Sales executive CV examples

A great sales pitch is persuasive and straight to the point – your CV should be the same. If it’s vague or full of fluff, don’t expect recruiters to stick around for a demo.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to structure your CV, highlight your most impressive sales achievements, and present your skills in a way that gets results. By the time you’re done, your CV will be your strongest sales tool.

Salespeople love efficiency, and so do recruiters – make sure your CV delivers the right message fast. You’ll need to make a strong first impression, showing hiring managers your value at a glance. When writing a CV, an effective structure will guide them through all the important details they need.

Here’s the layout you should follow:

• Name and contact details – Place your personal details at the top so employers can get in touch easily..
• Profile Kick things off with a concise overview of what makes you the ideal candidate for the job, like your industry knowledge and key successes.
• Core skills – Briefly highlight those qualities which make you the best candidate, such as lead generation and account management.
• Work experience – List your previous roles in reverse chronological order, with your most recent first.
• Education – Go through the academic history which underpins your expertise.
• Additional info – This optional section can include professional memberships, awards, or hobbies.

In sales, presentation matters – whether it’s a pitch, a proposal, or a CV format. If your application looks messy or full of mistakes, hiring managers might assume your sales approach is the same and move onto the next candidate.

Follow these formatting tips to keep things professional:

• Bullet points – Use these to highlight key skills and achievements quickly and clearly.
• Divide sections – Separate parts of your CV logically so it’s easy to navigate
• Use a clear and readable font – Stick to professional and clean font, and a sensible colour scheme.
• No more than 2 pages – Keep it a concise length to maintain their interest while still covering all the essentials.

The CV profile is your elevator pitch – it needs to instantly grab attention and convince employers that you’re a high-performing sales executive. The ultimate aim here is to convey to recruiters the benefits they’d enjoy if they hired you over someone else.

A quality profile should include:

• Specialisation in sales – Whether it’s B2B, B2C, SaaS, or enterprise sales, make it clear what you excel in.
• Proven success in hitting targets – Highlight achievements in exceeding quotas, closing major deals, or driving revenue growth.
• Industry expertise – Experience in tech, pharmaceuticals, finance, or other sectors can add value to your application.
• Sales strategy and approach – Whether it’s consultative selling, cold outreach, or account management, highlight how you get results.
• CRM and sales tools proficiency – Experience with platforms like Salesforce, HubSpot, or Pipedrive can be a big advantage.

This section should read like a high-performing sales dashboard – quick stats that instantly show your strengths. You should make sure to include the important keywords that recruiters look for when they open up an application.

If the role is focused on new business, highlight skills like prospecting, cold calling, and lead generation. If it’s an account management role, focus on client retention, relationship building, and upselling.

Sales is all about results – recruiters want to see more than just job titles; they want to see how revenue was driven, relationships were built, and company growth was supported. Your work experience section should do this by covering your past duties and accomplishments.

List roles in reverse chronological order, ensuring each entry focuses on impact. If transitioning from another role, highlight transferable skills like negotiation, communication, and closing techniques.

• Outline – Introduce the company, role, and type of sales handled.
• Responsibilities – List key tasks, such as lead generation, closing deals, or managing key accounts. Use action words like “negotiated”, “closed”, and “increased”.
• Achievements – Showcase measurable success, such as exceeding quotas, driving revenue growth, or expanding market share.

While experience carries more weight in sales, your education will still add value. A degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field is worth listing, along with any professional sales training completed.

Courses in sales strategy, customer psychology, or negotiation can also strengthen an application. If you’ve taken sales training courses, don’t leave them out – continuing education shows commitment to growth.