As a sales manager on the hunt for a new job, you need an extraordinary sales manager resume that highlights your valuable skill set and professional successes. A strong resume can be both your ticket to career advancement and a door to new opportunities.
But crafting a standout document that grabs attention and presents you in the best way possible can be as challenging as closing a big sale. However, with the right guidance and a couple of tips and tricks, we’ll help you navigate all the complexities that go hand in hand with it.
After all, you’re trying to advertise your key strengths and competencies, similar to how you’d promote a company’s products or services. That means you have good foundational knowledge, which we can improve with this article. Let’s get started!
Key Takeaways
Most candidates will have the best chances with a one-page sales manager resume written in the chronological format.
Hook the recruiter with an engaging resume summary or objective and then secure an interview with professional work experience, education, and skills sections.
Get ahead of the competition by writing and submitting a cover letter that matches your resume.
Use optional sections to improve your odds and differentiate yourself from other candidates with similar skills and experience.
What is the Right Format to Use for a Sales Manager Resume?
Before you start writing your sales manager resume, you need to determine its structure and appearance. These aspects are vital in the resume-building process because they optimize your document to show recruiters what they want when they want it and help you pass the ATS scan.
That said, one of the most popular formats for your sales manager resume is the chronological resume format. It’s mostly used by candidates with a steady work history who want to highlight their career’s linear progress. This format puts your latest job first and lists the rest in reverse-chronological order.
If you’re an entry-level candidate who doesn’t yet have professional experience, you can opt for the functional resume format, which makes your skills the main section.
Lastly, if you’re a seasoned veteran or someone who is coming from a different line of work but has transferable skills they want to show, you can use the combination resume format. As its name suggests, this format merges the chronological and functional formats. It makes your skills the central part of your resume while reinforcing each skill with workplace achievements.
Resume Layout
A solid resume layout makes the document visually clean and professional. It also boosts its readability and ensures you’ve conveyed plenty of information in a concise manner. Here are some tips to help you perfect your resume layout:
Resume Layout Guidelines
In most cases, your sales manager resume should be one page long.
Use bullet points instead of paragraphs, as they take up less space and are easier to read.
Pick a professional font (e.g., Tahoma, Arial, or Helvetica), set its size to 10–12 pt, and make headings 2–4 pt larger.
Set margins on all sides to one inch and adjust the space between sections until they are visually distinct.
What Sections Should a Sales Manager Resume Contain?
Now that we’ve established what the format and layout of your resume are, let’s see about its content. Certain sections of your sales manager resume are must-haves, and they are:
Mandatory Details
Contact information
Resume summary/objective
Work experience
Education
Skills
Then, there are optional sections that can help you get ahead of the competition. These include:
Optional Details
Awards
Certifications
Languages
Conferences
Hobbies and interests
You can use these two lists as starting points to outline your writing. However, whether you grab a random online sales manager resume in Word format or begin crafting yours from scratch, you should check out our resume builder. It can save you hours of work while helping you create an accurate and professional resume.
First off, we offer many templates that you can use for inspiration and as a basis for your resume-building process.
Regardless of whether you’re looking for a junior or senior sales manager resume sample, you’ll find multiple options to choose from. Simply pick the one that suits you, customize everything from its colors to format and font choice, fill in the blanks with your details, and download a submission-ready resume in minutes!
Sales Manager Resume Contact Information
Your contact information goes in your resume header. It should be a clear-cut section that simply lists the following details:
Mandatory Details
Your name
Job title, which should match the one in the job description
Phone number, which you should thoroughly check for accuracy
Professional email address (e.g., firstname.lastname@email.com)
(Optional) Location, but only if you’re applying for a job abroad and are willing to relocate
(Optional) LinkedIn profile, as an optimized profile can give recruiters more information about you, increasing your chances of success.
Let’s see that in an example:
Good Example
Matthew King
Sales Representative
+ 504 202 0324
matthew.king@example.com
New Orleans, LA
linkedin.com/in/matthewking21
Sales Manager Resume Objective or Summary
Another section that belongs in your resume header is your resume objective or summary. Unlike your contact information, this is the part where you should be creative. The purpose of this section is to grab the recruiters’ attention in 2–4 sentences by highlighting your strengths and persuading them to keep reading.
Entry-level candidates who lack work history should write a resume objective to emphasize their skills and motivation. On the other hand, experienced individuals should write a resume summary to point out some of their most impressive professional achievements.
Sales Manager Resume Objective
Crafting a captivating sales manager resume objective is all about showing potential through your skills, education, and drive. You can also mention any notable achievements obtained through internships, projects, freelancing, and similar activities.
Here’s a good example:
Good Example
“Motivated assistant sales manager looking for an entry-level position at [your company]. CSPS certified with a focus on social media marketing and brand development. Internship experience includes assistance in raising product awareness, earning the company $150K in revenue.
Now let’s see a poorly-written resume objective:
Bad Example
“Outgoing salesperson looking for a job where I can learn and improve my skills.”
As a salesperson, you know that your goal is to convince the other party that they are getting a good deal. That means you should highlight what you can bring to the company, not what you can gain from it.
Sales Manager Resume Summary
A strong sales manager resume summary should mostly be about your experience. Mention how long you have been in the industry and include one or two impressive feats.
Let’s see that in a good example:
Good Example
“Sales manager with 9+ years of professional experience. Looking to leverage retail selling techniques and knowledge to successfully fill the position at [name of the company]. Notable achievements include generating over $1.5M in profit by implementing researched product enhancements that boosted customer satisfaction.”
Here’s a weak resume summary that likely won’t impress any recruiter:
Bad Example
“Accomplished sales manager looking for a challenging position in retail to apply my extensive knowledge and experience.”
This candidate claims to be skilled and accomplished but offers no proof, which makes their claims uncertain at best.
Sales Manager Resume Work Experience
One of the best ways to demonstrate your skills and experience to potential employers is by showing them how well you performed in your past roles.
General Tips
The work experience section of your sales manager resume is often the most important one, which is why it’s important to follow a proven structure. For each previous position that you held, you should include the following details:
Your role
The company and its location
Start and end dates of employment
Notable achievements
Here are a few tips to help make your achievements truly pop:
Additional Tips
You should have 3–5 bullet points with accomplishments per job. Include more points for recent positions since they are often more relevant.
Make sure to focus on results and accomplishments over regular everyday tasks.
Include numbers, percentages, and statistics to add measurable value to your achievements and make them concrete.
Make the whole section memorable by adding catchy action verbs and power words such as:
Spearheaded
Conceptualized
Implemented
Cultivated
Coordinated
Sales Manager With No Experience
If you lack professional history, you can always write an irresistible entry-level work experience section by leveraging projects, internships, volunteer work, and other comparable activities.
Here’s an example:
Good Example
Work Experience
Sales Specialist Intern
Blue Sun
Dallas, TX
October 2021–August 2022
Conducted market research to identify new potential clients, resulting in a 13% increase in the company’s customer base.
Assisted in developing and implementing a new sales strategy that resulted in a 21% increase in lead conversion rates.
Participated in negotiations with clients and assisted in closing deals, which brought an 11% increase in revenue.
Experienced Sales Manager
To highlight your seniority as an experienced sales manager, focus on those achievements that had the biggest impact. Mention the times you led teams, generated large amounts of revenue, made positive structural changes, and more.
Let’s see an example:
Good Example
Work Experience
Senior Sales Manager
Adverity
Dallas, TX
June 2019–Current
Achieved a 37% increase in the company’s sales revenue by establishing new partnerships with 5 major clients.
Successfully renegotiated contracts with key accounts, resulting in a 17% profit margin increase.
Led a team of 15 sales representatives to achieve a 25% increase in sales revenue within the first year.
Sales Manager Resume Education Section
Having a degree can be mandatory for some jobs and optional for others. Nevertheless, an education section offers another way to showcase your competence. This part is especially important if you have little to no work experience. Here are the details to include:
Mandatory Details
Your degree
University name and location
Years studied
(Optional) High GPA, relevant courses, extracurricular activities, etc.
This is what that looks like in practice:
Good Example
Education
BA in Business Administration
University of Washington, Seattle, WA
2015–2019
GPA: 3.65
Relevant coursework: Customer Relationship Management, Negotiation Skills, Sales Techniques and Processes
Sales Manager Resume Skills
Properly adding skills to your sales manager resume can be as important as showing your work experience. However, you can’t just create any list of skills and call it a day.
First off, you want to make sure you’re giving recruiters what they want to see. Each position is different and requires a different set of competencies. That’s why you need to do research and carefully read the job ad to figure out which skills they are looking for.
Once you have a list, add it to your sales manager resume skills section, and make sure to prove your key abilities. You can do that by including them in your work experience section and in your summary or objective, connected to relevant achievements.
Hard Skills
Hard skills are usually industry, or even position-specific. Those you can add to your sales manager resume are:
Product knowledge
CRM
Customer service skills
Technical skills
Process management
Coaching
Prospecting
Closing sales
Soft Skills
Soft skills are also known as people skills. While they are important, they shouldn’t take the spotlight away from your hard skills. You should only list a select few sought-after ones, such as:
Leadership
Delegation
Negotiation
Problem-solving
Time management
Communication
Sales Manager Resume Optional Sections
Depending on the position that you’re going for and your expertise, you can add one or more optional sections to truly establish yourself as a highly-qualified candidate. Some of these sections include:
Optional Sections
Awards, which emphasize that you have been recognized for your professional excellence.
Certifications, which can represent proof of your skills and specialized knowledge.
Languages, which are vital if your job involves communication or collaboration with foreign clients and customers.
Conferences, which highlight that you’re up-to-date with industry trends and practices.
Hobbies and interests, which represent a great way to let your personality shine through.
Should You Submit a Cover Letter With Your Sales Manager Resume?
A cover letter is a brief, 250–400 word document that helps you demonstrate a strong desire for the position while talking about your skills and achievements that you didn’t get to highlight in your resume. Unless the job ad specifically asks you not to submit it, it’s one of the best ways to get ahead of the competition and portray yourself as a hardworking candidate.
Expert Tips for Creating a Sales Manager Resume
You can turn your sales manager resume from great to fantastic with these expert tips:
Make sure to proofread your resume for any mistakes or typing errors, especially in the contact information section.
While your resume objective or summary serves as an introduction to the rest of the document, it’s often best to write them last. That way, you can include the most important bits in it and make a catchy paragraph.
Your work experience section should be the biggest in your sales manager resume. However, if you’re applying for an entry-level position, you can make your education section more prominent.
You should submit your sales manager resume in PDF format to preserve its layout unless the job ad asks for a different file type.
Closing Thoughts
As you can see, your sales manager resume is not just a document but a representation of your work-related abilities, aspirations, and achievements. It’s a handy tool that can single-handedly propel your career to new heights.
While writing a job-winning resume can look like a daunting task, all it takes is a bit of focus, dedication, and selling flair. Combine that with the guides, tips, and tricks outlined in this article, and you’ll have a document that showcases your talents and experience, setting you apart from the competition. Put your best foot forward and let your sales skills shine on paper!
