[Full Name]
[Home address]
[Contact Number] • [Email Address]
Personal Statement
Use this section of your CV to highlight the skills that would be transferable in a sales environment e.g. questioning and listening, tenacity, resilience and the ability to think on your feet. It’s also a good idea to include a link to your LinkedIn profile.
Sales professionals are target driven and financially motivated, so don't forget to highlight and "sell" yourself.
Try to avoid statements such as "I work well as part of a team and on my own initiative" or "I can communicate at all levels" - the majority of CVs contain these statements. CVs that show creativity stand out in sales.
Education
A relevant degree, for example Business Studies will give you a great start, but many degrees have a sales element, e.g. Psychology - understanding people, Engineering - problem solving, Law - negotiation skills etc.
It is important to present your education in a way that identifies you as a sales person.
In some sales positions experience trumps education, so if you don’t have a glittering academic record, make sure you elaborate on your experience.
[College/School Name]
[Date M/Y– Date M/Y]
A-levels:
[Subject] – [Grade]
[Subject] – [Grade]
[Subject] – [Grade]
GCSEs:
[Number] GCSEs, grades [range], including Maths and English
Work Experience
This should be brief and, as a general rule of thumb, focus on the last five years of your career, or last three roles, in chronological order with the most recent at the top. Highlight your key achievements, and aim to use bullet points rather than lengthy descriptions.
[Job Title], [Company Name] [Location]
[Date M/Y- Date M/Y]
Achievements and responsibilities:
Brief role overview
Worked alongside [team] to produce [project]
Implemented [change] which resulted in [benefit]
Received an [award name] for [reason]
Hobbies and Interests
This section is not essential, but can be a good opportunity to reinforce your application, and show a future employer what motivates you outside of work.
Don’t just say that you ‘like to socialise’ be specific, and don’t be afraid to share your successes. If you can put a sales slant on this part of your CV too, even better.
I’ve completed a marathon for [charity]
I negotiated my away across [country] on a budget, working as I went
References
References are available upon request.
