The Sales / Business Development resume
Sales resumes are read for numbers first and everything else second. Quota, attainment, deal size — put them in the first three lines of each job.
What screeners actually look for
Three things, in order of weight.
01
Quota and attainment percentage, by year
02
Deal size and sales cycle length
03
Which segment: SMB, enterprise, channel — they hire differently
The three mistakes this role makes most
- 'Exceeded targets' without the target or the percentage
- No customer segment, so the reader can't match you to their motion
- Listing famous client logos without saying what you sold them
Keywords worth including
Work them into your title, project descriptions and skills — don't pile them into a list.
Templates that fit Sales / Business Development
Each cover is the template itself, rendered.
Blue, commercial, numbers stand out.
Loud enough to match a sales personality.
English format for international or foreign-invested employers.
Common questions
How long should a Sales / Business Development resume be?
One page. Unless you have 10+ years and a genuinely full second page, the second page only dilutes the first. Put quota and attainment percentage, by year above the fold.
What gets a Sales / Business Development resume rejected fastest?
'Exceeded targets' without the target or the percentage. It is the single most common reason this role gets screened out, and fixing it matters far more than changing templates.
Can I generate a Sales / Business Development resume with AI?
Use AI for the first draft, then verify every claim and number yourself and reorder keywords against the target job description. AI handles speed; the content is still your responsibility.