How to Write a Business Development Representative Resume
A strong business development representative resume isn’t about flashy titles, it’s about showing clear, measurable contributions that reflect your ability to thrive in a business development role. If you’ve sourced leads, booked calls, used customer relationship management tools, or supported quota attainment, you’ve got what hiring teams are looking for.
1. Write a Short Summary
Your summary should immediately position you for the business development representative role you’re targeting. Don’t waste space on your passion or generic soft skills. Instead, state your role, years of experience, sales environment (e.g., B2B SaaS, agency, tech), and a strong, quantifiable result.
This is the first thing hiring managers will read, so keep it under three lines, and use numbers if possible.
Example:If you’re applying for an entry-level business development job, lean into your activity volume, tools used, and comfort with cold outreach. You don’t need to show closings, just show you’ve moved the pipeline.
2. List Your Skills
The skills section should prove you understand how a business development position operates on a daily basis. Avoid vague soft skills like “teamwork” or “great communicator.” Focus on business development skills that reflect how you find, qualify, and engage leads.
Organize your skills into categories for better readability. This also helps you match keywords found in the specific job description.
- Sales Skills: Cold calling, appointment setting, outbound prospecting and qualifying leads
- Tools & Platforms: Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, ZoomInfo, Apollo
- Business Knowledge: Business administration, market research, strategic planning, sales strategy
These skills show you’re capable of navigating the sales process, engaging in client relationship management, and generating real business opportunities.
3. Use Clear Job Titles
Job titles are often the first thing that both applicant tracking systems and recruiters scan. If your previous job wasn’t labeled “Business Development Representative” but involved similar work, adjust the title to reflect what you actually did.
If your title was “Growth Team Intern” but you did cold outreach and lead list building, write “Business Development Intern” and clarify it with your bullet points. This helps both systems and people understand your relevance.
Stick to recognizable, searchable terms like business development associate, BDR, or sales development rep. Avoid titles like “Client Hero” or “Revenue Ninja” they won’t help in this job market.
4. Show Results
Every bullet point under work experience should point to a real outcome. Don’t list duties or team responsibilities. Focus on what you accomplished. Metrics are the fastest way to show value in a business development resume.
Include metrics like:
- Meetings booked
- Leads qualified
- Revenue influenced
- Email reply rates
- Demo-to-close rates
- Pipeline volume
Examples:- Generated 180+ qualified leads per quarter using ZoomInfo and outbound campaigns.
- Booked 65+ meetings monthly with mid-market decision-makers using LinkedIn and Outreach.
- Helped drive $200K+ in new business by sourcing and handing off high-quality SQLs.
Clear results tell potential employers you’re capable of driving revenue growth, not just showing up.
5. Start with Strong Verbs
Every bullet should begin with a verb that communicates ownership. You’re not a passive assistant. You’re a contributor to company growth. Start every line with action: booked, built, executed, qualified, sourced, launched, tracked.
Avoid passive phrases like “helped with” or “assisted in.” They bury your contribution.
Strong examples:- Managed 200+ accounts in Salesforce across three outbound campaigns.
- Executed outbound strategy targeting C-level prospects, increasing meetings booked by 32%.
These verbs reinforce your role as a high-activity business development rep who knows how to drive results.
6. Keep It to One Page
Unless you’re writing a business development manager resume or applying for a vp business development position, your resume should stay on one page. One page forces you to trim irrelevant roles and zero in on relevant skills, tools, and measurable outcomes.
Use this structure:
- Contact Information
- Summary
- Skills
- Work Experience
- Tools/Certifications
- Education (only if recent or directly related, like business administration university)
Don’t let it turn into a wall of text. A clean layout with white space and consistent formatting will help your own resume rise above the noise.
7. Tailor for Each Job Role
Tailoring a business development representative's resume means matching it directly to the job's core priorities. Scan the job description and identify what the company emphasizes—whether it's cold outreach, client retention, sales pipelines, or market research. Then adjust your summary and bullet points to spotlight those exact strengths. Prioritize what the role values, not what you think sounds impressive.
Use their language. If they mention lead generation, quarterly targets, or CRM tools, those should appear in your resume, naturally and with context. These terms not only help pass applicant tracking systems but also show hiring managers you understand the role and can step in with minimal ramp-up.
8. Add the Tools You Know
Don’t just say “familiar with CRM platforms.” Name them. Show how you used them. Recruiters want to know you can jump in and start tracking outreach, managing lists, or building sequences with minimal onboarding.
Examples:- Used Salesforce to manage 250+ active leads, track engagement, and report pipeline growth.
- Built automated cadences in Outreach to support high-volume outbound with a 20% reply rate.
This helps your resume mirror a business development executive resume organized, tool-savvy, and full of practical knowledge.
9. Cut the Buzzwords
Buzzwords waste space. Words like “team player” or “strong communicator” don’t carry weight without proof. Use that space to show what you did and what happened because of it.
Better examples:- Built client relationships that increased return meeting rates by 30%.
- Improved demo handoff strategy, reducing no-shows and increasing close rates by 15%.
Avoid fluff. Show real business development strategies in action.
10. Proofread
A great resume loses its power if it’s riddled with typos, inconsistent dates, or formatting errors. Proofreading isn’t optional. It's the final layer of polish that shows you care about detail.
Check:
- Dates and formatting
- Consistent punctuation
- Correct spellings for names and tools
- Matching job titles between resume and LinkedIn
- File name: FirstName_LastName_Business_Development_Representative_Resume.pdf
If you want to be seen as a detail-oriented business development professional, your resume should look the part. Typos suggest sloppiness, and in this job market, that can knock you out of the running no matter how strong your business development skills are.
Business Development Resume Example
If you’re building your own business development representative resume, don’t just copy-paste a template and swap in job titles. The best resumes are focused, targeted, and structured around what hiring managers actually want to see.
Here’s a sample resume built for someone applying to a high-volume business development representative position at a B2B SaaS company. Below the resume, you’ll find a breakdown of what makes each section effective.
Jordan Lee
New York, NY | jordan.lee@email.com | (555) 789-4561
linkedin.com/in/jordanlee | jordanlee.dev/resume
Summary
Business Development Representative with 3 years of experience in SaaS and enterprise tech. Proven ability to generate qualified leads, exceed sales targets, and drive revenue growth across multiple channels. Skilled in sales strategy, client relationship management, and building scalable outreach processes using leading CRM software.
Skills
Sales Skills
- Cold Calling
- Cold Emailing
- Objection Handling
- Account Qualification
- Pipeline Management
Business Development Knowledge
- Market research
- Strategic planning
- Business administration
- Market analysis
- Sales process design
Soft & Transferable Skills
- Strong communication
- Cross-functional Collaboration
- Fast Learner
CRM & Prospecting Tools
- Salesforce
- HubSpot
- Outreach
- Salesloft
- Gong
- Chili Piper
Professional Experience
Business Development Representative
LeadFlow AI | New York, NY
June 2022 – Present
- Generated 200+ qualified leads per quarter through cold email, LinkedIn outreach, and inbound follow-up
- Exceeded sales targets for 6 consecutive quarters, contributing to $1.2M in pipeline and $450K in new business
- Launched multi-step Outreach cadences with 15%+ reply rates
- Owned entire sales process from prospecting to AE handoff for enterprise-level leads
- Used Salesforce and Gong to track pipeline stages, activity, and conversion analytics
- Partnered with sales team and product marketing to refine ICPs and improve list quality
Business Development Associate
Nimbus Cloud Solutions | Remote
March 2021 – May 2022
- Built segmented lead lists based on market trends and industry-specific triggers
- Managed and updated 1,000+ contacts using HubSpot and Apollo
- Coordinated with AEs on weekly strategy sessions to align business development goals with broader pipeline strategy
- Booked 45–55 demos monthly across tech and healthcare verticals
- Participated in cross-functional workshops focused on driving business growth and shortening sales cycles
Business Development Intern
BrightLink Agency | Boston, MA
June 2020 – February 2021
- Conducted market research and created lead scoring models for internal CRM
- Supported outreach campaigns that resulted in 100+ weekly engagements
- Used LinkedIn Sales Navigator to source prospects and improve targeting
- Shadowed senior BDRs to learn client relationship management best practices
- Compiled reports on sales growth trends and campaign performance
Education
Bachelor of Business Administration
University of Massachusetts – Amherst
Graduated: May 2020
Relevant Coursework:
- Digital Marketing
- Business Analytics
- Strategic Planning
- Market Research & Consumer Behavior
- Business Communication
Key Projects:
- Created a go-to-market campaign for a mock SaaS launch, including market analysis, ICP development, and sales strategy
- Developed a business development plan for a real local startup, integrating qualified leads benchmarks and revenue growth forecasting
- Led a team in a capstone presentation on client relationship management in high-volume outbound sales environments
Why This Resume Works
- Loaded with results: This isn’t a task list. It’s built around output qualified leads, pipeline value, and sales targets hit.
- Keywords done right: Includes high-impact phrases like business development representative, business development associate, lead generation, client management, and driving revenue growth all in natural context.
- ATS-proof: Clear formatting, bullet points, and no graphics. Built to pass filters for terms like job titles, business development resumes, and applicant tracking systems.
- Versatile: With minor edits, this works for an entry-level business development job, a business development executive resume, or a step toward a business development manager resume.
Conclusion
Writing a solid business development representative resume isn’t about sounding fancy it’s about showing proof you can find leads, drive conversations, and support revenue growth. Keep it sharp, focused, and built around real results. With the right structure and language, your resume won’t just get seen, it’ll get you hired.
