The Best Sales Keywords to Put on Your Resume — Wow!

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These days, many employers do not have the time to read through every resume that they are given.

Some positions receive hundreds of resumes from applicants, thus many companies are turning toward automated resume-checking.

This type of resume review checks for certain keywords to determine who passes, so it’s important to get it right!  

The best sales keywords to use on a resume are those which appear the most frequently on sales resumes. When a computer scans the resume, those with the highest number of these keywords will be ranked the highest for a recruiter to read. Make sure you are forming meaningful content with the words.

Using buzzwords is a popular tactic that involves using correct terms and keywords which can help you get into a job more easily.

By using words that recruiters will associate with tenacity, loyalty, and results, it can improve your chances of being hired.

The best types of words seem obvious for a sales position, but it’s easy to accidentally leave them off when describing one’s experience.

These are not usually adjectives such as “driven” or “punctual”, but rather words related to sales in general. 

Let’s look at some examples of words that are most common on sales resumes:

 

What are some of the best sales keywords to put on your sales resume?

• Sales
• Service
• Relationships
• Customer Service
• Goals
• Experienced
• Calls
• Business
• Account 
• CRM

There are plenty more which may come up when a computer scans through resumes, though these are some typical ones that can likely be included on any sales resume. 

When writing these words, there are some things to remember regarding the formatting.

Italics on a resume should never be included mid-sentence to emphasize words.

In fiction or online articles, sometimes the keyword or phrase in a sentence is italicized to strengthen it, but this should never be done on a resume.

Using the keyword “experienced” in a sentence, the difference is:

Correct: “Driven sales specialist with over 10 years’ experience in door-to-door marketing and cold-calls.”

Incorrect: “Driven sales specialist with over 10 years’ experience in door-to-door marketing and cold-calls.”

Do not format your sentences in such an informal way, as in the second example.

Your keywords on the resume are to be read by a software program anyways, so it does you no favors.

 

Using action words on a sales resume

A proper way to strengthen your sentences while remaining professional is to use “action words”. These are verbs that come off as powerful, efficient, and impressive to a potential employer.

While keywords are used best for computer checking, action words will appeal to the person reading your resume.

 

Here are some sales “action words” to give your resume a boost

• Assembled
• Designed
• Led
• Demonstrated
• Increased
• Streamlined
• Expanded

There are hundreds of action words which can be used, but here is the gist of things: words that make you sound confident and in-control of your job are the key to success.

Employers want to see that you are innovative and improving the companies you worked for, not simply working under someone else’s thumb.

Action words are the key to catching an employer’s eye when describing tasks and responsibilities given at a job.

In the experience section, how many bullet points per job to use on a resume should remain at 2-3.

Each of these sentences can utilize action words to help them stand out the best.

Be careful not to litter your sentences with too many action words in each one, however, as it can make the resume sound arrogant or fake.

If you’re wondering what is wrong with your resume, check to see if you might be using too many or too few action words. 

Let’s look at how an action word can make a bullet point sound more powerful:

• Expanded the door-to-door sales program to include online sales, resulting in a 150% increase in units sold

Vs.

• Made an online program to increase sales, resulting in a 150% increase in units sold

Both sentences show that the employee improved the company, but the first sentence sounds more professional and more confident.

With this tone of voice, an employer will be better convinced that you can do the same for their company as well. 

Of course, when building a sales resume you must also be sure to tailor the actual content of your resume properly as well.

 

Including CRM on a resume

CRM is a keyword that has been sought after by many employers.

CRM should be included as a keyword on your resume whenever possible, particularly for a sales resume.

This is usually in the summary or skills section, but a computer will detect it as a positive keyword anywhere you put it.

CRM stands for “customer relationship management” and is a popular tool for a salesperson.

Tracking what types of customers you have, current trends among them, satisfaction rates, search queries by customers, and many other skills are all part of CRM.

This type of knowledge is very useful to an employer, especially in cases where systems and databases are involved.

If you are not already aware of CRM, it is a good idea to look it up and perhaps take a course on it, as it is an excellent keyword to be able to include on your resume.

 

Best ways to fill out a sales resume

If you find that you have nothing to put on your resume, don’t panic. There are plenty of ways that you can include relevant and impressive information on your resume.

Including a summary, a skill, or an accomplishment should be enough to get you to the 1-page minimum.

Should you list all jobs on your resume? The answer is always no. For sales positions, you want to include jobs which involve sales being made.

While a grocery store job may involve selling things, there are likely better examples that showcase your ability to sell things that should be prioritized on your resume.

There’s also the question of should you put a summary on your resume?

Summaries are useful tools for consolidating your skills into a single area at the top of your resume, so use this if you have many relevant skills or experiences you want to highlight for an employer.