Sales Executive Resume Examples

Sales Executive Resume Sample

Jennifer Carnegie

Address:             Highway 2 E, Rugby ND 58368
Phone:                  (701) 676-2563
Email:                    [email protected]
Current job:        Sales Executive at PVPower, Inc

Objective

To work in a position where I will increase gains in profit performance, revenue growth and market share by using my expertise and skills in business management and entrepreneurial drive.

Skills

1. Ambitious and highly motivated to meet the demands of the job
2. Excellent skills in marketing and business development
3. Experienced in merchandising and managing sales in various retail outlets and international brands
4. Have a track record of getting results and generating sales and improve the service offered
5. Able to identify and develop new business opportunities
6. Exceptional communication skills
7. Good time management skills
8. Able to work under pressure and with no supervision at all
9. Skilled in various computer programs in sales and marketing
10. Previous experience working in competitive markets and delivering results
11. Great troubleshooting and problem-solving skills

Experience

Sales Executive, 2017-Present
PVPower, Inc, Chicago, IL 

Responsibilities

• Representing the company in various exhibitions and trade fairs
• Launching and distributing several products
• Recruiting, interviewing and training several sales staff
• Boosting sales in my department every month
• Researching the market on a regular basis for related products
• Arranging several effective client demonstrations
• Liaising with the suppliers in order to make sure that existing orders increase

Sales Director, 2015-2017
Atomic Transport, LLC, Chicago, IL

Responsibilities

• Recorded and administered on sales and forwarded them to the relevant department
• Provided clients with great quotations
• Wrote detailed sales forecast for the company managers which proved very effective
• Communicated any new products to our customers
• Created professional sales script

Sales Director, 2013-2015
Innovsolution, Chicago, IL

Responsibilities

• Created a sales reporting and performance evaluation system
• Worked with startup to create sales funnel
• Monitored and reviewed the performance of sales department with an eye on making recommendations
• Monitored sales levels and arising patterns so as to predict any potential pitfalls.
• Managed elaborate sales processes

Education

North Dakota State College of Science, Wahpeton, North Dakota
Bachelors of Marketing Management
2009-2013, 3.3 GPA 

Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Richmond, Canada
Diploma in Marketing and Management
2005-2009, 3.4 GPA

Alexander High School, Douglasville, Georgia
High School Diploma
2001-2005, 3.2 GPA

Courses

1. Marketing functions and their characteristics
2. The marketing management process
3. Business and marketing strategies
4. Marketing implications
5. Characteristics of the marketing environment
6. Strategic issue management
7. Consumer markets and buying behaviour

Personal information

• Civil Status: Married, with one child
• Date of Birth: July 28, 1977
• Hobbies:  travelling, watching geographic channels, blogging, painting and swimming

How To Write A Good Sales Executive Resume

As a Sales Executive, you must be good at making sales presentations. However, instead of a PowerPoint, it is your resume that presents your strongest selling points. Therefore, in order to write a good Sales Executive resume, you must answer one question:

“What would make the recruiter want to hire me?”

1. Professional Looking Resume

Recruiters don’t have time to admire how “sophisticated” or “elegant” your resume looks. Consequently, using different colors and flashy font styles just because “it fits your personality”, won’t work. 

Put simply, keep your Sales Executive resume professional-looking:

• Choose proper font styles – Calibri, Cambria, Arial, and Helvetica to name a few.
• Organize the details with the use of bullet points.
• Keep it short and concise; straight to the point.

2. Clear Communication

To be effective, your resume must be easy to understand. How can you assure this?

• Keep your sentences short.
• Write in a conversational manner.
• Avoid using technical jargon; don’t make the recruiter feel like he should reach out for a dictionary.

Human Resources personnel only spend a few seconds per resume. Help them out by writing in a clear and concise manner.

3. Customized To Fit The Needs Of The Company

Companies have different needs for their Sales Executives because the products or services that are sold require specialized skills and experiences. 

First, review the job post. Read the type of sales job that is being offered. Likewise, take note of the specific requirements that are requested by the company.

Second, review your own list of skills and experiences. Do you have what it takes to do the job? For example, if the job is for selling insurance policies, check if the company is looking only for certified insurance agents. 

Even if you do not have experience in a particular industry, you can look for similarities between the job and what you have done in your own sales career. 

Going back to our previous example, if you have experience selling other investment products or financial instruments, that could be viewed as an experience similar to selling insurance policies. 

4. Highlight Accomplishments In Sales

Recruiters scan resumes, they don’t read them word-for-word. For sure, when it comes to a Sales Executive resume, they will keep a sharp eye out for numbers. 

In sales, the question  “What can you do for me?” is best answered by numbers – sales figures that are preceded by dollar figures or concluded by percentages. 

Always include your accomplishments in sales and highlight these with numbers. Trust us, numbers will get the attention of the recruiter. 

Write An Eye-Catching Sales Executive Resume Objective

The Sales Executive resume objective is the sales pitch of your job application. It summarizes your key selling points; the ones that directly address the needs of the company you are applying to. 

Thus, a good approach to writing the objective statement is to write it in your own voice. 

Whenever you apply for a job, you are selling your skills, experiences, and knowledge. In comparison to a sales presentation, only your resume stands between landing the job interview and the other competitors for the position. 

Therefore, it is important to write a Sales Executive resume objective that immediately catches the eye and the attention of the recruiter. 

1. Address the Employer’s Needs Right From the Get-Go

Here are 2 reasons why the resume objective is a key player in your job search efforts:

• It is located in the top third of the resume which means with 100% certainty that the recruiter will come across it.
• The objective statement gives you the immediate opportunity to validate your claim to the job. 

What you need to do is to start out your resume objective by stating your key qualifications for the job. The key or primary qualifications for the job are listed on the job post.

For example, you were attracted to the following job post:

Alberta Agri-Products, Inc.

We Are Hiring Sales Executives

Job Requirements:

• At least 1-year work experience as a Sales Executive in the agricultural or livestock industry.
• Bilingual; we prefer a Native Spanish speaker or a candidate who can speak, write, and converse proficiently in Spanish.
• Valid driver’s license.
• Competent in operating MS Excel or other spreadsheet programs.
• Well-accomplished in sales; must consistently hit sales quotas.

Based on these requirements, and if you have the skills in your Sales Executive toolbox, you can write a Sales Executive resume objective that reads like this:

Bilingual Sales Executive with 2-years of experience working in the agricultural industry selling feeds to pig and poultry farmers. Since 2016, I have hit my sales quotas 18 of the 24 months. Proof of my qualification as a Sales Executive is that I was awarded Top Salesman in 2018. Likewise, I am very knowledgeable in MS Excel. 

2. Write In a Natural and Conversational Manner

As the Sales Executive, the customer will assume that you are very knowledgeable of your company’s products and services. The customer wants to learn more about your product. 

Therefore, don’t make learning more complicated by using technical terms. Your sales pitch must be easy to understand in order for the customer to appreciate your product right away.

The same can be said about your Sales Executive resume objective. Don’t give the recruiter a hard time understanding your skills, abilities, and work experience.     

Write in a conversational manner and avoid using technical jargon. Keep your sentences simple and the tone of your objective statement light and friendly. 

3. Personalize the Objective Statement

Ask yourself, “Which salesperson made the best impression on you? The one who seemed like he memorized a script or the one who listened to you, initiated a conversation, and directly addressed your wants and needs?”

Chances are, you preferred the salesperson who carried out a conversation with you and worked to resolve your problems and concerns. It was a more personalized approach because the salesperson based his recommendations on the information that you provided. 

Human Resource people feel the same way about resumes. HR Officers will appreciate resumes that were written specifically for the company and the job it posted:

• Mention the name of the company in your resume objective.

• Do a bit of research on the company by reviewing the job post and visiting the website and social media pages. 

Mention an issue the company is dealing with or a project it is involved with and state how your skills and experience can contribute to the accomplishment of its objectives.

Sales Executive Resume Skills

There are 2 types of skills: hard and soft skills. Hard skills are the abilities that you acquire through formal instruction, training, and experience. Soft skills refer to your personality attributes or the qualities that make you who you are. 

The hard skills that you need would depend on the demands of the job itself. For example, if you are selling software programs and apps, having knowledge in IT would be a useful hard skill to have. 

However, soft skills are a different story. Your ability to sell products is largely dependent on your attitude toward the job of selling. To be clear, selling is not an easy job. You will be dealing with a good number of rejections. 

In order to be effective, you should include both hard and soft skills in your Sales Executive resume skills. 

1. Excellent Communication Skills 

One reason why some salespeople can’t sell is because they monopolize the conversation. They don’t let the prospect chances of expressing his need. 

What they need to understand is that the act of selling is a form of communication. In addition to speaking, you must also be a listener. 

Find out what the problems of the customer are. From there, articulate clearly how your product or service can provide the best solution. 

2. Good Level of Comprehension

To become a good Sales Executive, you must know everything about your product. Its strong points and flaws must be second nature. No second guessing. You must present the product and respond to questions with conviction.

Thus, it is important to have a good level of comprehension. Some products could be more complicated than others. For example, technology such as mobile phones. 

If you can answer all of the questions of the customer, he will be more confident about patronizing your company. 

3. Good with Numbers

Numbers are a big part of selling because they help validate the usefulness and effectiveness of your product.  

For example, if you are selling a device that can reduce electrical consumption, the customer would most likely ask the following questions:

• What is the percentage reduction in power consumption?
• How much lower will my electric bill be the following month?
• How many customers have purchased this product?
• How soon should I expect a reduction in power consumption?

4. Effectively Manages Stress

As we discussed earlier, selling is a well-paying job. Consequently, it is also a highly-stressful job! 

From getting sales appointments to preparing sales presentations to the eventual meetings, you will deal with rejections, irate customers, and no-shows. 

The best Sales Executives understand that these circumstances are just part of the job. It is important to learn how to manage stress effectively so you can focus on what needs to get done in order to hit your sales quotas. 

Sales Executive Duties And Responsibilities For The Work Experience Section

Your Sales Executive work experience could be the most important section of the resume. The duties and responsibilities listed in this section will help the recruiter assess if you are qualified for the job.

If the previous sections – Contact Information, Objective Statement, and Strengths -were summaries of your skills, the work experience section gives details of how you applied these abilities in actual situations. 

The Hiring Manager has one question in his mind when reviewing the work experience section, “How can you help us?”

How can you write one that would convince the Hiring Manager you are the right person for the job?

1. Reference the Job Post

The job post is not just an ad that was published by the company. It is a valuable reference point where you can get clues on how to make your resume more effective.

Review the job post before writing the work experience section. Take note of the responsibilities of the job. This may be presented as the Scope of Work. 

Once you have an idea of the type of work needed, assess your own experience and find out if you have handled these kinds of responsibilities before. 

2. Use the Correct Verbs

Always start your job descriptions with the correct verbs. Your job descriptions should be dynamic and create imagery of how you managed your tasks as a Sales Executive.

Here is an example of a Sales Executive work experience section that uses the ideal verbs for a selling job:

Sales Executive – 14 March 2014 to 31 May 2018

Dylan Electronics; San Jose, CA

• Conducted sales prospecting activities through a combination of digital channels such as social media marketing and email marketing as well as traditional methods like attending sales and networking events.
• Carried out cold calling to prospects as identified in the leads list provided by marketing; performed this activity using a programmable dialer system.
• Targeted to arrange 9 sales meetings per week which included sales presentations. 
• Prepared all sales presentation materials including MS PowerPoint slides and printed marketing collaterals.
• Uploaded and likewise, updated prospect status reports onto company CRM.

3. Present Actual Performance Statistics

Nothing impresses a Hiring Manager more than statistics. These numbers and figures are hard to misinterpret. They give HR an idea of your level of performance. 

Make sure to mention your achievements in the work experience section. Then, support your contention with valid and actual sales numbers. 

Entry Level Sales Executive Resume

Do you have an entry-level Sales Executive resume? Don’t worry, because companies are willing to get you on-board if you have the skills to produce results.

1. Highlight Your Relevant Skills

Are the best salespeople born or made? Truthfully, it does not matter as long as you have the right skills and attributes:

• Articulate speaker – You can prove this simply by presenting a well-written resume that is easy to read and understand.
• Bilingual – Some jobs may prefer a Sales Executive who can speak a second language.
• Drives a car – Most of the time, salespeople are on the road. It will help your cause if you have a valid driver’s license.
• Computer skills – You may be asked to prepare your own materials for a sales presentation. Therefore, proficiency in MS PowerPoint and MS Excel will be big pluses.

2. Showcase Your Achievements in Sales

Most Sales Executive jobs will require applicants to have some level of experience in entry-level sales jobs. Examples of these include working as a sales agent, a salesman for a brick-and-mortar establishment, and as a freelancer. 

If you were able to achieve career milestones in your early work experience, showcase them in your entry-level Sales Executive resume.

Here are a few good examples:

• Worked as a sales agent for a pharmaceutical company and surpassed sales quota of $10,000 per month for 8 out of 12 months.
• Tasked to actively promote the latest signature shoe line from BigWig Athletics and generated 45% grown increase in sales over the previous year.

3. Share Your Story to HR

As mentioned, the objective statement functions as your voice on the resume. If you don’t have experience as a Sales Executive, use the resume objective as your platform to tell HR why you are the right choice:

“As a sales agent for a pharmaceutical company, I was a consistent performer, hitting 67% of my sales quotas. In my second year in for company, I was named Top Salesman of the year. These accomplishments prove that I have the will, drive, and determination to become a successful Sales Executive for your company – one who will consistently deliver results.”

When it comes to sales jobs, there are plenty of doors open. As long as you can show that you are qualified, you can start a career as a Sales Executive.

Advice for a Sales Executive Job Interview

The big day is almost here and you need to prepare yourself for it. The best way to prepare for an interview is by going through various strategies and tactics that will increase your chances of winning the post. Don’t forget that the other candidates want the job as much as you do! You will, therefore, need to prepare smartly if you are to take it. Although I could write a whole book on what you should and should not do, the following tips will suffice the most.

How to Prepare a Killer Sales Executive Resume

Your resume is your best shot at getting invited for an interview. Your chances of getting the job will depend on how good or bad your resume is. When preparing your resume, there are several things you should consider. The first item that you should concentrate on is browsing other sales executive resume examples available on this site for inspiration. Going through other people’s resumes will give you an idea on how to prepare the best resume that draws admiration from your prospective boss. Next, make sure to read the job description carefully so you know exactly what the employer is looking for. Then, when you come to the actual preparation of your resume, you will include the main highlights of the job relating it to what you have already done. Finally, go through the final draft with a fine tooth-comb so that you remove any errors that may be in it. You don’t want to hand in a resume that is full of grammatical and punctuation errors to your prospective employer.

Know the Organization Thoroughly

Get any information you can about your prospective employer. Most interviewees will expect you to have found out about their company profile, the recruitment process as well as their annual reports. Go a step further by looking for any media article that speaks about the company so that you will be adequately prepared for any question they might choose to ask you about their firm. Finally, find everything you can about the job and any person specifications they might require. The best way to go about this is to research on people who already hold the same job in different companies. By reading their occupational profiles in those jobs, you will stand a much better chance of knowing what will be required of you. This way, when you finally show up for the interview, you will be adequately prepared for any questions that might come your way.

Common Interview Questions to Prepare For

You should go through various interview questions related to a sales executive job so that you can prepare for it. Once you come up with an exhaustive list of these questions, you should find a close friend who can fire those questions at you in a mock interview. Use this to prepare for the main interview, working on your weak points as well as keying in on those areas you are well-equipped. Some of the questions that you might get are:

• What challenges do you expect to find in this job?
• What made you leave your last employer?
• What skills and qualifications do you have that will help you to perform in this job?
• How do you meet deadlines and working on a tight budget?
• How do you handle stress and any related pressure on the job?

Figure the Correct Questions to Ask

In deciding the right questions to ask the interviewer, you should only consider those which you believe will boost your chances of getting hired. Questions related to pay hike will only get you kicked out and should be avoided at all costs. A sample of questions to ask are:

• When can I expect to hear from you if I get the job?
• Could you explain the management style to me?
• What are the company’s future plans for growth?
• Does the company often implement new technology to increase productivity in the workplace?
• Does management have an open door policy when it comes to listening to employee suggestions?
• What do you think is the greatest strength of this company?

What to Wear

Decide what you are going to wear in advance. This should either be a suit or a professional business wear. Make sure that you have ironed it properly and that it is ready to put on. To stay safe, always ensure that you have a second outfit in case something happens to the first one. Personal grooming is a must and you shouldn’t overdo the fragrance. For smokers and drinkers, it is always best to stay away from them until after the interview.