Sales CV Template + Examples for 2024

Hard facts and figures, proven performance, stats – these are what matters when writing a sales CV. It's about strategically showcasing your professional journey as a product, with your skills and experiences as the key selling points.

Help the employer of your dreams see that you’re an investment worth making, that they’d be crazy not to hire you. They must be sure you'll drive their revenue and build long-term relationships.

In this guide, you'll get a sales CV template that can be easily adjusted to a sales executive or a sales assistant role. You'll also view sales CV examples with detailed instructions, tips and advice. We'll also put emphasis on the sales skills to make your sales CV even stronger. Ready?

Create an effective CV in minutes. Choose a professional CV template and fill in every section of your CV in a flash using ready-made content and expert tips.

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The LiveCareer online CV maker lets you build a professional CV fast and download it as a PDF or DOC.

Need a different CV example? Check these guides:

• Accountant CV
• Account Manager CV
• Buyer CV
• Customer Service CV
• Consulting CV
• Digital Marketing CV
• Estate Agent CV
• Manager CV
• Marketing CV
• Personal Trainer CV
• Pharmacist CV
• Project Manager CV
• Retail CV
• Retail Manager CV
• Sales Assistant CV

Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our CV examples.

Sales CV example & template

Now you know what a model CV looks like. Let's write your own CV for sales:

1. Write a personal statement for your sales CV

Best way to start a CV? Write a personal statement. There are three things your CV personal statement should do:

• Introduce you as an employee, what industry or niche you’ve been working in and for how long.
• Give a taste of what you have to offer the company by showcasing an achievement.
• Describe what you hope to achieve for the company by applying your skills.

Address each of these points in a total of 3-4 sentences and 50-150 words and you already have an impressive CV summary that will make recruiters sit up and pay attention to your sales CV.

Writing a sales manager CV, sales director CV or generally have a lot of experience and achievements under your belt? Then start and finish your personal statement as above but include two achievements:

• Your most relevant achievement for the job
• A unique achievement, like an award you’ve won or a record you hold.

Stick to the 150 word limit, though, whichever option you choose. As you can probably gather, your personal statement will be different for each job to which you apply. You’ll need to swap out the last sentence each time. You might even find that different achievements are more relevant to different jobs.

Speaking of customising your sales CV personal statement, try to use keywords from the job advert and mention the company you’re applying to by name. More and more companies are using Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and the right keywords will help send your CV into the right pile.

Your personal statement will go first in your CV, but it’s best to write it last. Keep it in the back of your mind as you work through the rest of this article and come back to it once you’ve got your job descriptions and skills written out and ready to go.

Sales CV example: personal statement template

A strong CV summary will convince the recruiter you’re the perfect candidate. Save time and choose a ready-made personal statement written by career experts and adjust it to your needs in the LiveCareer CV builder.

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2. Showcase your work experience in your sales CV

Use a chronological format to list your work experience, starting from your most recent position and working your way back from there. This is the CV format that hiring managers expect to see in a sales CV and it’ll help them scan your CV more easily. It’ll also help an ATS parse your work history more readily.

Start each job description according to the following template:

[Job Title]

[Company Name, Location]

[Dates of Employment]

Resist the temptation to list duties and responsibilities under each position. Instead, list only quantified achievements that are relevant to the job you’re applying for. Use accomplishment statements and something like the PAR (Problem Action Result) formula to structure your bullet points.

Writing a sales CV with little or no experience? Focus on any internships, placement work, and volunteer work you’ve done and then put this CV section after your education section. Don’t stress if you don’t have any work experience at all—in that case skip this section and consider writing a student or graduate CV instead.

Sales CV examples: job description template

3. Add an education section to your sales CV

When listing university degrees in your education section, include the name of your degree, the years you attended (with an expected graduation date if you’re still studying), and the name of the institution and its location. Use this layout:

[Degree Class] [Degree Type] [Degree Name] (Year Graduated)

[University Name]

If you’re still studying, include your expected graduation date.

When it comes to your high school education, list all of your A-levels subjects, the years during which you studied them, the name of the school and its location. For GCSEs simply state how many you completed, the years over which you completed them, the name of the school and its location.

Employers often need to see that you have passes in Maths and English as a bare minimum. So it’s a good idea to mention Mathematics and English when stating how many GCSEs you’ve completed.

If you’ve just finished school or just graduated from university and don’t yet have much experience, then put this section above your work experience section. You may want to add bullet points here to highlight your academic achievements, extracurricular activities or areas of excellence.

Sales CV examples: education section template

4. Add a deal-closing list of sales skills to your sales CV

The goal here is to end up with a list of 5-10 of your skills, each backed up with facts and figures. First, set aside the job advert to which you’re responding as well as your CV file. Open a new document and list as many of your on-the-job skills as possible (hard and soft skills). The more, the better.

Now comes the tricky part. Pair each of your skills with a concrete example that demonstrates your ability to do the thing in question. Can’t back something up? Then it drops off the list. Anyone can think up an impressive sales skill-set, stand out from the crowd by showing that you walk the walk.

Go back to the job advert and pick 5-10 skills (with examples) that match the job offer. Paste these into your sales CV. Keep the full master list, though. Add to it as new skills and/or examples occur to you. You’ll be able to draw from it when tailoring your CV to the next job advert.

Sales CV example: skills template

5. Include additional sections in your sales CV

Add sections for anything that helps paint a fuller picture of you as an employee. Sales, especially when working on commission only, can be extremely stressful. Show the hiring manager how you relax and keep an even keel by listing some of your hobbies.

Maybe you have some relevant qualifications that belong in their own section? Do you speak any languages other than English? This is still relatively rare in Britain and well worth mentioning, especially in sales-related fields.

Sales CV examples: additional sections template

6. Write a sales cover letter to go with your CV

Most of the time your sales CV will only constitute half of your job application. Don’t neglect the other half and write a sales cover letter that does your CV justice. A correctly laid-out cover letter will be framed by an appropriate header and salutation as well as proper sign-off.

You cover letter should also include:

• An attention-grabbing opening (60-80 words)
• A main section brimming with sales achievements (120-200 words)
• A closing that neatly wraps everything up and leaves your reader with a CTA (40-60 words).

The only time you should not include a cover letter is when you’ve been explicitly asked not to. Writing a good cover letter can be daunting at first, but with the right guidance you might be surprised at how quickly and easily it goes.

7. Format your sales CV for maximum impact

Before focusing on the more aesthetic aspects of preparing your sales CV, be sure to proofread it thoroughly. Ask someone to look over it for you and then check it again yourself. There are many apps, web apps, and programmes out there that can help you. Everything has to be absolutely word-perfect.

Then, follow these CV design guidelines for a professional-looking sales CV:

• Make your contact details clear and easy to find (preferably at the top of your CV).
• Use subheadings and white space to clearly break your CV structure down into sections.
• Choose an understated CV font like Arial, Noto, Liberation or Calibri.
• If you're using a Word CV template, save it as a PDF file unless explicitly asked for something else (PDFs protect formatting). View free CV templates here.
• How long can your CV be? Stick to one A4 page in total length per decade of experience. That's what a good CV look like.

One last thing: as anyone in sales well knows, a quick follow-up call can make all the difference. So call or email the company if you haven’t heard back after a week. 

You don’t have to be a CV writing expert. In the LiveCareer CV builder you’ll find ready-made content for every industry and position, which you can then add with a single click.

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How did you go? Was this article what you needed to get your sales CV ready to take the world by storm? Is there anything you need more guidance with? We’d love to hear from you – please leave your questions and comments below.

How we review the content at LiveCareer

Our editorial team has reviewed this article for compliance with Livecareer’s editorial guidelines. It’s to ensure that our expert advice and recommendations are consistent across all our career guides and align with current CV and cover letter writing standards and trends. We’re trusted by over 10 million job seekers, supporting them on their way to finding their dream job. Each article is preceded by research and scrutiny to ensure our content responds to current market trends and demand.