The Top 6 Things Most Sales Resumes Are Missing & 1 Thing You Don't Need

Get more interviews and land your next job in Sales by maximizing the impact of your resume.  These simple things are often missing in the resumes of Sales professionals and make a big difference in getting yourself noticed.  

1. A Link To Your LinkedIn Profile

This not an ad for LinkedIn, just a simple fact.  People are going to look at your profile whether you provide it or not.  Providing it makes it easier to evaluate you as a candidate. So if someone supplies it for me, I already like them a little more because they are making the evaluation process easier.  Resumes without a link seem dated.

2.  Measurable Results

A sales resume needs numbers!   Saying that you are a “top performer on the team” or “always over plan” is not all that impactful.  What percentage of plan are you?  Where do you rank on your team, or in the nation?  How many deals did you close this year? How well you do your job is one of the most important things you can convey in a resume.  Get specific, use numbers, and get noticed.    

3.  Perspective

Most people will not know enough about your company and role to appreciate the level of your success unless you break it down for them.  For example, if I tell you I was the #1 sales rep across the nation in 2015, you would probably think that was great.  But what most people never know is how great is that accomplishment really is.  Is it a sales force of 5 or 500?  Take the guess work out of it and give the perspective so anyone not working in your organization knows how special your accomplishment really is.

4.  Proper Positioning of Accomplishments

Who is more successful:  A sales rep who is 165% of their quota or a sales rep who was 65% above their quota?  They are exactly the same, but 165% sounds much more impressive and will be more likely to stand out to the reader who is scanning hundreds of resumes per day.  Think about your phrasing and how you are highlighting your accomplishments.  Are you selling yourself short?

5.  Complete Dates

Unless you are trying to hide gaps in employment, leaving out the months is a no-no and here’s why.  If you tell me you worked 2011 – 2012, I don’t know how much weight to put into anything you are about to tell me.  Your tenure could have been 2 months (December ‘11 to January ‘12), 23 months (January ‘11 to December ‘12) or something in the middle.  

6.  PDF

Hide your mistakes.  Sending a word document can only lead to one thing, calling yourself out for a mistake.  Countless times I get word doc resume with red and blue underlines pointing out something I would never have noticed if it was a PDF.  Do yourself a favor and PDF it. 

And The One Thing You Don't Need…

Your Full Address

Unless you are trying to sell your house, it is too much information in a digital age.  No one is sending you a thank you letter in the mail, so keep it simple.  City, state and/or zip code are more than enough.

-Written By Tim Sprangers