HarryCaray

HMFIC

Notable Contributor

Notorious Answer

Celebrated Contributor

Sales résumé best practices

Was cleaning up my desktop screen and saw my résumé folder which reminded me to update it when I get a chance. I think it's smart to always have a fresh copy - never know when you'll need it, and it's easier to quantify and elaborate on accomplishments when they're fresh in your mind.

Got me thinking that this group probably has some good best practices for what to include in a sales résumé. Do you include % of quota achieved when you don't hit your goal? Quantify annual contract value or total contract value? As an individual contributor, do you look for ways to highlight leadership capabilities as the "quarterback" of your deals? And of course, how much do you fib, or massage the truth?

FOR POLL QUESTION: How often do you update yours?

Option A: Only when I'm looking for a new job or actively applying

Option B: Keep it updated even when I'm not looking to move roles

Read post to see the question

Attached poll

Option A Option B

*Voting in this poll no longer yields commission.

🚀 Career Goals

🤝 Interviewing/Offer

17

23 comments

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CoorsKing

WR Officer

11

Retired King of the Coors Knights

I normally update it annually, and I will either show % to quota if over 100, or if I didn’t hit I’ll say something like “took complete greenfield territory from $0 ARR to $XYZ ARR adding X new logos”

HarryCaray

Notable Contributor

3

HMFIC

Yeah that's the kind of stuff I was looking for. If you're not including that you exceeded quota (because you didn't), what do you say instead? Thanks for the input! #freemeech

CoorsKing

WR Officer

4

Retired King of the Coors Knights

So I either go the “scaled territory from x to x” route or if I’ve been at the company long enough, if my average annual attainment is over 100% I just say that. “Average annual attainment is 107%” or something

CaneWolf

Politicker

5

Call me what you want, just sign the damn contract

I put whatever metric makes me look best, regardless of whether I hit quota. For instance, closing the largest deal in company history looks better than just hitting quota.

RealPatrickBateman

Politicker

5

🔪Amateur Butcher🔪

This is an excellent point

1) Because, yes it looks better.

But 2) Theres a story there that you can speak to.

No one cares "how" you hit 128% quota, but how you landed the biggest deal in company history? Sit down, take a seat and tell me about THAT!

HarryCaray

Notable Contributor

3

HMFIC

Great call. Plus hitting quota just sounds like doing your job, especially to someone not in sales who might be reading the resume. We all know there's a lot that goes into hitting that number, but the person reading it might not.

CaneWolf

Politicker

2

Call me what you want, just sign the damn contract

Now I'm just picturing some HR person going "an average contract value of $150,000! Gee willickers, that's a lot of money!"

CuriousFox

WR Officer

3

🦊

Option A but I really need to practice option b. I'm also updating mine this week.

HarryCaray

Notable Contributor

2

HMFIC

Definitely need to remind myself to do this more often.

justatopproducer

Politicker

2

VP OF SALES -US

I have been adding 1 metric usually percent to goal achieved and the rest i discuss in interview

HarryCaray

Notable Contributor

1

HMFIC

Fair, but what sort of stuff do you think would be best on the resume to actually get you in the door for the interview?

justatopproducer

Politicker

0

VP OF SALES -US

Match your experience with the responsibilities listed. And list metrics based on those. So if it says requires X% for a,b,c. Show that you’ve hit those metrics. So it depends on the role. Essentially you want to show you’ve done or can do whats expected. I leave what sets me apart for the interview.

HarryCaray

Notable Contributor

1

HMFIC

Got it, thanks. All pretty standard best practices for actively applying for a job. I was more looking for general best practices for sales specific resumes. I appreciate the input though.

hh456

Celebrated Contributor

2

sales

Always keep it updated. Too hard to recall when you need it. Also allows you to start applying right away should something go sideways and you’re out of a job.

HarryCaray

Notable Contributor

1

HMFIC

Kinda where I'm at. Happy in my role, but I feel uneasy not having an up to date contingency plan in the event of a significant change.

IYNFYL

Politicker

0

Enterprise SaaS AE

You never know when the company structure can change which could leave you blindsided, or they play the game of let’s switch you into a new shitty territory!

Diablo

Politicker

2

Sr. AE

I like to make a note of my achievements and other metrics somewhere and depending upon the new job role, I tweak my resume with the relevant content.

jefe

Arsonist

0

🍁

Same, I think it's a good balance.

DungeonsNDemos

Big Shot

2

Rolling 20's all day

Definitely just keep updating every month/quarter or so. Depends what you want to track, but also will help you remember things that would be forgotten in a year or two.

HarryCaray

Notable Contributor

1

HMFIC

yeah I used to maintain a separate doc with bullet points of accomplishments, so that I can pick and choose from that list when I need to update the resume. Could even pick items from the list that apply most directly to whatever job you're applying for if you're in that stage.

NoSuperhero

Politicker

2

BDR LEAD

I usually do option A but recently started updating my CV and resume every 6 months or so and I see the benefits of having those things you've accomplished fresh on your mind and it helps you measure your own success over time.

someoneinsales

Tycoon

1

Director of Sales

I keep my resume some what up to date. However, the last 3 startups I joined didnt need a resume and just used my Linkedin.

HarryCaray

Notable Contributor

0

HMFIC

yep, some people even think LinkedIn will replace the need for formal resumes. I don't think I'm there yet, but who knows what it'll look like in 10 years.

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