10 Sales Person Resume Examples, Templates

You’re a sales superstar and a multitasking marvel who puts customers at ease and turns smiles into sales with a positive attitude and strong upselling skills.

You go above and beyond to make sure customer needs are met and every shopper has the best possible experience. But how do you show all of that on your sales person resume? Don’t worry—we’ll show you how.

When hiring managers look for the right sales person, they want to know that you have:

• Technical skills, including cash register operations, computer literacy, and Infusion Soft CEM
• The right personality and attitude for the job
• Experience providing excellent customer service
• The drive to increase sales

Read on to learn how to land the sales person job you’ve been looking for.

This sales person resume guide will include:

• 8+ samples and examples of sales person resumes
• Advice on how to write a convincing summary and header
• Examples of the experience you need to include
• Layout suggestions that go against the grain
• Technical skills you need to include
• The soft skills that show your abilities
• Sales person qualifications and certifications

Your goal is to get the reviewer to:

• Be interested
• Read past your summary
• Be convinced of your suitability
• Get in contact with you
• Give you an interview
• Hire you!

Looking for related resumes?

• Sales Representative Resume Example
• Sales Associate Resume Example

How to write a sales person resume

As a sales person, you fulfill many roles. You act as a liaison between the customer and company, represent and promote the brand, sell products effectively, and cater to customer needs.

Sales person resumes that stand out combine strong customer service skills with selling ability. Use your resume to show that you have the right personality and skill set for the job.

Include examples that show you can:

• Drive product sales by demonstrating advanced product knowledge to customers and clients.
• Upsell by informing customers about current sales and promotions.
• Demonstrate the functionality of a company’s products.
• Answer customer questions and provide solutions to problems.

How to create a striking sales person intern resume header

Your sales person resume header is the first thing an employer or hiring manager will see, so it needs to be specific and informative.

If you leave out vital information, your application may be overlooked immediately.

You’re applying for a sales person role in a luxury retail store.

Your header looks like this:

This section needs a few changes. Here’s why:

• The title is too vague. Tell the hiring manager exactly what you do.
• It does not stand out. Remember, you are competing with hundreds of other candidates.

Make your header memorable. Let’s try again:

This is much better:

• It shows which industry you hope to enter.
• It includes a professional link where the reviewer can learn more about your personality and achievements.

How to choose the right layout your sales person resume

Use your resume layout and format to show what makes you unique as a candidate.

Work in colour and experiment with fonts.

As long as the design does not distract from the message of your resume, be as creative as possible.

Get imaginative. Be different.

Below are some layouts that will make the employer say ‘Whoa’:

Take your audience into consideration when choosing a layout. For a clothes company, focus on style. For a technology company, focus on geometric shapes and a linear presentation.

Excellent interpersonal skills are essential on a sales person resume

When a company takes a chance on you, it needs to know that you have the potential to benefit the business.

In sales, this mainly comes through the gift of the gab and through really listening to the customer.

Make sure you show your excellent interpersonal skills throughout your resume, and show how they have benefited companies through sales in the past.

In your resume, you can do this by:

• Writing about your practice of active listening.
• Demonstrating your ability to speak in specifics through your product knowledge and industry expertise.
• Explaining your ability to achieve results through persistence without being pushy.

Elaborate on these examples within your summary and experience sections. There, you can apply these skills to real-life situations.

We’ll have a look at these two sections now.

Writing an effective sales person resume summary

Although sometimes overlooked, your resume summary section is one of the most important parts of your resume.

Depending on its quality, a hiring manager might put your resume straight into the no pile.

This is your first introduction to the company, and first impressions count. If you can’t make it past this stage, you won’t be making it to work.

In a few sentences, tell the hiring manager who you are, what you specialise in, and your qualifications and certifications.

This is a lot, but be concise. A hiring manager doesn’t want to read an essay.

3 Sales Person Resume Samples - Summary

Here are some sample sales person resume summary sections:

This summary isn’t up to scratch. Here’s why:

• It’s too vague and misses key details that help the hiring manager understand who you are and how much experience you have.
• It uses a lot of words without saying very much.

Instead, use your summary to tell more of a story and make a stronger impact.

This version is much better because it:

• Specifies which area of sales you specialise in
• Demonstrates your soft skills
• Discusses your certifications

Now let’s try this again from an experienced perspective:

This may seem sufficient at first, but when you consider how many applicants compete for a single sales person role, it falls short. Here’s why:

• It says you’re experienced, but does not specify how many years or in what area.
• It does not highlight your skills or certifications.
• It is not results-based.

This summary section is much better:

This summary is significantly improved because it:

• Clearly identifies your experience level and area of expertise.
• Highlights the training completed and the certifications earned.
• Presents you as a results-driven professional with strong interpersonal skills.

How to frame your experience on your sales person resume

In the experience section of your sales person resume, focus on the areas that best show your value to an employer:

• Your ability to respond to customer needs and provide clear guidance and recommendations.
• Your experience staying up to date with product knowledge through training and industry publications.
• Your proven record of meeting or exceeding corporate performance standards for team advancement.
• Your ability to deliver excellent customer service through strong communication and interpersonal skills.

Go into detail in this section and focus on achievements and results. This is your opportunity to show employers what you can do.

Rather than simply listing duties, explain how you performed them, what you used to achieve them, and what results they produced.

A simple way to cover everything is to break your experience into these points:

• What you did.
• How you did it and what informed your ability to do it, such as certification or training.
• The effects of your actions.
• How you impacted the company or organisation.

If you are struggling for work experience, you can also mention volunteer work on your resume or internships you have completed.

Below are some experience section samples:

2 sales person resume experience samples

These entries aren’t very effective for a few reasons:

• They are not results-driven or enthusiastic.
• They do not explain how you made a difference to the company.
• They do not showcase your skills, which leaves the hiring manager in the dark.

The following example is much better:

This approach is much stronger because it shows you are a capable salesperson with a proven record of surpassing sales goals. It also highlights your enthusiasm for the role through action-oriented language and shows that you are award-winning and able to improve company performance.

Tailor your experience section to the job description. Make sure you address the specific duties and responsibilities the employer is looking for.

How to describe the duties and responsibilities of a sales person

Below are some common sales responsibilities. Work them into your experience, education, and skills sections to present a well-rounded application:

• Identified, developed and maintained successful customer relationships.
• Used the company’s upselling process with every customer: approach, interview, demonstration, validation, negotiation, close and follow up.
• Used the company’s computer database to research availability, options, stock information, and email for customers.
• Demonstrated the use of equipment and furnishings in feature-and-benefit production presentation.

You can also strengthen your sales person resume by including:

• Volunteer work, mentorships, or internships, and explaining how they gave you the skills needed for the job.
• Any previous on-the-job training you have completed.
• Awards you have won for your sales performance.

What to include in your sales person education section?

There are no formal education requirements for this job. However, hiring managers often prefer candidates who have a high school diploma or GCSEs.

If you have a relevant degree, it can help to include it in your education section, along with training completed at other companies or any certifications.

For more specialist roles, such as a car sales person, a higher level of education may be preferred, including an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in business or communications.

You could also take a course in automotive technology, for example, to help secure this kind of role. This may also be useful if you want to move into a more senior or managerial position later on.

On-the-job training is usually provided. It often covers customer service, including crafting a script, operating the cash register, and the company’s policies and security procedures.

Depending on the type of product you are selling, you may also receive specialist training to help you understand the finer details of the product.

Skills to highlight in your sales person intern resume

Your skills section should show employers that you can use strong communication skills to sell effectively.

It should also demonstrate the people skills and intuition needed to identify customer needs, along with the confidence and knowledge to meet them.

Be sure to include keywords from the job description to help beat the ATS robots.

Here are some essential soft skills and technical skills to include in your sales person resume:

Elaborate on these skills in your experience section, and include examples of when you actively demonstrated them.

How to include your certifications on your resume

Integrating certifications into your sales person resume can help you stand out.

Employers may not list these certifications as a requirement in the job description, but including them can show your dedication to the role and your willingness to learn.

Sales person certifications can cover store operations, sales, customer service, and inventory control.

This type of role may also require a valid driver’s license.

Below are some certifications to include in your sales person resume:

What to take to take away from this guide:

When writing your sales person resume, keep these points in mind:

• Create a header and summary that present you as a serious sales professional and highlight your skills and abilities. Show employers that hiring you can strengthen their team and help increase profits and customer loyalty.
• In your experience section, focus on previous roles that demonstrate relevant experience. If employers can see that you have done the job successfully before and delivered results, you will be in a stronger position. Present yourself as an asset.
• Highlight your excellent interpersonal skills, your ability to persuade and drive sales, and your customer-focused, adaptable approach based on the customer.
• Include certifications that show your self-motivation and ambition.