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A business development associate is an entry level role with varying responsibilities relating to sales and marketing. Broadly, a business development associate is responsible for helping to drive new business for the company. They may do this in a number of ways, including following up with sales leads, setting up for and attending trade shows, preparing marketing materials and direct mail campaigns, and more. This role typically works closely with sales and marketing to help them reach business goals.
To become a business development associate, an educational background in marketing, business or communications will be preferred. However, a certain skill set is more important than education for this role. Hiring managers will be looking for someone with relevant experience like prior roles as a sales rep or retail associate. Additionally, it’s important that business development associates are outgoing and skilled communicators.
At many companies, the business development associate is responsible for driving new leads at in person events and conferences. As such, it’s important to highlight your experience with planning for and attending events. Even if it’s in a different industry, any experience with the logistics of event planning should help you stand out.
Often, business development associates own all inbound phone calls and will need to solve issues current customers are having. They may be the first line of defense before a disgruntled customer reaches management. On your resume, you should showcase customer service skills such as de-escalation, negotiation, and intentional listening.
Business development associates can be expected to have familiarity with maintaining client relationships and increasing the number of customers at the same time as being familiar with the inner workings of companies. This resume shows that they have worked with both outside sales teams as well as internal departments.
Teamwork can go a long way toward improving business performance, and indicating that you have some experience with it is a good way to go. This applicant does so by including that they worked with product and tech teams and helped coordinate social events for the firm, along with similar accomplishments.
One of the highlights of this resume is the short list of projects in the lower right corner. If you have similar projects or related business development accomplishments for clients or other departments, you should include them to support your overall competency.
As a hiring manager who has recruited business development associates at companies like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Oracle, I've seen countless resumes for this role. The best resumes that catch my attention are the ones that effectively showcase the candidate's ability to drive revenue growth, build strategic partnerships, and contribute to the company's bottom line. In this article, we'll share some tips on how to create a strong business development associate resume that will help you stand out from the competition.
When describing your business development experience, use specific metrics to quantify your achievements. This helps hiring managers understand the impact you've made in your previous roles. For example:
Avoid using vague or generic statements that don't provide any context, such as:
A resume summary for a Business Development Associate position is optional, but it can be a useful way to provide additional context about your experience and qualifications that may not be immediately clear from the rest of your resume. It's especially helpful if you're changing careers or have a diverse background that doesn't perfectly align with the job requirements.
However, it's important to avoid using an objective statement, as these are outdated and often too generic to be effective. Instead, focus on crafting a concise, targeted summary that highlights your most relevant skills and experiences. Keep it brief - no more than a few sentences or a short paragraph.
Your work experience section is the most important part of your business development associate resume. It's where you highlight your relevant experience, key accomplishments, and the impact you made in your previous roles.
To create a strong work experience section that will impress hiring managers, follow these tips:
When describing your work experience, use powerful action verbs that showcase your business development skills and expertise. This helps hiring managers quickly understand the impact you made in your previous roles.
Avoid using weak or passive language that downplays your contributions, like:
The education section of your business development associate resume should be concise and highlight your most relevant academic achievements. It's important to tailor this section to the job description and the company's requirements. Here are some key tips to keep in mind when writing your education section:
The skills section of your resume is a crucial part of your application, especially for business development associate roles. Hiring managers and applicant tracking systems (ATS) scan this section to determine if you have the right skills and expertise for the job. Here are some key tips to keep in mind when writing your skills section.
Here are examples of popular skills from Business Development Associate job descriptions that you can include on your resume.
This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Business Development Associate job descriptions and resumes. The bigger the word, the more frequently it appears on job postings, and the more likely you should include it in your resume.
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