Resume that SELLS

Let me qualify this entry with a disclaimer- I am not a professional resume writer although I have seen thousands of resumes in my time as a headhunter. If you want to engage those professional resume writing services I know several highly qualified people I can refer you to who will charge a nominal fee and will create a very pretty piece of paper.

I am also not the end-all, be-all authority on resume writing. If you ask a thousand recruiters you will get a thousand opinions on how a resume "should" look. It is mainly an issue if aesthetics and personal taste. Ergo, no right or wrong answers. What I do believe that I offer which is very valuable is a sales perspective to writing a resume. I look at resumes as if I were a sales manager and evaluate on that basis. My advice to you as you read this blog is to take what makes sense to you and make it your own and discard the rest because at the end of the day the only thing that is important is to have a document that you feel strongly represents you and what you bring to the table and paints a picture of the impact you will have on your future employer.



Let's go back to the seed we planted in the previous post which is the idea that finding a job is a sales process. Creating a resume that will sell you is the next logical step.

Picture yourself walking through a car lot- checking out the bells and whistles of all the new models. You go up to the sticker on the window and what does it tell you? It does not go into great amounts of detail about how the car was put together and the history of the factory where it was produced. What it does tell you are the SIZZLE POINTS. The hot, sexy facts that will make you want to get into that bad boy and take on the road to open it up and see what it can do for you. THAT is the effect you want your resume to have! It should sizzle in someone's fingers to the point where they know they must snatch you up and get you a seat on their bus before anyone else even knows you are looking. Is it possible to do that with just a resume? I think so and this is how to do it....



1. Sell to the Decision Maker- You really need to keep hammering the idea until it feels second nature that this is a sales process. Someone out there needs a solution to their pain, that pain being they are not generating enough sales- the solution they are seeking is YOU but you have to educate and close them on that fact. There is a company right now that has pain and that pain is they are not driving enough revenue. You need to create a document that will sell to the decision maker for that company (CEO, VP of Sales, Director, etc) that your product/solution is the SOLUTION for their pain. You need to write to what you know are their pain points and begin the process of closing them on how you are exactly who they are looking for. Think of this resume as your One Sheet or sales collateral for your product. Not a bio, a sales document that is designed to get your foot in the door and close for a face to face appointment. Make sense?



2. Check your Ego- You have to take your ego out of the mix. People tend to get oddly humble (humble? a sales person?? yeah...weird I know) when writing a resume and either feel like people should just be able to extrapolate information based on what they write or they downplay their accomplishments. Don't be vague! As far as format (which is the least important thing to me) I strongly prefer and recommend bullet points, specifically 3-5 per position. Remember, these are sales manager who are looking at this and you have (maybe) a good 5 seconds to catch someones attention on a resume. My eyes stop when I see $ signs and % signs followed by big numbers. Saying you were 120% to goal is better than saying you exceeded plan by 20%- get the difference?

Now as far as being vague- I have a little life lesson that can be used in all areas of your life. Ready? If you don't specifically tell me, you can't assume that I know what you mean. You need to be very clear. If you want me to know that you have strong Channel or Public Sector relationships tell me, then tell me how much revenue you were able to close because of the relationship. If you just talk about how you know Excel and Salesforce or your are a good cold caller then how will I know that your average deal size was 50k and you carried and exceeded a 1M quota? Be specific AND ring your own bell. This is selling yourself! Remember we talked about sizzle points? You need to march out the biggest, baddest accomplishments that you have in your background. Be proud and list those things that you are excited about.

3. Length doesn't matter: OK, it matters a little. Your resume does not need to read like War & Peace however I see way too many resumes that are crammed onto a single page. For the most part I expect to see a 2 page resume because I deal with people who are at the mid-to-high levels of their career. What my rule of thumb is, if you do spill onto a second page then fill up that page! I think it is a waste to leave white space on a resume when you can fill it up with valuable information. And here is the kicker, you don't always know what your reader will consider valuable. Here are some examples of what I consider to be valuable "fluff", meaning that it is good and interesting information but could be cut out and still be a solid document and would still paint that great picture of who you are.

Additional Skills- this is a broad topic and can include things like sales training and seminars you went to and certifications you have earned (especially important in technology sales!). You paid the $xxx's to take all those classes, here is where they can pay you back. The reason it is important is employers want to know that you are continually investing in growing yourself and your skills. This tells them that you will be a sponge and soak up what they will teach you and probably learn it quickly and be able to adapt and apply it right away. This can also help be a "cover" for those who do not have a college degree and in that case you would rename the section "Education and Additional Skills". Lack of formal education is a red flag, not a "no" and work experience combined with some professional training might be enough to overcome that objection (see? still a sales process).

Community Involvement- everyone loves someone who gives back. So many company mission statements now include giving back to the community that they look for people who already are invested in giving back. There could also be some instant synergy if you work with a charity that they partner with as well (Note- also a great way to network, more on this later). It can also reveal a lot about who you are on a personal level and what are your passions and personal interests. If you are on the Boards for any community organizations you want to highlight that as well. It indicates that your are a leader in all areas of your life.

Accomplishments- I usually suggest that there be a Accomplishment section at the top of the resume. You should pick the 3 or 4 things that if someone knew nothing else about your professional career these are the things that your hang your hat on. These can be the biggest deals, the overall revenue you generated...whatever those things are that just make your chest puff up with pride when you think about it. Here is why I suggest this...a hiring manager sees this great achievement, they call you up and ask you about "x". You are going to instantly be able to tap into something that you feel confident and passionate about and that will set the tone and put you in the "zone" for the rest of the conversation!

Technology- this is obviously more for technically based positions but here are some things everyone can list: CRM systems you know and have worked on (Salesforce, Goldmine, ACT), any advanced MS programs (we all assume you can get into your email and open a Word document) or any special software your position required. For technical sales, list all the software and hardware you sold and vendors you have worked with- employers want to know at a glance you have experience with the products they sell so tell them!

Military background/Special interests- military background is always highly respected and can be a replacement for education in many cases. It can be especially helpful for any public sector selling positions for obvious reasons. Also, if you were a professional athlete or actor or anything a bit out of the ordinary that might catch someones eye and make you stand out put it out there! It may not be relevant for the job but this is all about standing apart from the crowd!

4. The Meat- Now that we have an idea of the format and purpose of this "sales sheet" is, we can dig into the meat of what should be listed for each position to help paint that picture of success. Keep in mind that the best indication of future success is past performance so you want to create a solid synopsis of your past success so your future employer can easily see how you will be able to replicate and exceed that performance at their company.

Again, I suggest a chronological resume with your most recent position listed first and going back 10 years. If you have a history that goes back further than that I would suggest that you list a summary of previous positions only if your past positions are relevant to the position you are looking for right now.

Here are the most critical points to cover:

What did you sell? Remember we discussed that if you don't tell us, we don't know? I may not have any familiarity with the companies you worked at before so you need to be specific about the products or service you sold. Be specific!

Who did you sell it to? What was your vertical? Public Sector? F1000? SMB? Did you cover a specific geography? Were your presenting to Cxo's or closing office managers?

Performance: What was your quota and how did you do against it? President's Club? Quota Buster? And if you didn't blow out your quota what kind of numbers were you driving? The good news here is you can highlight the numbers that put you in the best light. (Note- always, always be VERY truthful about your metrics, being dishonest about information on your resume in many companies can be grounds for termination). If there are any other KPI's (key performance indicators) that are relevant to your field here is where you want to list them.

Awards/Accolades: And here is where you want to bang your drum. This is where you shout from the rooftops your best and most outstanding accomplishments and achievements during your tenure at this company. Biggest deal in company history, fastest ramp up of any rookie, largest number of new accounts closed in a single year...etc.

Once you have all this information you want to create bullet points that are concise and quantifiable. I mentioned before that my eyes stop on dollar signs and percentage signs. Once you have written the body for each position, addressing all the points above, walk away....put on your Sales Manager hat, walk back to your desk and sit down. As you review your resume with those fresh Manager eyes ask yourself those age old questions: "what's in it for me" and "so what?" Remember you are selling to close for a face to face meeting with a decision maker and if you can't show him how your product (your skills) are the solution for his pain (revenue) you will never get a meeting. The "so what" question is the best one to ask yourself again and again as you write your resume and until you get to a clear, concise answer...keep fine tuning! Selling isn't telling it is educating your prospect on their need for your product or solution!!

5. Red Flags- Just a note about red flags. This is a term we use in the employment world to indicate places where we have questions. Red Flags are not necessarily "no's" but they do give pause and if you hit several red flags then your resume will get chucked into the "NO" pile and you'll never get a chance to overcome that objection (again, see the sales correlation?). There are some common Red Flags and here are some tips to address them- you can't always make them go away (it is what it is) but if can provide an answer sometimes that is enough.

Employment dates- My heart breaks for all the mortgage folks who, through no fault of their own, bounced through multiples firms in a single year due to offices closing. My suggestion is to add an italics bullet right in the body of your resume indicating your reason for leaving (ex: reason for leaving: office closed July 2008). This won't make the reality of the situation go away but an explanation, and a letter of reference from your previous manager, might be enough to keep you out of the NO pile.

Lack of Education/College Degree- we hit upon this earlier in the "Additional Skills" section above.

Typo's- It is amazing what can slip by so have a couple of people review your resume before you send it out.

Inappropriate E-mail address- There is no excuse to not have a professional email address for the purpose of job seeking. There are dozens of free accounts so if your personal email is bigdaddy4u@whatever.com do NOT use it on a resume. Seriously, don't even think about it.


Your resume is a living, breathing document and should grow with you as you grow your career. You should be updating your resume continually, no less than every 6 months. This does not mean that you are in a job hunt every 6 months (although for some people, that is sadly the case) and I would honestly advise that you always be in some level of job searching. Updating your resume is being what I call "Being a Good Steward of Your Own Career". You need be constantly vigilant of how you can improve your skills and what accomplishments you can add to your resume. Doing a great job with this now may help you identify some places where you might want to fill in some gaps in your professional life(get a certification, finish your degree, get involved in the community) and help you become a more well-rounded, balanced and placeable candidate in ANY job market!