Sales Manager Resume Example, Job Description, and Tips

What to highlight in a sales manager resume

When a sales team wants to hit all their sales goals and they have someone to direct their marketing strategies, they naturally look toward a sales manager. Sales managers direct the salesforce at a company, ensuring that all team members bring in sales on a regular basis. If you think this sounds like the perfect job for you, here’s how you can use a sales manager resume example and help from resume examples to build your own sales manager resume.

An effective sales manager resume needs to showcase that you understand the world of sales and that you’re accomplished at guiding your sales staff in making great decisions, and producing results. This means you should highlight interpersonal skills as well as knowledge of the sales process for the particular industry you’re applying to, along with work accomplishments that prove your expertise.

Let’s explore how to make a resume that highlights your best qualities. Here’s where to start.

How to write a sales manager resume

Your specific resume structure will depend on the resume format you choose. There are three common resume formats: the chronological resume, which prioritizes work experience, the functional resume, which prioritizes skills and the combination resume, which features both. Your professional resume can use any of these formats, but for a manager position resume, you’ll likely use the chronological format, as it focuses on career accomplishments that demonstrate your managerial experience. Regardless of the format, your resume will typically include these sections:

Header

The first element of any good resume is your header. The header includes your full name, phone number, email address and any social media profile links, such as LinkedIn. This information helps the hiring manager contact you for an interview if selected.

Resume summary

Next, you’ll write a resume summary. This is a 2-3 sentence paragraph just under the header that gives hiring managers a brief overview of your best skills and work history. A resume professional summary for a sales manager will typically feature how you’ve met your sales targets, what technical skills you use regularly and your proven track record in the sales field.

Skills

Above all else, your skills section for a sales manager resume needs to address the particular skills your potential employer is looking for. Here are some resume skills examples to consider for your document:

• Customer service
• Retail sales knowledge
• Implementing sales strategies
• Account management
• Communication skills
• Taking initiatives
• Customer relationship management (CRM)
• Merchandising
• Bringing in new business
• Pricing
• Project management
• Prospecting
• Creating sales plans
• Social media marketing

The best sales manager resume is one where your skills section balances technical skills and soft skills. Both types of skills are equally important for sales managers, and hiring managers are looking for you to showcase them both.

Work history

This is where you get to detail your professional work experience, with your most recent job listed first. Whether you list experience as a salesperson, a sales representative, a sales associate or even a sales manager in another field, show off sales metrics that show you can produce results.

Education

Last is the education section. Depending on the position you’re applying for, you may or may not need education to get the job. Oftentimes, a bachelor’s degree in business administration can be incredibly beneficial. List your top credential (whether it’s a college or high school degree) here, along with any special honors or awards earned from school.