Robin's Resumes (r)

soft skills

Resumes for Sales Reps

In some ways, sales representatives have an easier job quantifying their skills than many people in other positions. If you come in at or over sales goals; if you bring in hundreds or thousands of dollars of new business; if you have a high closing rate, you are already well on the way to convincing a company to hire you in a sales position.

If your measurable skills are confidential, give percentages or ranges (for example, “reached 130% over sales goal by closing a multimillion-dollar deal”).  You should be sure to mention any awards you have received. Awards testify to your ability without requiring specific numbers.

You may be expected to have familiarity with a particular product or service (for example, new or legacy software, pharmaceuticals, or financial packages) or familiarity with a territory, industry, and specific type of client. You may need skill in certain software programs such as Salesforce.com.

But good numbers and experience in preferred areas are not the only accomplishments that recruiters and hiring managers expect in a stellar sales representative. They are also interested in soft skills such as:

  • Your ability to communicate the customers
  • The depth and speed of your understanding of products and services
  • Your ability to adapt to the company culture
  • Your networking and pipeline development skills
  • Your ability to work with a team (remember: if your successes occurred as part of a team, they are still your successes)
  • Your negotiation and closing skills.

For sales reps, these soft skills—especially the ability to connect with current and potential customers—are just as important as measurable skills. Sales reps need to be good representatives of the company’s products, services, and culture at every interaction.

As always, customize your resume for the position you want by carefully reading job postings and advertisements for the keywords and key accomplishments that should find a place in your resume. That way your resume covers both the measurable skills and the soft skills that companies are demanding.

I have written resumes for sales representatives in many fields, including technology, pharmaceutical, healthcare, and finance/insurance. Please contact me if you need help positioning yourself as the sales rep that any company would be happy to hire.

Proving Your Soft Skills on Your Resume

In an earlier blog post this month, I mentioned the need for hard facts in describing your career. But how do you provide hard facts about soft skills? Soft skills include relationship building, communications, problem-solving, team building, leadership, and change management, among others. Those soft skills are valuable in any field and at every level of an organization.

How does your resume prove that you have valuable soft skills?

The most important proof occurs when you give examples and details from previous positions and experiences. For example, did you work in a team that crossed functions or geographies? What was the size of the team and what did it accomplish? Did you contribute to customer satisfaction by figuring out a way to measure it or building a website that attracted more customers or solving a customer problem face-to-face?

Your soft skills are evident when you show that you overcame obstacles such as continuing to work through a merger or change in leadership. Any workplace change automatically requires such soft skills as adaptability and flexibility. You might have faced specific obstacles, as when you needed to merge two departments or convince an executive team to move the company in a certain direction or train a sales team to close more sales.

Another way to demonstrate soft skills is to show your ability to innovate with new products, processes, or procedures. Make sure you share the results of your innovation in terms of time savings, reduced costs, increased revenue, or productivity. Innovation is a sign of creative thinking, but companies also want to know that it added value.

As indicated throughout this post, the best way to describe soft skills is by providing specifics. Calling yourself a “team player” is fine—but what did you do and what did you achieve that demonstrates that ability? Saying you have “great communication skills” means a lot more if you gave presentations, wrote reports, or interacted with others to reach a goal.

If you have problems determining and writing about your soft skills, please contact Robin’s Resumes®. You want to make sure your resume gives you justice.

5 Important Soft Skills

“Soft skills” are people skills—they are always in high demand at every level of an organization. You may demonstrate your soft skills at every stage of your job search, from the first time you revise or write your resume to the final interview. What soft skills are companies looking for?

  1. Communication. One way to show that you are a good communicator is to make sure that your resume looks and sounds professional, without spelling and grammatical mistakes. Another way to demonstrate communication skills is through examples of achievements that involved talking across departments, helping customers, or leading a team. Finally, a good communicator will be able to talk comfortably with hiring managers and recruiters. If you feel week in any of these areas, it may be time to hire a professional resume writer, join Toastmasters, or take volunteer positions that will help you hone your communication skills.
  2. Flexibility. The achievements on your resume should show that you accept new ideas, new managers, and new approaches to work. Your ability to survive a merger, take on a new role, or implement a change in process or technology are all examples of your flexibility.
  3. Problem-solving. Almost every company or nonprofit runs into a road block at some time, whether it is lack of resources, high turnover, lack of training, or some other problem. Your achievements should include examples when you were aware of problems and helped solve or surmount them.
  4. Organization. This soft skill is apparent in the way your resume is organized. It is also apparent in the way you organize your job search: Did you research the companies where you are applying? Have you kept accurate records of where you sent your resume? When recruiters and hiring managers interview you, are you ready with relevant questions and information?
  5. Delegation. Your achievements should demonstrate your ability to delegate to increase efficiency and productivity.

Your decision to use a professional resume writer like Robin’s Resumes® shows your ability to recognize great communication, take a flexible approach to your job search, solve problems in your resume, organize your job search, and delegate. We will make sure the achievements on your resume reflect your strong soft skills. Contact us today.

Four Resume Trends for 2017

In 2017, look out for the following resume trends in social media, content, soft skills, and contact information.

Social Media: Social media has become more important than ever during a job search. While I have stated it before, let me repeat the five golden rules for social media use during a job search:

  1. Delete from Facebook, Twitter, or any other site those pictures and posts that show your nonprofessional side, including any heated arguments you exchanged.
  2. Do not use social media to trash your last employer or your fellow employees.
  3. Make sure you have a professional profile on LinkedIn and other professional sites.
  4. Do use social media and the company website to find out more about the company where you are applying or interviewing and to make sure your resume and cover letter speak to the company’s needs.
  5. Remove any political content in your social media footprint. It has been a contentious time in politics. However, if you are looking for a job, expressing your opinion on social media, or complaining about the results can be perceived as a big negative. Remember half of the voting public in the United States likely disagrees with you.

Resume Content: Your resume may be two pages (or more) but the content in it must be concise and powerful. Hiring managers and recruiters—not to mention applicant tracking systems—do not appreciate long paragraphs about what you did and how you did it. They want to know results and achievements first, and they want to know them fast. Include numbers (revenue you brought in, size of team you led, efficiencies you contributed to) wherever possible. Numbers talk.

Soft Skills on Your Resume: Some of the most important soft skills involve teamwork and team leadership, the ability to motivate and mentor, and the ability to work across silos, countries and backgrounds. More and more companies are reaching out globally, working hard to keep strong teams onboard and discovering the benefits of inclusivity. The workforce has been becoming more mobile and eclectic with every passing year. You need the soft skills to fit in with that new normal.

Contact Information on Your Resume: Complete, correct contact information, including a professional email address, is more important than ever. Unfortunately, many candidates never receive an invitation to interview because their contact information is incomplete.

For a resume that keeps up with the latest trends and shows you to advantage, please contact Robin’s Resumes® today—and start the New Year with a powerful resume.

Soft Skills I: Showing Leadership Potential in Your Resume

With all of the leadership books, seminars, blog posts, webinars, and MBA courses out there, you would think “leadership” would be clearly defined by now. But it isn’t. What makes a leader beloved might not make him or her successful; what makes a leader noteworthy might not make him or her admirable.

However, when it comes to your resume, showing leadership potential is a bit more straightforward—and easier to achieve than setting oneself up as the next Steve Jobs, Warren Buffet, or presidential candidate. Your work and volunteer experience all contribute to demonstrating the soft skill of leadership on your resume.

You want to highlight achievements that show:

  • Your ability to work with a team, even if you weren’t the team leader. Did you contribute, follow through on, or champion ideas or projects? Did you find a more efficient way for the team to operate? Those are signs of leadership.
  • Your ability to communicate at different levels in the organization. Have you successfully interacted with support staff, managers, vendors, customers, and C-level leaders? Were you able to translate technical or complex information to others? Those are signs of leadership.
  • Your organization skills. Have you taken on new challenges, job responsibilities, or a promotion? Have you delegated to or mentored others? Have you put a chaotic system or process into order? Those are signs of leadership.
  • Your commitment to the organization. Have you finished a product on time and on budget? Did you help to land a project or a new customer? Have you contributed to increased income, marketplace awareness, or productivity? Those are signs of leadership.

Contact Robin’s Resumes® for help in describing leadership and other soft skills in your work and volunteer history. We will write a resume that lets your leadership potential shine forth.

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