Here’s a sample resume we recently produced for a senior sales executive in Singapore:
JOHN TAN
SALES & MARKETING DIRECTOR
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Tel No.: +65 XXXX XXXX | Email: jtan@company.com | Nationality: Singaporean
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Sales & Marketing Director with 15 years of experience within the IT infrastructure industry for bluechip companies such as IBM, Oracle, & HP. [This opening line perfectly describes the summary of the client’s career.]
- Successfully closed USD 82 million worth of sales in 2015, a 45% increase from previous year. [Put your best achievements up top. Numbers will always impress the reader.]
- Oversaw setup of new office in Shanghai. Hired pioneer group of sales executives and led team to capture over 20 million USD of sales within 12 months.
- Created new range of product offerings optimized for developing markets in APAC. New product range has revenues of USD $38 million and is becoming a new cornerstone of company’s cloud strategy.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
| Sales Management |
Business Process Optimisation
|
|
| Business Development | Key Account Management | |
| Marketing Campaigns | Staff Training & Development | |
| P&L Management |
[Ensure the keywords here mirror those used in the job ad. The first round of vetting is often done by a software scanner. This section helps to pad the CV with key sales phrases necessary to get past those scanners.]
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Oracle, Shanghai, China
- Direct staff of 30 to manage all APAC sales & marketing activities. Manage portfolio of 80 clients with total turnover of USD $82 million per annum [The opening line captures all the reader needs to know about this role.]
- Conceptualise and implement regional marketing, business development, and sales strategies, with full P&L responsibility
- Study market trends, competitor activity, client requirements , and regional infrastructure development. Identify opportunities for business growth and position optimum product offerings to potential clients [These are the exact phrases used in the job advertisement we are applying for. The HR Executive reading your CV will not have an IT background. Their understanding of the industry is limited. Ensure you use the language they’re familiar with (such as the phrases used in the job advertisement). This will significantly increase your chances of an interview callback.]
- Research and profile sales leads, specialising in Fortune 500 companies operating in emerging markets in APAC. Perform C-level engagement to sell enterprise-level IT products and services, and lead negotiations with clients to close million-dollar deals
- Serve as brand ambassador during international industry conferences, including GOTO and ITEXPO . Network with industry leaders, key client decision makers and media representatives, and conduct pre- and post-conference PR activities [Naming major industry conferences shows that you have the skills to represent the company to the world.]
Significant Highlights
- Single-handedly built Shanghai office from scratch. Conducted headhunting campaign to build pioneer team, then trained and empowered staff to take on additional responsibilities and serve market needs. Secured recurring revenue stream worth USD $48 million within 1st year of operations
- Coached regional sales & marketing team to achieve revenue growth of 33% in 2014 and 45% in 2015, winning Best Team Award 2015 [As much as possible, cite metrics to substantiate your achievements. Do however be vary of your company confidentiality clause.]
- Received several awards including Most Valuable Player (2015) and President’s Club Award (2013, 2014 & 2015) for outstanding sales achievements by team
ORACLE, SINGAPORE
- Managed portfolio of 200 corporate clients across Southeast Asia, with responsibility for all sales & marketing activities in the region
- Collaborated with local and regional marketing teams to execute localised marketing campaigns in line with overall company brand. Controlled marketing budgets totalling US $1.5 million, and performed gap analysis to refine marketing strategy
- Aligned local and regional sales and marketing teams with business objectives; on boarded teams with company strategy and bridged them with senior management to ensure accurate forecasting and effective planning
- Liaised with internal auditors and government authorities to enforce compliance with relevant laws and regulations on a per-country basis [This may seem like frivolous, but it’s a very valuable skill set. South East Asia has very different laws in each country which are difficult to understand and comply with. MNCs will value a candidate who can navigate these complexities.]
Significant Highlights
- Key member of regional corporate transformation exercise following 2008 financial crisis [For complex projects like this, it’s a good idea to break them up and focus on achievements.]
- Assisted global teams to overhaul business processes. Facilitated migration of non-critical roles to Manila, rationalised sales and business operations, and identified cloud-based solution to facilitate remote working and tracking of metrics
- Trained internal staff to use new platform in conjunction with development team, focusing on Sales & Marketing module. Platform recognised as regional best practice and scaled up to global implementation
- Overall efforts reduced operating costs by 15% and reduced man-hours by 23%
- Identified new market for mobile IT applications in emerging SEA economies
- Prospected for new leads, developed tailored marketing campaigns and proposals, and signed on 25 major clients from 2009-2011. Strategy captured underserved market niche and became cornerstone of all APAC regional operations
- Increased recurring sales revenue by USD $30 million, and won President’s Club Award in 2010 and 2011 for sales performance
- Discovered opportunity to open new markets in APAC and cut global operating costs through creating new regional office in China. Presented business case to senior management, received approval, on boarded internal stakeholders, and spearheaded execution of new strategy [This shows analytical skills and experience interacting with senior management. Useful in any industry.]
HP, SINGAPORE
- Supervised and mentored team of 8 sales associates to drive sales of servers and networking gear
- Assisted regional managers to perform corporate planning, including budgeting, forecasting and long-term planning
Significant Highlights
- Initiated merger of sales and marketing function in 2007. Identified synergies and common tasks between teams, overhauled business processes to combine functions, and reduced overall headcount from 23 to 15
- Consistently exceeded sales targets between USD $1.8 million to USD $2.4 million year on year
SALES ASSOCIATE May 2000 – Feb 2003
IBM, SINGAPORE
- Managed portfolio of 30 clients and delivered tailored IT solutions from IBM’s product portfolio [A single line is sufficient for a junior position so long ago.]
EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
- Masters of Business Administration (Specialisation in Sales), NUS, Singapore | 2012
- Bachelors of Business (Hons) , Nanyang Technological University | 2000
- President’s Club Award | 2010-2011 and 2013-2015
MISC. INFORMATION
- Technical Skills: MS Office, Java, Swift, C++
- Languages: Fluent in English, Mandarin, Hokkien and Cantonese
- Availability: 3 months’ notice
References available upon request
[There’s no need to list your references; if HR is interested in you they will ask you for them.]
Want a winning CV like the Sales Executive Resume Sample above?
About the Sales Executive Role
Selling products or services is different from selling yourself to employers. This is probably the reason why sales professionals find it hard to compose an outstanding resume that gets the attention of hiring managers quickly.
While sales jobs almost never run out, many of our clients still insist that they could not land a decent job that matches their qualifications. Then, when I look at their resume, I instantly know what’s wrong.
On this post, I will show you how to write a great resume tailored to sales jobs.
Key Pointers Recruiters Look For In Sales Executive Resumes
- Your ability to negotiate contracts and close accounts.
- Your experience in understanding business needs and translating them into technical specifications to present to potential clients.
- Significant quantifiable metrics that measure your success such as increase in sales month on month, annual revenue generated, and number of accounts managed.
Writing the Sales Executive Resume
1. Resume Header
Ensure your header clearly states your Name, Email Address and Contact Number. There is no need to put your home address or identification (NRIC) number.
2. Executive Summary
The executive summary gives a quick overview of your work history.
Here, you need to communicate your experience in sales and account management, marketing account execution, as well as business development if you have.
It would add impact if you can include a brief line or 2 about large accounts you’ve handled, contracts you’ve closed, or campaigns you managed, including key accomplishments that will support these performances.
Check out our guide on how to write an executive summary for your CV.
3. Areas of Expertise
This section includes all the keywords resume scanning software often used.
It’s important to place key terminologies here relevant to the job ad you’re applying for. Scan the job application and parrot back the key phrases they’ve mentioned into your resume.
Some common phrases to include are:
- Key Account Management
- Sales Management
- Market Research and Strategy
- P&L Accountability
- Business Process Optimisation
- Client Relationship Management
4. Work Experiences
Always break your work experiences into 2 parts – your daily workscope and your achievements.
For the daily workscope, include a high-level summary. Workscopes which are implied can be omitted. Remember, you want to keep your resume short and sharp for the recruiter.
With the advent of online advertising and measurement software, there is plenty of emphasis these days on metrics from advertising campaigns.
As such, do include as many details as possible on the success of your projects. Include sales targets, conversion rates, ROI, and revenues from marketing projects you managed.
One especially crucial area to talk about is your experience in optimising and tailoring campaigns according to sales targets.
5. Key Achievements
The achievements section in a sales CV is critical to differentiating your application from that of your peers.
Include accounts you’ve closed and handled, projects which you have led, and their resulting tangible business benefits. These benefits can be in the form of:
- Revenue gain to client or company
- % achievement of sales targets
- Return on inverstment (ROI)
Always tie back your projects to business benefits.
This is what hiring managers and employers want to see. Ultimately, they want to know you can bring great value to their organisation.
6. Education & Misc. Information
Be sure to include your professional memberships with your education.
Sales Executive Job Opportunities
- Scour websites like JobsDB or Jobstreet for sales jobs and opportunities. You may also want to check out our complete list of job sites in Singapore to help you get started.
- Alternatively, you can reach out to these headhunters in Singapore to learn about any vacancies they may be trying to fill out.
Job Hunting Tips from our Resident Headhunter
- Create a winning cover letter and send it along your resume. The cover letter will serve as an introduction about yourself and is a great venue to answer the question “Why should we hire you?”
- Be active on social media, particularly on LinkedIn. Make sure to create a strong online profile that represents you and you professional experiences. Here’s our comprehensive guides on finding jobs through social media and writing a great LinkedIn profile.
- Keep working hard. Get ahead of the competition.
All Done?
- Before you start sending out applications, get a free CV Feedback Session with our team.
- Not sure about your career? How about a professional career coaching call from an expert career coach?
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