How to read a Sales Resume

Many considerations must be made when you hire someone for a sales position. The individual you are hiring for the front lines has to have a proven record of client and revenue creation. The person you hire as a manager must have the capabilities to motivate the salespeople they support.

One source of information that determines who you speak to for either position is their resume. However, a glance at their goals and job experience isn't the way to get the best person. You have to read a sales resume in a certain way to make it mean something.

Here are a few tips on how to properly read one.

Be Open-Minded

It's no secret that applicants like to embellish a bit on their resumes. It's what they do to enhance positions that didn't entail much. Thus, when you go about reading these, have an open mind about the data provided.

Be an eager pragmatist with each one you review. Instead of seeing them with a skeptical eye, take a sensible approach. Make note of some of the questionable information and do your own research. Should they make it to the interview level, discuss the specific items with them for further details.

Organization

One form of examination is a review of the resume's organization. It should have a brief explanation of their objectives followed by their past jobs. They should have a comprehensive listing of what they did to increase revenue for the organization.

The resume should not be a document that reads, "I kind of want to be in sales." No matter what they did in the past, if they had any job experience at all, it needs to clearly state how they helped others get what they needed.

Objective

The applicant's objective should be clear if they are applying for a salesperson or management position. They want to be part of your company to help boost profits and enhance its client base. A supervisor's objective should also include data on streamlining processes to decrease overhead.

If the applicant is new to the industry, their objective needs to state this. Something along the lines of, "I seek a salesperson position to gain knowledge of the profession." An objective of, "I want a job ..." should raise warning flags.

Responsibilities

Whether it's resumes or CVs, responsibilities and tasks at the jobs the applicant held must be listed. This doesn't mean everything they did. Instead, the items that related to their position.

When you read material for those who want to be a salesperson or manager, you want to see numbers. Did their volume of completed transactions increase the entire department? In another example, what was the percentage jump after they implemented certain changes as a leader?

Spelling

When hiring someone you want the individual to be someone who cares about their work. When you receive resumes with poor grammar and punctuation, it's a signal that they may not take things seriously. Their selling abilities could have amounted to tens of thousands of dollars in their past jobs. However, misspelling that information is more important.

Achievements

A resume's Awards and Achievements section is not meant for a potential employee to gloat about what they earned. In reality, it's a place where they reveal how good they are and what others thought about their achievements. It's a place where they say, "See, this is what my hard work resulted in."

You certainly want to review their rewards for the highest transactions or strongest customer service. On top of that, you want to see if there are any recognitions for giving to the community. It's one thing to hire a high-grossing salesperson. However, it's better to bring someone in who also helps others who aren't as fortunate as they are.

A Long List Of Job Descriptions

Those seeking a position as a salesperson or manager shouldn't have more than 10 to 15 years of experience listed on their resumes. Details about those positions should relate to what they did and the subsequent results.

You might wonder if the applicant is padding if it goes beyond this. Resumes shouldn't be several pages long and detail every job the applicant had since they were teenagers. Particularly if they go into unnecessary details on their soft skills. These should be to the point so the recruiter can make the right decisions.

Red Flags

A lengthy list of job descriptions is only one red flag you must be aware of when you read resumes. Especially if the applicant only spent a short time in each position. This can mean two things. Either they became quickly dissatisfied with the job or the employer felt they weren't up to their specifications.

Another red flag are gaps in employment. Those that aren't defined within their resumes could signal underlying issues, private or professional, that prevented them from work. Those who truly want a position in your firm will address these gaps in their resumes. For instance, they took time off to raise a child or start their own business.

Taking the time to utilize these reading skills should help you determine what resumes should have a longer examination and which ones need to be culled. Additionally, it should give you a good sense of the person you want to hire.

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