Sales Resume Keywords and Skills (Hard Skills)

Here are the keywords and skills that appear most frequently on recent Sales job postings. In other words, these are the most sought after skills by recruiters and hiring managers. So try to include them on your resume where possible.

Remember that every job is different. Instead of including all these keywords on your resume, identify the keywords most relevant to the job you're applying to and include those. Use the free Targeted Resume tool to help with this.

  • Account Management
  • Sales
  • Business-to-Business (B2B)
  • Sales Management
  • Negotiation
  • Business Development
  • Management
  • Marketing Strategy
  • Business Strategy
  • Customer Service
  • Marketing
  • Solution Selling
  • Direct Sales
  • Microsoft Access
  • Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
  • Sales Process
  • Project Management
  • Social Media
  • Coaching
  • Contract Negotiation
  • International Sales
  • Team Leadership
  • Retail
  • Strategy
  • Leadership
  • Merchandising
  • Salesforce.com
  • Sales Operations
  • Software as a Service (SaaS)
  • Cold Calling
  • Sales Presentations
  • Strategic Planning
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Business Planning
  • Project Planning
  • Market Research
  • Sales & Marketing
  • Communication
  • Teamwork
  • Retail Sales
  • Real Estate
  • Investment Properties
  • Sellers
  • Working with First-Time Home Buyers
  • Residential Real Estate
  • Buyer Representation
  • Insurance
  • Real Estate Transactions
  • Single Family Homes
  • Relocation
  •   Show full list

  Where on my resume do I add these buzzwords?

Try to add these keywords directly into your resume's work experiences. Alternatively, you can also include a Skills section where you can list your technical skills in order of your proficiency.

Oh and one more thing! It goes without saying, but only include these technical skills or keywords into your resume if you actually have experience with them.

Compare Your Resume To These Sales Skills (ATS Scan)

Paste your resume below and our AI will identify which keywords are missing from your resume from the list above (and what you need to include). Including the right keywords will help you get past Applicant Tracking Systems (i.e. resume screeners) which may scan your resume for keywords to see if you're a match for the job.

How do I add skills to a Sales resume?

1
Review the job posting closely.

Go through the Sales posting you're applying to, and identify hard skills the company is looking for. For example, skills like Sales Management, Business Development and Business-to-Business (B2B) are possible skills. These are skills you should try to include on your resume.

2
Add industry skills like Sales and Marketing Strategy.

Add other common skills from your industry - such as Negotiation, Account Management and Management - into your resume if they're relevant.

3
Add skills into your work experience.

Incorporate skills - like Enterprise Software, Go-to-market Strategy and Risk Management - into your work experience too. This shows hiring managers that you have practical experience with these tools, techniques and skills.

4
Emphasize your communication skills.

Communication is often an important component of the role of a Sales, so when writing your resume, include examples of how you communicated with stakeholders, team members or customers, or produced content.

5
Emphasize your sales skills.

As the job title suggests, sales and communication are important elements of Sales roles. Through your bullet points, show hiring managers evidence of how you have generated new customers.

6
Use the exact job title.

Try to add the exact job title, Sales, somewhere into your resume to get past resume screeners. See the infographic for how to do this.

Sales Resume Templates

Here are examples of proven resumes in related jobs and industries, approved by experienced hiring managers. Use them as inspiration when you're writing your own resume. You can even download and edit the resume template in Google Docs.

Resume Example
Inside Sales Account Manager


Resume Example
Regional Sales Manager


Resume Example
Hotel Sales Manager


Resume Example
Automobile / Car Sales Manager


Resume Example
Retail Sales Manager


Resume Example
Retail Sales Manager


Word Cloud for Sales Skills & Keywords

The following word cloud highlights the most popular keywords that appear on Sales job descriptions. The bigger the word, the more frequently it shows up on employer's job postings. If you have experience with these keywords, include them on your resume.

Top Sales Skills and Keywords to Include On Your Resume

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Frequently Asked Questions

What hard skills should you include on a Sales resume?

Some effective Sales skills you can add to your resume include:

  • Account Management
  • Sales
  • Business-to-Business (B2B)
  • Sales Management
  • Negotiation
  • Business Development
  • Management
  • Marketing Strategy

What are the differences in resume skills between a Sales Finance Manager and an Inside Sales Engineer?

If you are writing a Sales Finance Manager resume, try to emphasize skills like Sales Process, Sales Management, Customer Retention, Automotive, Dealer Management, Finance, Sales Operations and Automotive Sales.

Similarly, if you are writing an Inside Sales Engineer resume, emphasize skills like Sales Engineering, Engineering, Inside Sales, HVAC, Manufacturing, Mechanical Engineering, Automation and AutoCAD.

What are good resume skills to include for different Sales roles and job titles?

Depending on the specific role you apply to, you may need to emphasize different skill sets. Here are a few examples:

  • Inside Sales Engineer: Sales Engineering, Engineering, Inside Sales, HVAC and Manufacturing
  • Sales Finance Manager: Sales Process, Sales Management, Customer Retention, Automotive and Dealer Management
  • Commercial Sales Executive: Commercial Insurance, Account Management, Property & Casualty Insurance, Sales and Insurance

Target your Resume to a Job Description

While the keywords above are a good indication of what skills you need on your resume, you should try to find additional keywords that are specific to the job. To do this, use the free Targeted Resume tool. It analyzes the job you are applying to and finds the most important keywords you need on your resume.

It is personalized to your resume, and is the best way to ensure your resume will pass the automated resume filters.

Start targeting your resume


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