How to build a top-notch sales representative resume

Sales representatives play a key role in many different businesses, helping to build relationships with customers and presenting a positive representation of an employer’s brand and products. Earning a job as a sales representative requires a well-written resume that showcases your best examples of work experience, key skills, and educational credentials.

In this guide, we discuss five essential steps for writing a resume as a sales representative. Keep reading to learn all about how to:

• Give your sales representative resume a strong format
• Write an attention-grabbing resume summary as a sales representative
• Choose your best skills as a sales representative to include in a resume
• Describe your work experience as a sales representative effectively
• Include a concise section with your educational background as a sales rep

Sales and Customer Representative CV Sample

Hired by

Sales Development Representative Resume Template

Hired by

Adidas Sales Representative Resume Template

Hired by

1. Give your sales representative resume a strong format

Before you even begin to write your sales representative resume, the first step to take is to choose what format to write your resume in.

In general, the two main types of resume formats are the reverse-chronological (RC) resume and the functional resume. An RC resume focuses on work experience, while a functional resume focuses instead on education, skills, and unpaid experience (volunteering, internships, etc.).

RC resumes are the standard format expected by most employers. However, if you lack work experience as a sales representative, a functional format allows you to show off your training, education, or other credentials.

There is also a third format called the hybrid resume that spreads the focus of the document out evenly between all sections. This is a good choice for those who have large gaps in their work history or those who have work experience but are changing career paths.

No matter which format you opt for, any resume you write will need a visually appealing header that includes all your necessary professional information.

2. Write an attention-grabbing resume summary as a sales representative

After formatting your sales representative resume in the way that works best for your needs, your next step is to write an attention-grabbing resume summary.

This summary should include a concise overview of your professional history, as well as any specializations you may have. Additionally, a summary is a good place to describe what you are looking for in a sales representative job, as this will help the employer decide more quickly if you are a good fit.

3. Choose your best skills as a sales representative to include in a resume

Next up, you will decide which skills you possess as a sales representative are the best to include on your resume. You should always include a selection of both technical and interpersonal skills, as this shows the employer you are a well-rounded professional.

When including skills on a resume, you can use them in one of two ways — either as a list to be included in a sidebar or as descriptors to use within your work experience section.

Generally speaking, technical skills are better for creating a list, while interpersonal skills are better for using as descriptors.

Find out your resume score!

Our AI Resume checker can scan your resume for issues and give you tips on how you can improve it.

Get my resume score

4. Describe your work experience as a sales representative effectively

As you begin writing your work experience section — likely the largest section on your resume if you are using an RC resume format — it is important to know how to effectively describe your past experiences.

Along with using bullet points to visually organize the information on your resume, you should also include as many quantifiable details as possible, such as specific sales numbers that show an impressive ability for meeting sales goals.

5. Include a concise section with your educational background as a sales rep

To finish up your sales representative resume, you must list your educational credentials.

As a sales rep, you may have gone to school to earn a degree, or you may have learned through on-site training in different jobs. Regardless of how you came to be on this career path, you should always list your highest level of education on your resume.