Ten Resume Writing Tips for Technology Sales Professionals

WARNING: Everyone has resume writing advice, not all of it is good. Take resume advice from professionals only.

Your resume along with your LinkedIn profile will serve as your invitation to the party. If you get it wrong, you won’t even have a shot at some of the best sales jobs available. Use these ten tips to update your resume and win top sales interviews.

1. CAUTION: Math Involved—Include the quota you carried, the year, % of quota obtainment, year-over-year % territory growth, sales rankings, club numbers, etc…

2. Action Verbs—Start each bullet with an action! Power- pack your resume with action verbs that describe your accomplishments. HINT: The most overused action word is “managed.”

Closed business in the e-commerce vertical…
Spearheaded new logo acquisition….
Championed new offerings…
Overachieved quota…
Challenged to develop new business…
Launched new technology offering…
Honored with “Quota Crusher” award for Q1, Q4; 2015…
Landed largest deal in company history…
Delivered 109% of quota consistently…
Revitalized Southeast region by targeting previously lost accounts
Drove front-end client development…
Collaborated with channel partners..
Accelerated the sales cycle by providing….
Discovered new ways of …..
Dominated the energy market…
Instituted sales programs…
Optimized channel strategy…
Leveraged relationships with Alliance Partners

3. Resist the Big S-t-r-e-t-c-h—Most people feel a little pressure to over polish their resume. Don’t do it! If you don’t have a degree—don’t award one to yourself. If you failed to hit your numbers, don’t say you did. If you are unemployed, don’t write 2014-present.

4. Go Chronological—Traditional works best. Keep things in chronological order, otherwise your resume is more likely to be deleted right out of the gate.

5. Edit—Make sure to keep it crisp and not too wordy. If you can say it with fewer words, then do it! Get a second or third pair of eyes your resume to check for grammatical mistakes.

6. Glamour Up—Make sure your resume is making the right first impression. You have about 10 seconds, so get it right! Use a relevant font and up to date resume formatting.

7. Strike the Right Balance—Resumes can be overworked and tortured or too sparse. The key here is to strike the right balance. Overworked resumes are too wordy, and too busy. Sparse resumes lack critical information, numbers and achievements.

8. Pour on the Relevant Details—Providing details will increase your odds of interview selection. Be sure to include names of blue-chip clients, titles of prospects, average deal size, quota, territories covered, products sold and quantifiable results.

9. Keep it Crisp—Your resume should reflect sharp and concise communication. Keep it on point, relevant and devoid of extra-fluff. Sales resumes that are power packed with concise facts, in an easy to read format make the strongest first impressions.

10. Spice it Up!—Dynamic, Dedicated, Proactive, Versatile, Seasoned, Highly-Motivated, Creative, Diverse, Well-Honed, Proven, Highly, Consistent, Fast-track, Solutions-Driven, Instrumental