How to Make a Sales Resume

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Gathering information is the first step to creating a winning sales/marketing resume. What qualities do you believe make up a great sales manager? Write them down. What evidence is there that you have those qualities? Write them down. When gathering this type of information, you should remember that you are looking for evidence that you have those qualities - that means you should be listing accomplishments you have made, not just a big list of positive personality traits. Talk is cheap, right? Think about things like awards or recognition you have received, presentations you have given, big accounts you have landed, customers you have brought back to your company or "stolen" from a competitor, money-saving policy implementations you have made, and similar information. Those are the kinds of information that can serve as the backbone of a winning sales resume.

Once you have your lists in place, it is time to start plugging them into a sales resume outline. A good outline helps you think about what you are going to include and organize your information properly.

Then, you should decide on what type of sales resume style you think best highlights your particular positive skills and attributes. The two most common styles are the functional resume and the chronological resume. The chronological resume is the old stand-by that has been around since dirt, and many folks like to stick to the tried-and-true. However, the functional resume style tends to allow your prospective employer to focus more on your skills than on your periods of employment, so it might be the better choice, especially if you are new to the sales field or have been in your present position for a long time.

Once you have made these basic informational decisions and are faced with choosing your resume format, it might be helpful to use a sales resume software program to help you market yourself. The resume and cover letter templates, tips, advice, and other features can help you organize your information to your own best advantage. After all, as a sales professional, you surely recognize the value of attractive and appropriate packaging.