Sales Manager CV Examples & UK Templates

You build the team, rally the troops, and identify growth opportunities. Now you’re looking for a new customer for a specialised product: Yourself as a sales manager. You’ve got the track record, now you need to use your skills to develop a sales manager CV that seals the deal on your dream job.

Your sales manager CV is your first, best chance to demonstrate your sales pitch. If you can’t sell your skills, you won’t convince recruiters you can sell products and services. So, how do you promote yourself without sounding like you’re just patting yourself on the back?

Start with this guide and the resources within Resume.io. Our CV examples, including other sales CV samples and guides, will give you a head start. Add to that our intuitive CV builder and you’ll be honing that sales pitch in no time.

Within this guide, we will cover the following topics:

• What does a sales manager do?
• Hints and tricks for writing an outstanding sales manager CV
• The best format for a sales manager CV (plus an adaptable CV example)
• Specific advice for each CV section (summary, work history, education, skills)
• Professional CV layout and design hints.

What does a sales manager do?

Sales managers are the driving force behind business growth. They see the big picture — designing and implementing strategic sales plans — while also mentoring and motivating the wider sales team. To get it right, they must be a combination of a savvy businessperson and an inspiring mentor.

More granularly, sales managers are responsible for setting company sales goals and targets for individual salespeople. They then track those goals and report results. Great sales managers train and organise their sales agents and facilitate ongoing training and guidance. 

Communication is a must as the sales manager acts as the bridge between marketing and sales to ensure all leads are followed up and to understand what pitches are working best. Sales executives may focus on business-to-business (B2B) transactions or business to customer or consumer (B2C) sales. 

How to write a sales manager CV

Before we get into the content of your sales manager CV, let’s start with what sections it comprises. Your CV should contain the following elements:

• The CV header
• The CV summary (aka profile or personal statement)
• The employment history section
• The CV skills section
• The education section

You can also customise your CV with other relevant sections. If you have earned industry accolades or certifications that bolster your desirability as a candidate, consider creating new elements to draw attention to them. Shout about yourself! 

Choosing the best CV format for a sales manager

Presenting sales packages means making it easy for the customer to find exactly what they want to know to help them make a decision — in your favour, of course. That’s why your sales manager CV format ranks high in importance. You need to choose wisely so recruiters perusing your CV find exactly what they’re looking for without delay.

We recommend the reverse chronological order CV format in most cases. Why? Recruiters want to sift through CVs quickly and at the top of their list is the answer to the question: What are you doing now? The answer should be directly under your employment history header.

If you are a seasoned professional or a career changer, one of the alternate formats we suggest may be a better option for you. However, your sales and management talents are most likely better showcased in a reverse chronological order format. 

CV header

The goal of your sales manager CV is to garner an interview. Any obstacle can diminish your chances, so use your header to draw the eye towards your name, email address and best phone number.

Excellent CVs don’t waste an opportunity to illustrate a talent, and sales managers also have to be presenters. Show off this skill with a crisp, easy-to-read header that reflects your professional personality. 

CV summary example: elevator pitch

What’s your sales and management style? Are you a big-picture thinker? What will you bring to the position? Answering those queries is the gist of your sales manager CV summary. You know attention spans are short, so give recruiters 100 words to instantly hook them.

Your summary, also known as a profile, is a teaser to the detailed content within your CV. The broad outline below will help you structure this freeform section: 

• Start with a one-sentence introduction, including a strong adjective or two related to your professional style
• Spend one or two sentences touting your greatest sales achievement
• Talk up the reason you want the specific job at hand and why you are a great fit. You will delve more deeply into these topics in the rest of your CV and your cover letter.

Need some inspiration here? If you’d like to see more CV samples to guide you through writing this section, click over to our marketing CV example, the account manager CV sample, or the general sales CV example.

Employment history sample: seal the deal

Let’s face it: Sales is a numbers game. Successful sales managers boost the bottom line and have the data to prove it. Within the employment history section of your sales manager CV, you need to build the case that you have the know-how to push the sales team to greater heights.

There’s no better way to do that than with hard numbers. Use each bullet item to draw parallels between your actions and increased sales. That includes your ability to manage your team well and create a commission structure that builds team morale and enhances the company’s profits.

Active language and strong verbs create an image of positive momentum and strategic movement. Develop a story of increasing sales success and industry knowledge.

Resume skills example: focused excellence

Describe your professional identity in five words or fewer. This is a common interview question, but it is also the guiding principle of the skills element of your sales manager resume. What are the top attributes that make you an excellent sales manager?

This section can be difficult because expertise in leadership and people skills as well as business and sales acumen are necessities. Your research will pay off here, because you will be able to focus your section on the attributes most important to the firm.

According to Zendesk, sales managers need the following soft — or people — skills: empathy, resilience, servant leadership, communication skills, problem-solving, motivational techniques, and an ability to delegate. Choose from those or define your own. Then, blend in the hard skills you have learned over the course of your career. Check out our adaptable CV sample.

Sales manager CV education example

Although some sales managers have degrees in business or management, formal post-secondary education is not typically a requirement in this field. You should, however, include your education background on your CV. 

Begin with your latest degree and work backward. You need not include your high school experience if you have university diplomas. If you have completed any sales or sales management courses, such as those from the Institute of Sales Management (ISM), include those here as well. Take a look at our CV sample for inspiration.

CV layout and design: visualise sales

The best sales pitch may fall flat if the visual materials that go with it don’t inspire confidence. Your sales manager CV needs to leave the impression of an organised, go-getter who can use a graphic presentation to close the deal.

If your sales manager CV stands out from the start, you’re much more likely to get a second look. Here are some tips for accomplishing the task:

• Ensure that recruiters can find what they seek without difficulty by clearly labelling your sections and choosing a font that stands out.
• Create an airy feel by varying line lengths to avoid dense blocks of type and leave amply margins.
• Consider one or two graphic elements, but keep them clean and use only colour sparingly.
• Readability comes first. Choose fonts that are easy on the eye.

Key takeaways for a sales manager CV 

1. Your greatest product is yourself and your application package is your showcase — if you can’t sell yourself, you won’t get a chance to sell anything else.
2. Hone your sales manager CV content to match the requirements of each job and give yourself an edge against the ATS in the process.
3. Carefully craft your summary; it is your elevator pitch and may tip the scales toward getting the interview.
4. Use Resume.io’s resources, including templates, that will get your CV in shape faster.