Directors of sales play large roles in businesses. This is a senior management position usually filled up by employees who have many years of valuable experience and significant results to show. If you’re preparing to write your sales director resume right now, you know for sure that you must do an exceptional job. It must be impressive and detailed enough so you can win that interview.
Robert Harvey Sales Director 9560835232 robertharvey@gmail.com San Diego, California USA
Experienced sales director with exceptional leadership skills. Proven performance and results in a wide range of industries including finance, e-commerce, and automobile industries. Spearheaded the transition to online operations for a financial institution and managed to grow revenue by 40%.
Work Experience
Sales Director ABC Home and Automobile Financing Company, Stockton, California July 2019 to Present Worked closely with the CEO while providing weekly, monthly, and annual reports Managed a team of 12 sales managers at a time Organized the transition from physical to online operations Increased the company’s revenue by 40% in the past year
Sales Manager XYZ Luxury Automobile Sales, New York City November 2012 to June 2019 Handled a team of 20+ sales supervisors Major decision-maker for all marketing campaigns Increased the company’s revenue consistently by 25% every year from 2015 to 2019 Sales manager of the year award (2016, 2017, 2018)
Sales Supervisor Blue Used Luxury Cars for Sale, New York City June 2008 to October 2012 Promoted to sales supervisor from sales associate position on the second year of employment Handled a minimum of 10 sales associates at a time Made sure our sales team is consistently the company’s top seller every year.
Education Master of Business Administration (MBA) University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania 2015-2017
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania 2004-2008
Skills Sales Management Strategic Sales Business Strategy Business Development Account Management Online Marketing
Sales directors can be well compensated, and definitely higher than the national average of most employee positions. Of course, the base salary, bonuses, possible profit sharing, and commissions are all dependent on your location, the company you’re working for, and your experience. It is crucial you have a quality sales director resume so you can choose the position you want.
Payscale profiles show that the average salary of a sales director is over $101,000. The lowest pay would be around $55,000 while higher level salaries are almost double the average at $193,000.
Many of us are well aware that salary rates for sales directors can still go higher especially if they work for a large company. This is why for many employees in the sales industry, becoming a director is the ultimate goal. As for hiring managers, they receive tons of resumes all the time. You absolutely need a stunning resume to make sure that yours gets on top of the pile. How can you achieve that? Use a winning sales director resume template.
You must be ready to show that you are a competent sales director if you want to get hired. It is your responsibility to find ways to bring revenue to the company, after all.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, sales managers are in-demand in the following industries with these average annual salaries.
Management of Companies and Enterprises: $161,000
Computer Systems Design and Related Services: $171,000
Automobile Dealers: $133,000
Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods: $146,000
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods: $133,000
Example of a Sales Director Resume
How to Make a Resume for a Sales Director
A resume is required when you want to apply for a new job. More often than not, even if you were recruited by hiring managers to a certain position, you still have to show an impressive resume for you to win the job. If you are working in the sales industry, you know how competitive things can get. You can’t simply submit an outdated, incomplete, and mediocre resume. You must give your best when creating your sales leader resume.
As a guide, you can take a look at our sales director resume examples. You may also use a sales director resume template or a resume builder to ensure that you won’t miss any important detail that you have to include in your resume. Personalize your resume and include specific details that are part of the job description.
Here are some quick tips to keep in mind:
Find the best resume format you can find for your sales resume.
Read the job description carefully and make sure you’re adding all relevant skills and experiences to your resume.
Use keywords on your resume so that hiring managers can easily find your resume through their applicant tracking systems.
Build your resume with ease by using resume templates and finding sales director resume samples that can serve as your guide. You can also use a resume builder.
The Layout of the Resume for a Sales Director
Your resume’s layout must appear organized and easy to read. This gives a good first impression to your future employer. Since you want to make sure that your most recent achievements and results are seen by the hiring manager, you can use the reverse-chronological format for your resume. This is a great way to highlight your track record and work history on your resume.
The Structure of the Sales Director Resume
The functional and combination formats are two other options you can choose from when writing your resume for a sales director position.
Since you are expected to have plenty of experience if you’re applying for a director position, it is best to use the combination format, which perfectly combines both the functional and reverse-chronological formats on your resume.
Here are the usual sections that can be found in most sales director resume examples:
Header
Professional Summary or Resume Objective
Work Experience
Educational Background
Skills
Additional Sections
Start with the Header of the Resume for Sales Director
The header is one of the most important parts of your resume. It contains your name, title, contact information, and other optional details. You made your LinkedIn profile too, if available. Make sure all of these are correct, factual, and updated.
Example of a Good Header for a Sales Director
CORRECT
Robert Harvey
Sales Director
9560835232
robertharvey@gmail.com
New York, USA
Example of a Bad Header for a Sales Director
INCORRECT
Robert Harvey
Sales Director
9560835232
robertharvey@gmail.com
New York, USA
Male, 36 years old
November 2, 1984
25 W Cook Street, Apt 2367, New York City, NY, 10007
Keep the header as simple and straightforward as possible. Use a simple font that’s easy to read and understand. Avoid adding too much personal and unnecessary information that is not relevant to the job.
Is a photo required in the Sales Director Resume?
Gone are the days when most resume submissions would include the applicant’s picture. Whether or not you have your best picture in your resume is insignificant to your job application today. While no one’s stopping you to add your photo on your resume, it is important to know that a greater majority of hiring managers do not consider applicants who include a picture on their resume.
If you choose to add your picture, just make sure it’s a professional shot.
Choosing your resumes for Sales Director Title
A resume title is another important part of your resume. It can be your most recent position, your best skill, or greatest achievement as a sales director.
This is an opportunity for you to add relevant keywords, once again. Pay attention to the job description when choosing the title for your resume.
Professional Summary for a Director of Sales
Piles of resumes usually get submitted to HR departments all the time. More often than not, staff and hiring managers don't look through each one and read every word written on these resumes. Use this chance to grasp their attention and keep their eyes glued to your resume. Include relevant skills, experience, and those target keywords on your sales director summary section of your resume.
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Experienced sales director with over 10 years of experience supervising regional and national sales managers. Implemented marketing strategies that have effectively increased business profits by up to 40% annually. Built professional relationships not only to clients and senior executives, but also to sales managers and associates to provide motivation.
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Dedicated and experienced sales director. Excellent command of the English language and technical skills. Knowledgeable in implementing sales strategies to increase revenue.
A resume objective used to be a staple in every resume. However, when you are applying for a director position and you already have plenty of work experience, a sales director objective is no longer necessary. You can add this instead to your cover letter.
Work Experience in the Sales Director Resume
It is rare for you to find a sales director job opening that does not require experience. You need to have results to show, a good track record, and preferably many years of working experience in the sales industry.
Describe Your Professional Experiences on Your Resumes for Sales Director
When writing a resume for a sales director position, you have to describe what your previous work experiences were in the professional experiences section. Include your job title, company name, its location, the years you’ve spent working in that company, a list of tasks and responsibilities, and your achievements.
Since you are applying for a director position, it is best to include your senior sales or managerial work experiences in your resume. Use relevant keywords by referring to the job description.
Examples of Professional Experiences for Sales Director Resume Beginner/Junior
If you have no experience as a sales director yet, but you have plenty of sales supervisory or managerial positions in your past jobs, then you can definitely apply for a sales director position. The common responsibilities are usually listed in the job description.
Include your achievements and results in the work experience section so that you can convince hiring managers that you are the best person to hire for the position.
Sales ManagerXYZ Luxury Automobile Sales, New Jersey
November 2012 to June 2019
Handled a team of 20+ sales supervisors
Analyzed trends and current results to determine the best marketing strategies for the branch
Created new marketing campaigns to attract new customers and returning clients
Planned and implemented commissions and rewards for sales associates and supervisors
Managed to increase the branch’s annual revenue by 15% consistently
Examples of Work Experience for Senior Sales Directors
Sales DirectorXYZ Luxury Automobile Sales, New Jersey
November 2012 to June 2019
Worked closely with the CEO while providing weekly, monthly, and annual reports
Supervised national and regional sales managers
Effectively increased the company’s market share by 10% within the first year as director
Prepared annual sales forecast reports
Developed monthly, quarterly, and annual sales quota for regional offices
Implemented effective promotional strategies, national sales plans and programs to assure revenue growth
Developed rewards and commission plans for performing sales managers and account executives who achieve their sales goals
Strategic planning and implementation of rules and quotas for new employees.
Education in the Sales Director Resume
More often than not, a master’s degree or at least a bachelor’s degree is required when you’re applying for a sales director position. When you write these on your professional resume, include the name of your school or university, your degree title, and years attended. If you have an impressive GPA, you may include that too.
Should You Start With Education or Work Experience for a Sales Director?
Read and understand the job description first. Does it look like the company prioritizes education over experience or is it the other way around? Most of the time, companies require significant work experience from their sales directors. Therefore, it is best to start with your most recent work experience. Check out our resume templates that can serve as a guide while writing the education section.
How to Properly List Your Education in a Sales Director Resume?
List your educational background in reverse-chronological format showing your most recent education details first. As earlier mentioned, include the name and location of your university or college, your degree, and your years of study.
Example of the Education Section of a Sales Director Resume
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
University of Chicago, Illinois
2015-2017
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
University of Chicago, Illinois
2004-2008
Skills to Put in the Resume for a Sales Director Resume
An impressive sales director resume profile not only highlights the experience and education of the applicant, but the skills too. So it is important to add the skills relevant to the position to your resume.
Check the job description to see the preferred qualifications and skills of the employer. Including them on your resume is advisable if you possess those skills.
If you believe you lack some of the skills listed on the job ad, begin learning them now. There are many ways to “up-skill” with the numerous free and paid resources you will find online. Sometimes, learning a new skill that you can add to your resume won’t even take more than a couple of hours!
What Are the Main Skills Sought for a Sales Director Resume?
Hard skills and soft skills are both important for sales director positions. Do not take those job alerts you’re getting for granted. Sure, your experience qualifies you for the job. When creating the best resume, you have to impress your future employer by showing that you have the skills they’re looking for too.
Hard skills are those that make you qualified for the job, while soft skills are what make you perfect for the job and would make the company what to hire you.
Hard Skills
Computer skills
Bookkeeping
SEO marketing
Cold calls
Foreign language skills
Marketing skills
Technical knowledge
Presentation skills
Microsoft Office skills
Project management skills
Soft Skills
Leadership
Determination
Flexibility
Team player
Dependability
Adaptability
Problem-solving
Conflict resolution
Communication
Positive work attitude
What Skills for a Junior Sales Director?
Ability to reach out to potential customers
Strong leadership skills
Ability to meet sales targets
Sales strategy implementation
Understanding of sales markets
Effective promotional strategies
Identification of sales objectives
What Skills for a Qualified Senior Sales Director?
Resolving conflicts in a struggling operation
Contract negotiation
Ability to adapt to current market conditions
Understanding of profitability
Understanding of revenue growth
Ability to handle national accounts
Knowledge in revamped pricing strategy
New business development
As a sales director, you don’t have to include common or general skills that aren’t relevant to the job such as computer skills or communication skills. You can also be specific in this section.
Write the Ideal Resume Hook Sales Director Resume
Your resume hook is a short summary of your value proposition or your best sales achievements in your sales experience. You can use quotations, a personal description, or testimonial. You can even briefly write about your turnaround success story or excellent sales performance.
Example of a Tagline for a Junior Employee Director of Sales
Enthusiastic Junior sales director with 3+ years’ and winner of most sales in region award
Sample Tagline for a Senior Level Director of Sales
Proven sales director with exceptional track record
Additional Headings for Your Sales Directors Resume
As the head of the sales department in charge of sales growth and expected increased annual sales volume, it would help if you can include more information about you on your resume. These additional headings aren’t necessarily required, but are good to have.
Computer Skills and Certifications in your Sales Directors Resume
Although you will most likely have a sales team to work with you in the sales department, it would be ideal for you to have some computer skills and certifications too. Most sales director jobs also require some certifications to prove your business acumen or understanding of the field. So if you have them, this is the best section to highlight those certifications.
Here are some examples
Certified Inside Sales Professional (CISP)
Certified Professional Sales Person (CPSP)
Certified Sales Leadership Professional (CSLP)
Six Sigma Certification
Software Certifications
Interests for a Sales Directors
Your interests are usually irrelevant to sales director jobs, but in some cases, it might be ideal to add them to your resume. For instance, if your interests are directly related to the most popular products and services of the company you’re applying for, then you can certainly list them down.
Languages in a resume for sales directors resume
Speaking more than one language is also beneficial for sales director jobs. Your position may require you to speak with international clients or foreign employees. When adding foreign languages to your resume, you can either include the certifications or tests you passed for the said language. Alternatively, you can simply add your fluency in those languages.
English: TOEFL, IELTS
Spanish: SIELE
French: DALF
Summary: Key Points for Writing a Perfect Sales Director Resume
There are plenty of account executives and sales representatives out there, but only a few can make it to the director position. Show how you were able to lead a sales team or an entire sales department to success on your resume for you to win the job.
Make sure that your contact details on your resume are accurate.
Follow the right format and layout on your resume. Find a resume sample or related resumes that you can use as a guide. Better yet, use a resume builder.
Resume experts recommend adding relevant sections such as the header, professional summary or objective, work experience, education section, and skills.
Make sure you’re always attaching a cover letter when submitting a resume.
Write a Cover Letter That Goes With Your Sales Director Resume
Cover letters aren’t necessarily required when submitting a job application. However, since you’re applying for a position that will be heading an entire sales department, you must do everything it takes to impress the hiring manager.
Not all information can be added to your resume. You can introduce yourself on a deeper level and explain your knowledge and career goals on your cover letter.
If you want your resume to be on top of the pile, make sure you’re preparing a well-crafted resume.
Frequently Asked Questions for a Sales Director Resume
What are the responsibilities of a director of sales?
The director of sales has a wide range of duties and responsibilities. More often than not, you will be working closely with the business owner, CEO and other chief officers of the company and other companies you will be dealing with. You must have an understanding of industry trends to reach sales goals and increase the market share of the company you’re working with. You must have the knowledge necessary in meeting goals in every sales cycle, professional development, new business development, and more.
What should I put on my resume for sales?
Use a resume builder and study an excellent resume sample to ensure that the format and layout of your professional resume is correct. Include relevant details such as your contact information, work experience, educational background, and skills.
What skills do you need to be a sales director?
Both hard and soft skills matter when it comes to working in sales. Refer to a professional resume example when you create your resume. You should know about professional development, strategic planning, business development, marketing, building relationships, maximizing profitability, managing a team, and dealing with customers among others.
How do you put a director on a resume?
When you create your resume, you can add your job title as a sales director on the heading section of your resume. You may also describe your experience, duties, responsibilities, and sales achievements on the professional summary of your resume.
Frequently Asked Questions for a Sales Director Resume
What are the responsibilities of a director of sales?
The director of sales has a wide range of duties and responsibilities. More often than not, you will be working closely with the business owner, CEO and other chief officers of the company and other companies you will be dealing with. You must have an understanding of industry trends to reach sales goals and increase the market share of the company you’re working with. You must have the knowledge necessary in meeting goals in every sales cycle, professional development, new business development, and more.
What should I put on my resume for sales?
Use a resume builder and study an excellent resume sample to ensure that the format and layout of your professional resume is correct. Include relevant details such as your contact information, work experience, educational background, and skills.
What skills do you need to be a sales director?
Both hard and soft skills matter when it comes to working in sales. Refer to a professional resume example when you create your resume. You should know about professional development, strategic planning, business development, marketing, building relationships, maximizing profitability, managing a team, and dealing with customers among others.
How do you put a director on a resume?
When you create your resume, you can add your job title as a sales director on the heading section of your resume. You may also describe your experience, duties, responsibilities, and sales achievements on the professional summary of your resume.
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