career who did all of these things in one job.

So my human BS detector immediately assumes the worst: This isn't a resume, this is a hallucination!

The right way to use AI for your resume

OK, you get the picture: Having AI generate your resume from scratch can be a fast track to rejection. But if we know that human reviewers want specificity and credibility, we can actually leverage AI to help us with those exact things.

1. Start with a draft resume written by a human (i.e., you)

Instead of asking AI to generate your resume, start with your own first draft, even if it's in rough shape. That way, you can at least be specific and accurate about what you actually did, even if those accomplishments need a little polishing.

2. Identify and incorporate missing keywords

Go right to the source of truth. The job description was created by the hiring team to spell out the skills they're looking for — and it contains the exact keywords you want to match.

Here's where you turn to AI. Enter the following prompt: 

• Which keywords from the below job description are missing from my resume? 
• Here's the job description: [Paste the job description here] 
• And here's my resume: [Paste the text of your resume here]

Once you've got a list of missing keywords, identify the ones you have experience with and prompt the AI to help you incorporate them: 

Suggest three ways to incorporate [keyword] into my resume.

3. Quantify achievements and demonstrate results

The best predictor of future performance is usually past performance, which means recruiters and hiring managers want to see real results, not just hallucinations.

So get a little nudge in the right direction with a prompt like: 

Suggest three ways to add more quantitative impact to the following bullet point: [Paste your bullet point here]

Now, it's tempting to copy and paste the bullets your AI platform suggests straight into your resume. But make sure you're editing the text to match your actual accomplishments. For instance, maybe you generated $300,000 in donations, not $500,000 like the AI spit out, or your organization actually measures growth quarterly rather than monthly.

4. Review, review, review!

Always proofread your resume before submitting it. If you've used AI, it's all the more important to review every last word and number to make sure everything's 100% accurate. 

The last thing you want is to be sitting in a final-round interview and have your prospective boss's boss's boss ask you about a resume bullet the AI fabricated and you forgot to update!

Jeremy Schifeling is the founder of  The Job Insiders , which provides career technology training for hundreds of top universities and business schools. He is also the author of " Career Coach GPT: The Complete Guide to ChatGPT Resume, Cover Letter, Interview, and Job Search Success " and shares his latest career and AI hacks on LinkedIn .

Want to land your dream job in 2024?  Take  CNBC's new online course How to Ace Your Job Interview  to learn what hiring managers are really looking for, body language techniques, what to say and not to say, and the best way to talk about pay. CNBC Make It readers can save 25% with discount code 25OFF.

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