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If you are a highly motivated people person, a role as a sales account executive might be right for you. Account executives are responsible for sourcing new business accounts, creating relationships, and ultimately closing sales with these accounts. Account executives are responsible for prospecting new customers, opening conversations with prospects, leading demonstrations and presentations to sell the product, and leading the technical aspects of closing the sale. This is usually a quota-carrying role that requires the account executive to reach a certain number of new sales per month.
To become a sales account executive, it’s often required that you have a bachelor’s degree. Most account executives have loosely relevant degrees in communications, business management, English, or marketing. Additionally, hiring managers will look for someone with previous customer-facing job experience, such as prior roles as a business development representative, field sales representative, or inside sales rep. Moreover, hiring managers will look for someone with the right mindset and skills. Account executives must be highly self-motivated, with great time management and people skills.
The account executive is a mid-level role, therefore it’s usually expected you have at least a year of sales experience. It’s important that you highlight your successes in previous sales roles. Any wins, such as exceeding your quota or closing a complicated account, should be highlighted on your resume to make you stand out.
All account executives are involved in sales, but you can expect a role specifically billed as a sales account executive to be even more so. You’ll need strong sales and people skills for this role. Sales account executives need to be able to identify potential leads, schedule regular meetings to stay on top of existing client accounts, and analyze sales data to make sure they’re meeting budget requirements.
The best thing you can do when applying for any role is to tailor your resume. Recruiters want to see your experience that’s most relevant to the position, which means ensuring that your job titles and skills are in line with the job description. When listing additional information, stick with skills and qualifications like Business Development, account management software, and certifications you’ll actually be using on the job.
Every resume should include hard numbers and metrics on your bullet points, but this is especially important for a sales position. Using metrics like, “increased new business by 25%,” and “totalling over $1.5M in wholesale revenue,” emphasizes the value you can bring to the company.
As a hiring manager who has recruited for sales account executive roles at companies like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Oracle, I've reviewed hundreds of resumes. The best resumes for this role effectively highlight the candidate's ability to drive revenue growth, build strong client relationships, and consistently meet or exceed sales targets. In this article, we'll share some tips to help you craft a compelling resume that will catch the attention of hiring managers and increase your chances of landing an interview.
Hiring managers want to see concrete evidence of your ability to drive revenue growth. Use specific numbers and metrics to quantify your sales achievements:
Avoid using vague or generic statements that don't provide any meaningful information, such as:
A resume summary for a Sales Account Executive role is an optional section that provides a brief overview of your professional background, key skills, and career goals. While a summary is not a strict requirement, it can be a valuable addition if you have extensive experience in sales or are looking to transition into a new industry. However, avoid using an objective statement, as it is an outdated practice that focuses on your goals rather than how you can benefit the company.
When crafting your summary, tailor it to the specific Sales Account Executive position you are targeting. Highlight your most relevant skills, experiences, and achievements that align with the job requirements. Keep it concise and engaging, as hiring managers typically spend only a few seconds scanning each resume.
The work experience section is the heart of your resume. It's where you show hiring managers how you've applied your skills to make an impact for your previous employers. For sales account executives, this section is especially critical, as it's your chance to highlight your sales achievements, client relationships, and revenue growth.
In this section, we'll break down step-by-step how to write a compelling work experience section that will grab the attention of hiring managers and showcase your value as a sales professional.
When describing your past roles, choose powerful action verbs that convey the impact you made. Avoid generic phrases like 'responsible for.' Instead, use verbs that are specific to sales and revenue generation, such as:
These types of action verbs paint a picture of you as a proactive, results-oriented sales professional.
The education section is a critical part of your sales account executive resume. It shows hiring managers that you have the necessary knowledge and training to succeed in the role. Here are some tips to help you write an effective education section:
The skills section of your resume is a critical component that showcases your abilities to potential employers. As a sales account executive, it's important to highlight the skills that are most relevant to the job you're applying for. In this section, we'll break down the key steps to writing an effective skills section that will help you stand out from other candidates.
Here are examples of popular skills from Sales Account Executive job descriptions that you can include on your resume.
This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Sales Account Executive 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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