How to Optimise your CV for the Perfect Sales Role

A great CV makes all the difference when you’re searching for the perfect sales role. But what do recruiters really look for when screening CVs? How can you optimise your CV so that it makes you stand out?

Short-term CV fixes

Start off by demonstrating clearly that you make good career decisions and have a successful track record. Give details that emphasise these key aspects.

Don’t just list the basics of your past roles. Be very clear about: what each employer does, what your role was, what their sales-cycle was like, how you went about prospecting and how you won deals.

Show key percentages and figures for every role. What your target was, what targets you hit and importantly, what percent over-target you went.

It’s okay to move jobs (a bit)

If you’ve moved jobs, always give your reasons for leaving, for example “Company relocated, and I was made redundant”. Don’t leave anything to guesswork, in the absence of solid information, an employer will presume the worst.

Demonstrate personal development

Go all out to demonstrate as much personal development as you can. Employers are always interested to know about the courses you’ve been on, but you should also list professionally relevant books you’ve been reading as well as any podcasts and blogs that you follow. It all helps to show that you’re investing in what you do as a professional.

Longer-term CV fixes

Avoid short-term career thinking, this leads to bad decisions which will affect your career. You need to be thinking about your career in the round. Think about how your career track looks to the job market. Take longer, more careful decisions.

Set out your career goals

You should have yearly, five-yearly and ten yearly goals. Keep them in mind and plan your moves around them. Look at who is in the role you’d like in ten years’ time. How did they get there? What personal development will you need to reach that goal?

Value what you’ve got

Take stock of your market values, length of service and career decisions. Would staying put for another year help your CV? The difference between 18 months in a role and three years in that role is huge to a recruiter. You’ll be seen as someone who sticks around and can deliver.

Above all, make sure that you present yourself as ‘in it for the long-term’.