If you're in sales, there's good new and bad news. The bad news is evident in the daily headlines: unemployment 10%. Consumer spending down. Plant closings. Layoffs. The good news? You're in sales. Generally speaking, anyone who can drive money to a company will be safe during a recession. That axiom isn't bulletproof: if sales are down far enough, and your company is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, all bets are off. Then there's the competition. If you think you can deliver sales to a company, there are 100 people in the wings who are saying they can do it even better.
Bottom line: if you're looking for a job in sales, your resume has to sell you to a cynical audience - recruiters and hiring officials who have heard it all and seen it all on paper. Your first shot at making a good first impression is...
The Sales Resume Objective
Not every resume needs one, but I believe an objective statement is important and advisable when 1) you know the specific title of the position you're applying for, 2) your work history has been varied enough such that a reader would have to work hard to identify your current career goal. On that latter point, if you've got a background in customer service, sales, finance and rodeo clowning, you need focus and you need it quickly. A well-written resume objective quickly draws a bead on your target, and helps condition the reader to the information that follows.
Notice we're talking "well written" resume objective. Too many folks slap together an objective statement that ends up doing more harm than good. Biggest problem: they don't view the objective through the eyes of the hiring official.
What Not To Say On Your Sales Resume Objective
Let's look at a few examples of objectives for sales candidates that delivered their attached resumes straight to the circular file. My notes in [brackets].
1) "To obtain a challenging job in sales." [Too general. True, the writer has pointed a scattergun at his desired occupation. In this case, sales as opposed to rodeo clowning. But what kind of sales? We've got outside sales, inside sales, territory sales, and sales management. Challenging? It's a resume cliche.]
2) "A position in Counter Sales offering advancement opportunities." [Well, now the writer is using a rifle to target his desired occupation, which is good. But bringing up his desire for advancement in the same breath of air makes me question his genuine enthusiasm for the day-to-day duties of counter sales. Hint: don't mention advancement before securing even the first job on the ladder.]
3) "Seeking a position in Sales or Marketing which could fully utilize my skills and abilities." [Which is it going to be? Sales or marketing? In most corporations, those are quite dissimilar professions. And what "skills and abilities" are you parading? This writer has not tantalized me to want to read further in order to dig out those skills and abilities.]
One Case Study
Shawn was a sales representative with twelve years experience in a highly technical field. After combing through his work history and discussing his goals during a phone interview, I wrote the following resume objective. Keep in mind, Shawn had identified the company he wanted to work for, and we were responding to an actual classified ad for a position opening.
"Position in APPLICATION SALES requiring a top-performing sales leader with a consultative approach to business development and a demonstrated track record for delivering results."
Why Did This Sales Objective Work?
Why Did This Sales Objective Work?
First of all, it directly identified the position sought, which matched the position opening. Secondly, it addressed the qualifications required in the ad. In fact, the keywords "top-performing," "consultative" and "track record" were actually in the ad, yet they also perfectly matched Shawn's skill set and work history.
Set The Stage And Keep 'em Reading
Shawn's objective was targeted and focused; it spoke to the needs of the hiring official, and offered tantalizing assertions as to the value of this candidate. The resume objective is not the place to prove those assertions. That would come in the subsequent "profile" and "experience" sections.
At this stage of the game, it's enough that the hiring official keeps reading.
If your resume is going to be fighting for attention in an extremely competitive field, should you consider the help of a professional resume service? "Yes," says former recruiter David Alan Carter. "But make sure the writers are certified and they offer an interview guarantee." Carter has put together Resume Service Reviews of the Web's most popular writers at the website TopResumeServices.com, reviewing quality of workmanship, spelling out their pricing, and giving each a star ranking.
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