Format: One Page, Results-Focused
Sales hiring managers spend 6-10 seconds on your resume. One page. No exceptions. No two-page resumes for SDR or mid-level AE roles. Format: clean, professional, no graphics or columns that confuse ATS systems. Use a standard font (Inter, Calibri, Arial) at 10-11pt.
Structure That Works
- Header — Name, location (city/state), phone, email, LinkedIn URL. No photo.
- Summary (2 lines max) — '[X years] in B2B sales with a track record of [specific achievement]. Seeking [role] at [company type] to [do what].' Only include if you have relevant experience.
- Experience — Reverse chronological. Each role gets 3-5 bullet points starting with action verbs. Every bullet should include a number.
- Skills — CRM platforms, sales tools, methodologies. Keep it to one line.
- Education / Certifications — Degree if you have one. HubSpot/Salesforce certs if relevant. Skip if you have 5+ years experience.
How to Write Bullets That Get Interviews
Bad: 'Responsible for outbound prospecting and meeting booking'
Good: 'Booked 18 qualified meetings/month averaging 115% of quota across 4 consecutive quarters'
Bad: 'Managed a portfolio of enterprise accounts'
Good: 'Managed $2.4M book of business, achieving 112% net retention through strategic upsells and 97% renewal rate'
The formula: [Action verb] + [what you did] + [quantified result]. Every bullet. No exceptions.
If You Have No Sales Experience
Highlight transferable metrics from your current role:
- Customer service: 'Resolved 45+ customer inquiries daily with 98% satisfaction rating'
- Retail: 'Exceeded monthly sales targets by 20% through consultative upselling'
- Teaching: 'Delivered presentations to 30+ students daily, consistently achieving 95% engagement scores'
- Military: 'Led a team of 12 through high-pressure operations, meeting all mission objectives on time'