Sales associates need a combination of customer service skills and marketing knowledge to succeed, and it’s best to include both of these aspects on your resume. Creating a targeted resume that gets you noticed doesn’t have to be difficult, but it does need to be done intentionally. Learn how to write a sales associate resume that highlights your best skills and qualifications with our tips and examples below.
Most Popular Sales Associate Resumes
Sales Associate Resume Example
Why this sales associate resume example is strong:
This resume showcases the applicant’s work experience by using detailed bullet points to showcase their workload and accomplishments.
Mid-Career Sales Associate Resume Example
Why this sales associate resume example is strong:
This resume used concrete numbers to demonstrate their workload with statements such as “maintained 98.5% customer service satisfaction” and “opened store on 25% of shifts.”
Experienced Sales Associate Resume Example
Why this sales associate resume example is strong:
This resume shows how the applicant not only met but exceeded sales goals by listing the statistics under their professional experience.
Retail Sales Associate Resume Example
Why this retail sales associate resume example is strong:
This retail sales associate resume highlights how much the applicant exceeded sales goals in clear, quantifiable ways, so potential hiring managers can fully understand their sales skills.
Senior Sales Associate Resume Example
Why this senior sales associate resume example is strong:
This applicant used statistics to show how many sales they can generate and how they have exceeded revenue targets.
Customer Service Representative Resume Example
Why this customer service representative resume example is strong:
By listing the number of complaints answered and the percentage of customer satisfaction ratings, this resume showcases how this applicant works.
Sales Associate Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples
How To Write a Sales Associate Resume
1. Write a compelling profile summarizing your sales associate qualifications
The profile summary is where a potential employer learns who you are as a candidate and what you can bring to their organization. Your profile should be short, no more than three or four lines, and doesn’t need to be complete sentences. Make sure to include basics, such as how many years of experience you have, your sales background, and your best attributes as an employee.
Senior-Level Profile Example
Experienced sales associate with over 10 years of professional experience in retail environments, working in furniture, fine jewelry, and health and personal care sectors. Highly effective in building professional client relationships to achieve sales goals and maximize profits.
Entry-Level Profile Example
Personable and professional sales associate with over two years of retail store experience. Extensive knowledge of women’s clothing and fashion and technically proficient with point-of-sale (POS) systems. Seeking an opportunity to apply enthusiasm for clothing and fashion and exceptional customer service skills to a career with a leading clothing retail company.
2. Add a results-driven sales associate professional experience section
Whether you’re a senior- or entry-level employee, your professional experience section will look similar. Include a job title for each position, the company name and location, and your dates of employment. Add results-based numbers in your bullets, such as how much you exceeded sales targets or your average customer review score. Sales managers rely on this kind of data for their teams, and including it in your resume shows that you understand the importance of these numbers and gives some external validation to your accomplishments.
Senior-Level Professional Experience Example
Store Associate
Steve Quick Jeweler, Chicago, IL | March 2018 – present
- Surpassed monthly sales targets by 9% for all years and maintained 97.5% positive customer reviews over 12 consecutive months
- Deliver exceptional customer service by portraying an accommodating and engaging attitude, building and maintaining professional relationships with clients
- Share knowledge of all types of precious stones and metals and familiarity with designs and trends in fine jewelry
- Prepare estimates, invoices, and warranty certificates
- Collect payment and wrap merchandise
- Maintain jewelry displays, checked inventory, and performed basic housekeeping
Entry-Level Professional Experience Example
Retail Sales Associate
Rewind, San Antonio, TX | July 2019 – present
- Assist an average of 50 customers per day
- Exceeded monthly sales goals by 10% for six consecutive months, earning Best Sales Associate in 2020
- Guide customers on purchases based on interests, promotions, and other sales
- Perform general store upkeep during store hours and after closing, including cleaning, organizing shelves, and restocking items
- Stock and organize inventory with accuracy and efficiency, completing tasks 10% faster than staff average
- Maintain up-to-date product knowledge and information on brands and product lines
3. Include relevant sales associate education and certifications
Many sales associates have diverse backgrounds, so it’s normal if your education doesn’t necessarily line up with sales or marketing. But it’s still a good idea to include any degrees you have, as some positions will require a base level of education. If you took any marketing or business classes, you may also want to list these. Certifications are also valuable and can give you an edge compared to other applicants. Retail, food service, customer relationship management (CRM), and software certifications are all appropriate to list on a sales associate resume.
Certifications
Template
- [Certification Name], [Awarding Organization], [Completion Year]
Example
- Professional Program Certificate in Retail, Olivet Nazarene University, 2016
Education
Template
- [Degree Name]
- [School Name], [City, State Abbreviation] – [Graduation Month and Year]
Example
- Bachelor of Arts in Business
- The University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, May 2010
4. List relevant sales associate key skills and proficiencies
Most hiring managers are looking for applicants who can hit the ground running after some company-specific training, so they likely have a list of qualifications they’re looking for. You may see this in the job description under a heading such as “must haves” or “preferred skills.” Use this to guide what you include in your resume’s key skills and proficiencies section. If you aren’t sure what else to include, this list of common competencies for sales associates can help.
| Key Skills and Proficiencies | |
|---|---|
| Basic math skills | Closing techniques |
| Communication | Cross-selling |
| Customer service skills | Market research |
| Marketing | Merchandising |
| POS systems | Product knowledge |
| Product presentation | Relationship building |
| Team player | Upselling and cross-selling |
How To Pick the Best Sales Associate Resume Template
Sales associate resumes should be organized with headers and bullet points, and must be easy for a hiring manager to skim. A template can make constructing your resume easier, as it gives you the basic structure while still letting you customize the individual sections and put in your information. Make sure your chosen template has a standard font and a clean, simple design. Bright colors and fancy scripts can make it harder for a hiring manager to read, and these resumes often end up straight in the “no” pile.
Frequently Asked Questions: Sales Associate Resume Examples and Advice
What are common action verbs for sales associate resumes?-
As a sales associate, your resume is also an example of your skills because you’re selling a potential employer on hiring you. And just like your phrasing and what pain points you target with a customer are important, so are the words you choose when describing your professional experience. If you’re struggling with coming up with enough strong action verbs, our list below can round out your resume with unique verbs to describe your duties and responsibilities more effectively.
| Action Verbs | |
|---|---|
| Achieved | Assisted |
| Closed | Collaborated |
| Communicated | Cultivated |
| Demonstrated | Established |
| Exceeded | Followed up |
| Generated | Identified |
| Organized | Presented |
| Prospected | Recommended |
| Resolved | Strengthened |
| Trained | Upsold |
How do you align your resume with a job description?-
The Bureau of Labor and Statistics predicts that job growth among sales positions will remain steady through 2031. There may be more competition for the best positions, so crafting a standout resume is important. One way to do this is to ensure your resume is tailored to each position. Include key skills and qualifications from the job description and tweak your resume each time to reflect the company culture. While you may include the same basic information, a resume you send for a high-end furniture showroom should be more formal than a resume created for a children’s clothing boutique.
What is the best sales associate resume format?-
The reverse chronological format is a good fit for a sales associate resume. It provides a place to list your previous experience and sales metrics for each position, and you can add a section for any key skills that don’t fit into job duty bullets. A reverse chronological resume also makes it quick and easy for a hiring manager to determine if you have the right level of experience they’re looking for.
Any time you send out a resume, including a customized cover letter, it can give you more room to sell yourself as a candidate and potentially set yourself apart from other applicants who only include a resume. Cover letters are usually only about half a page long, and you can use our retail sales associate cover letter examples and templates to help you get started.
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