When you’re looking to land a top sales job, you need a CV that stands out from the competition.
You need a CV that grabs recruiters’ attention and proves that you can deliver results.
So, I created this post which includes several proven sales CV templates, which have been used to create 6 example sales CVs from junior sales assistant, right through to sales managers – along with guidance on how to write a CV that works.
Whether you’re just starting out in sales, or looking to land a high-salary senior sales position, this post has everything you need to create a winning CV.
CV examples included:
- Junior sales assistant CV example
- Sales executive (mid-level) CV
- Senior sales manager CV / Business development CV
- Senior sales CV / Sales manager CV
- Estate agent / Sale negotiator CV
- Account manager CV
Junior sales assistant CV
What makes this a good sales CV?
The following features make this CV effective…
An eye-catching CV profile
As a sales assistant, you need to be able to sell yourself – and the profile at the top of the CV does exactly that for this candidate. It’s a short sharp introductory paragraph which summarises what they have to offer an employer and how their work can benefit them. Specifically, it overviews their sales and service experience within retail and how they are able to drive leads and sales.
Well structured role descriptions
As a sales candidate, your work experience will be studied carefully by recruiters and employers – and they will expect to see how you have made an impact in previous roles.
Each role is started with an intro line to give readers an idea of what the company does, and where the candidate sits in the team or business.
Then, role responsibilities are bullet pointed to give recruiters an easy-to-read list of the candidate’s inputs into the role. They also highlight as many of the important skills they use as possible to showcase their talent by including terms like service, transaction handling, and assistance.
See also: Estate agent CV
Quantified achievements
Sales is a results-driven profession, so it’s crucial to highlight what you’ve achieved for previous employers.
This candidate has included a key achievements section within each role, where they have highlighted a number of impressive results such as hitting sales targets and meeting service standards.
They have also used facts and figures to quantify these achievements and show employers their true value.
Sales executive CV (mid-level)
What makes this a good sales CV?
The following features make this sales executive CV effective in the modern job market…
A punchy CV profile
The profile at the top of the CV (sometimes called a personal statement) hooks recruiters’ attention by providing an elevator-pitch style summary of the candidate’s skills, experience and knowledge. This is essential when dealing with busy sales recruiters.
The profile gives a brief overview of their sales skills, like relationship management and business development, whilst also demonstrating their industry experience and product/service knowledge within banking.
Quick tip: A poorly written CV will fail to impress recruiters and employers. Use our quick-and-easy CV Builder to create a winning CV in minutes with professional templates and pre-written content for every industry.
An eye-catching core skills section
The bullet pointed core skills section forces readers to notice the candidate’s most in-demand sales skills and product knowledge – crucial for creating an instant impression of suitability on recruiters.
Quick tip: Keep your CV to around 2 pages long – busy recruiters and hiring mangers won’t have time to read anything longer.
Well structured role descriptions
Each role is headed with an introduction to give a brief overview of the role, company, and size and scale of the candidate’s duties.
The candidate’s main responsibilities are listed in short sharp bullet points to make it easy for recruiters to digest the information within them. They demonstrate how their skills and knowledge are applied in their jobs, and how they impact their employers. Skills such as negotiation, customer assistance, and closing sales are important abilities that have been highlighted
Quantified achievements
As an experienced sales person, it’s crucial that your CV shows hiring managers the results you can generate for them.
The roles in this CV contain a clearly defined achievement section which details impactful results that the candidate has generated for the employer, such as increased sales and retaining clients.
They have also quantified these achievements with sales figures to back up their claims.
Senior sales CV / Business development
What makes this a good sales CV?
The following features make this CV effective for landing high paying sales jobs…
A punchy CV profile
The CV profile gives an elevator-style pitch of the candidate’s in-depth product/industry knowledge – this helps recruiters to quickly spot their suitability and encourages them to read the rest of the CV.
They have highlighted skills such as negotiation, competitor analysis and revenue generation, which are crucial in senior sales roles, along with their product expertise.
An eye-catching core skills section
To create an instant big first impression, this candidate has included a core skills section. This a bullet pointed list of their most in-demand skills which jump off the page at readers, so they don’t go un-noticed.
Well structured role descriptions
The content within every role is broken up to create a pleasant reading experience and allow recruiters and employers to find the info they need.
The roles are headed with a brief outline to give readers some context by outlining the nature of the employer’s business, and where the candidate sits within the organisation.
Then, responsibilities are bullet pointed to quickly demonstrate how the candidate applies their sales skills and product knowledge to drive sales and revenue.
Quantified achievements
As a senior sales person, your CV must show solid examples of your ability to drive sales and generate revenue.
This candidate does this by adding a clearly highlighted achievements section which quotes impressive sales figures, proving they can make a big impact.
Senior sales CV / Sales director
What makes this a good sales CV?
The following features make this CV effective…
A punchy CV profile
The CV is kicked off with a punchy introductory paragraph which gets straight into the job of selling the candidate’s most valuable assets. It provides a quick overview of their sales and account manager skills, types of clients they work with, and their level of seniority. This makes readers quickly take notice and encourages them to continue reading the CV.
An eye-catching core skills section
To boost the first impression when a reader first opens the CV – the candidate has listed their most valuable sales skills in a bullet pointed core skills section which helps the points stand out on the page.
Well structured role descriptions
Roles are structured for easy reading by splitting the information up into easily-digestible sections.
Each role is headed with an intro that builds context by over-viewing the company and the main goals of the job.
Then, responsibilities are bullet pointed in succinct sentences to show how the candidates uses their skills and experience to add value in the role – along with the type of colleagues and clients they interact with.
Quick tip: A poorly written CV will fail to impress recruiters and employers. Use our quick-and-easy CV Builder to create a winning CV in minutes with professional templates and pre-written content for every industry.
Quantified achievements
As a senior sales manager, your CV needs to show hiring managers that you are capable of growing accounts and revenue – if you don’t do this, you will be overlooked for top jobs.
This candidate includes plenty of examples of instances where they have driven sales and increased revenue – and crucially, they’ve baked this claims up with financial figures.
Account manager CV example
What makes this a good sales CV?
The following features make this CV win interviews…
An impactful CV profile
This account manager CV is kicked off with an eye-catching introductory paragraph that does the following things to ensure that recruiters are glued to the page and don’t skip past the CV
- Provides an overview of of the candidate’s sales experience, sectors they work in, and products/service they have knowledge of.
- Highlights their most in-demand sales skills, such as business development, client relations, and cross selling.
- Alludes to the results they achieve in terms of sales driven and revnue generated.
Well structured role descriptions
Each role is headed with an outline which gives readers a snappy overview of who the candidate worked/works for, where they sit within the business, and what accounts they are responsible for managing.
Bullet points are then utilised to display bite-size chunks of information that describe how the candidate applies their sales skills to work towards strengthening clients relationships and delivering sales.
Quantified sales achievements
As should be happening with any sales CV, the candidate’s sales results are made prominent at the bottom of the role, and they are quantified in terms of financial gains made for the company.
Estate agent CV example (sales negotiator)
What makes this a good sales CV?
The following features make this CV win interviews…
An strong CV profile
Estate agency is a competitive sales profession, so a stand-out CV profile is essential to prove that you have what it takes to attract and convert sales.
This candidate has provided a strong overview of their core sales skills and property knowledge, along with the types of companies they have worked with and clients they deal with.
Well structured role descriptions
Roles are headed with brief outlines which give readers a quick understanding of the company and the candidate’s position within the business.
The details of the skills used in the role, interactions with clients, and goals being worked towards are laid out in easy-to-read bullet points – this makes it simple for recruiters to skim read the document and find the skills they have been briefed to look for.
Quantified sales achievements
To prove the impact they make at work, this candidate has highlighted key sales figures they have delivered such as number of units sold, revenue generated, and percentage of targets achieved – this shows employers what kind of value this person could potentially deliver for them.
Write your own winning sales CV
Writing an interview-winning sales CV is simple when you know what recruiters are looking for, and how to communicate your value quickly.
Create a professional outlook and easy reading experience by using a CV template like this one – it provides you with an effective structure and format.
Create an impactful first impression with a tailored profile, and be sure to include plenty of quantified results in your role descriptions.
Follow these guidelines and you should be able to land plenty of interviews.
Good luck with your job search!