12 Outside Sales Resume Examples for 2025

Outside sales can be challenging. Your resume should show skills, experience, and results. In this article, we provide examples and advice to help you. Learn to highlight your achievements, and use industry terms hiring managers look for. Get tips on structure, keywords, and what to avoid.

  Compiled and approved by Liz Bowen
  Last updated on See history of changes

  Next update scheduled for

At a Glance

Here's what we see in the best resumes for outside sales roles:

  • Show Impact With Numbers: The best resumes use metrics to show outcomes. Highlight achievements like increased sales by 20%, boosted client retention rate by 30%, reduced customer acquisition cost by 15%, or closed deals worth $500,000.

  • Include Relevant Skills: Include skills on your resume that you have and are mentioned on the job description. Some popular ones are CRM software, lead generation, pipeline management, cold calling, and sales forecasting. But don't include all of them, choose the ones you have and are mentioned in the JD.

  • Demonstrate Industry Knowledge: Show that you know the industry. Use phrases like product knowledge, market trends, and competitive analysis in your descriptions.

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Where to place education

Place the education section after your work experience on your resume if you have been in the workforce for a while. This shows your practical skills and success in sales first, which are critical in outside sales roles.

If you have recently finished a significant course like a sales training program, put your education before your experience. This highlights your new knowledge which is valuable when dealing with diverse customers and understanding different sales techniques.

Relevant sales metrics

Include specific sales metrics like revenue generated, accounts managed, or percentage of sales growth. For instance, 'Increased sales by 20% in Q1 2022.'

These numbers show your success and make your resume stand out. Employers want to see how you have performed in previous sales roles.

Optimal resume length

Keep your resume for outside sales roles concise. If you have less than 10 years of sales-related experience, aim for one page. This shows you understand the value of clear, straightforward communication. Highlight your core achievements and relevant job experiences to grab attention quickly.

For seasoned sales professionals with a wealth of experience, a two-page resume can be effective. Be sure to prioritize. Start with your most recent and relevant sales successes on the first page, ensuring these highlights are seen first. Remember, use space wisely and maintain good readability with standard margins and font sizes.

Networking in sales

Networking is key in the sales industry. Join industry groups and attend events. Mention any relevant associations or professional groups you are part of on your resume.

Show any connections or relationships you have built with clients. Employers appreciate a strong network in the sales field.

Optimize for applicant tracking systems

When you apply for a job in outside sales, it is important to make sure your resume can be read by applicant tracking systems (ATS). These systems help hiring managers by sorting through many resumes quickly. Here are some tips to help your resume show up well in these systems.

  • Use standard job titles like 'sales representative' or 'account manager' and common industry keywords throughout your resume. This makes it easier for the ATS to match your resume to the job.
  • Make sure to list your sales achievements with numbers. For example, you can include how much you increased sales or the number of new accounts you secured. Numbers help the ATS and the hiring manager see your success quickly.

Showcase your sales impact

When tailoring your resume for a position in outside sales, focus on your impact. Detail how your work has led directly to sales growth and customer acquisition. Employers look for strong evidence of your ability to sell and meet targets, so showing measurable achievements is key. Use precise, relevant terms that clearly communicate your sales credentials.

  • Quantify results with numbers—e.g., 'Increased territory sales by 20% within first year.' Use increased territory sales by 20% to catch the employer's eye.
  • Highlight relationship-building skills by mentioning key accounts you’ve secured or grown. For instance, 'Nurtured 15 new client relationships leading to recurring sales.' Mention nurtured 15 new client relationships.
  • If you have experience with specific sales software or CRM tools, mention them clearly. Say, 'Proficient in Salesforce to track client interactions.' This shows you have technical know-how with proficient in Salesforce.

Overselling with too many words

On an outside sales resume, you want to show your skills clearly and quickly. A common mistake is writing long, complex sentences. Instead, use short sentences to talk about your experience. For example, say 'Increased sales by 20% in 6 months' instead of a long story about the same achievement.

Another error is not using numbers to show your success. Numbers help you tell about your results in a clear way. If you helped your company grow, share how much. Did you gain new clients? Say how many. This helps hiring managers see your worth right away.

Choose impactful verbs

When you're applying for a role in outside sales, the verbs on your resume can make a powerful impact. Think about the actions you take daily that drive sales and customer engagement, and reflect these in your word choice. You want to show your potential employer that you are someone who takes initiative and achieves results. Start your bullet points with verbs that convey energy and determination.

Good verbs are like a firm handshake in written form; they leave an impression. Below is a list of verbs that are particularly effective for someone in outside sales. These verbs highlight the dynamic nature of the role and your ability to engage with clients and close deals.

  • For demonstrating your ability to attract new clients, use prospected, networked, targeted, captured, and secured.
  • To show your negotiation skills, use negotiated, closed, finalized, sealed, and executed.
  • To illustrate your relationship-building talents, use established, strengthened, maintained, expanded, and developed.
  • To highlight your strategic planning abilities, use strategized, planned, forecasted, analyzed, and assessed.
  • For showcasing your sales achievements, use surpassed, outperformed, exceeded, achieved, and delivered.

Want inspiration for other action verbs you can use? Check out synonyms to commonly used action verbs like Responsible, Coordinate, Facilitate, Troubleshoot, Support.

Show successes, not tasks

As someone looking for an outside sales role, you need to focus on what you've achieved, not just what you did. You might feel like listing responsibilities shows your experience. But what grabs attention are the accomplishments that show you're good at what you do.

Here's how to shift your resume from tasks to triumphs:

  • Instead of 'Managed a territory,' say 'Grew sales in my territory by 20% over six months.'
  • Instead of 'Met with clients,' show the outcome 'Secured repeat business with 15 clients, resulting in a 25% increase in annual revenue.'

Use clear numbers and outcomes to give a picture of your success. Show the value you added to your previous jobs, and you will show a future employer that you can do the same for them.

Highlight relevant sales skills

When you update your resume, it's important to show skills that prove you're good at selling. You should list these in a skills section. This helps your resume get past the automated tracking systems (ATS) that many companies use.

  • Sales forecasting
  • Product demonstration
  • Customer relationship management (CRM)
  • Lead generation
  • Negotiation
  • Time management
  • Prospecting
  • Market research
  • Contract management
  • Sales software (like Salesforce or HubSpot)

Choose skills that match the jobs you want. You don't need to list everything. Think about what you're good at and what the job ad asks for. Put your skills near the top of your resume so they're easy to find.

If you're good at using any specific sales tools or software, include these too. This shows employers that you're ready to start with less training. Remember, keep your sentences short and your language simple so the hiring manager can see your skills quickly.

Highlight leadership and growth

When you're applying for a job in sales outside of an office, showing your growth through promotions and your ability to lead is key. Employers look for candidates who have moved up in their roles because it shows commitment and success.

To demonstrate your leadership, consider these points:

  • Did you train new team members? Mention 'Trained 5+ new hires' to show your leadership.
  • Have you led a project? Include 'Led product launch campaign' to highlight managerial skills.

For promotions, think about how you moved up:

  • If you started as a sales associate and became a regional sales manager, make sure you list both titles with dates to show your progression.
  • Include achievements that led to your promotion, like 'Exceeded sales targets by 20% consistently, resulting in a promotion to senior sales role within one year.'
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