Sophia RayThe Summary or Objective section of your resume is a vital part of the document that carries significant weight in engaging your potential employer. It provides a brief highlight of who you are, your skills, experiences, and overall fit for the job you're applying to. As the initial part of your resume, your objective can literally 'make or break' your success rate with recruiters. So, let's hop onto understanding how you can craft an exceptional summary/objective for your resume, especially if you're a Sales Manager.
Know Your Objective
Your summary or objective should ideally summarize your overall career. Yes, a tall order for a short space, but it's doable. The key is knowing your career objective. For a Sales Manager, your objective might involve leading a sales team to surpass organizational goals, strategize business growth through innovative sales tactics, or utilize customer engagement tools to improve client relationships). Once you've highlighted your objective, you're better equipped to write a resume summary that aligns with it.
Highlight Your Expertise
Your summary is the perfect place to showcase your unique set of skills and areas of expertise. As a Sales Manager, you might possess skills such as sales planning, forecasting, negotiation, team leadership, client relationships management, among others. The aim is to give your potential employer a glimpse of your skills even before they delve into the body of your resume.
Show Your Achievements, Don't Just Tell
Simply stating that you have a vast experience in sales management might not cut it. Add specifics. Half a sentence highlighting how you maximized sales by XX% or effectively managed a sales team of XX persons is more compelling and persuasive.
Tailor for Each Job
Avoid a 'one size fits all' approach to resume summaries. Each job and organization have unique expectations. See what a particular post emphasizes on, research about the company, and then tailor your resume summary/objective to match those. A tailored summary is more impactful and conveys your dedication.
Keep it Concise
Remember, your resume summary or objective section isn't a place for storytelling. Brevity is crucial as most recruiters only take 6-7 seconds to scan a resume.
Use Actionable, Strong Verbs
You want your language to be authoritative and compelling. Opt for strong verbs and avoid passive voice. For instance, "Managed a sales team of XX with an annual growth of XX%" is more impactful than "A sales team was led by me".
For sales managers specifically, your summary should exude leadership, strategic thinking, expertise, and a results-driven approach. And above all, it should be authentic. Packed with these elements, your resume summary or objective will heighten your chances of landing that dream job.
Strong Summaries
Results-driven Sales Manager with over 10 years experience in the tech industry skilled at boosting company revenue through innovative and proactive sales strategies.
Accomplished Sales Manager known for delivering strong revenue growth, possessing extensive experience in the B2B sector. Outstanding sales track record in increasingly high-volume markets.
Dedicated Sales Manager with proven leadership skills and the ability to drive profitability, adept at building new business and forging strong partnerships.
Experienced Sales Manager with a decade of solid sales experience at numerous multinational companies. Excellence in forging productive relationships with key clients.
Why these are strong?
These are good examples because they precisely mention the specific areas of expertise, length of experience, and accomplishments of the candidate. They present key selling points at a glance, making it easy for the hiring managers to understand the candidate’s worth. Each summary is tailored to the sales manager position with particular emphasis on skills, experience, and proven results - which are paramount in effective sales leadership. They are also free of 'empty' words and provide tangible evidence.
Weak Summaries
Sales Manager. I like management. Have worked in stores. Good at people. Sold clothes. Like selling. Need to make more money. I like sales.
I am a Sales Manager. I worked with various types of companies with no specific industry expertise. I sold items and have been a manager in the past.
Sales Manager. Managed sales. Number one seller in previous company. Good at managing. Need a job. Can manage your sales too.
Been in sales for a while. Not much of a manager but I try. Need a higher position for better money. Sales Manager sounds cool.
Why these are weak?
These examples above are bad for several reasons. The first and the most significant one is the lack of specificity, they don’t mention which industry the applicant worked in, which tasks they handled, or which results they achieved. The focus is centered on personal needs and preferences rather than on qualifications, skills, and benefits that the employer could get. Use of casual language and lack of professionalism can be seen in these examples – 'Sales Manager sounds cool', this is inappropriate language for a professional setting. These summaries express the applicant's personal desires and needs - 'Need to make more money.', 'Need a job.', but a good resume should focus on what the applicant can offer to the potential employer, not the other way around.
