Inside Sales Representative Resume Guide + Tips + Example
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A resume is a lot like a sales pitch, only instead of promoting a product or service, it sells your skills and value as an employee. So if you want to convince hiring managers to buy your pitch and offer you the job, you’ll need to perfect this critical document. Not sure where to start? We’re here to help. Use our guide to create a compelling inside sales representative resume and win prospective employers over with your outstanding interpersonal skills and cold-calling expertise.
Start by editing this sample resume for an inside sales representative, or explore our library of customizable resume templates to find the best option for your needs.
Inside sales representative resume sample (text version)
JEREMIAH DONELLEY
Sacramento, CA 94207
555-555-5555
example@example.com
Professional Summary
Results-driven inside sales representative with five years of experience maximizing revenue opportunities in B2B sales. Strong cold calling and relationship-building skills with proven expertise in proactively addressing objections and resolving issues. Strong desire to focus on client retention and achieving goals.
Work History
December 2016 – Current
Anixter – Sacramento, CA
Inside Sales Representative
- Set up over 10 new customer accounts each week, establish customer credit and set up payment methods.
- Manage and record all leads from outbound telephone marketing.
- Answer an average of 15 incoming customer calls daily to answer product questions and close sales.
February 2015 – November 2016
Entercom Communications – Sacramento, CA
Sales Representative
- Adapted sales techniques to specific clients and promoted products based on individualized client needs.
- Conducted daily on-site product demonstrations to highlight features, answer questions from an average of 30 customers and redirect concerns toward positive aspects.
- Created effective organizational systems for reports, agendas, contracts and sales records.
July 2013 – January 2015
Mimi’s Café – Sacramento, CA
Waiter
- Maintained customer satisfaction with timely table check-ins to assess food and beverage needs.
- Memorized restaurant wine stock and appropriate entree pairings, driving daily wine sales averaging $2,000.
- Upsold specialty items to increase overall sales and exceed targets.
Skills
- Sales
- Account management
- Strong communication
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software
- Salesforce
- Superior organizational skills
- Expertise in cold calling
- Self-motivated
Education
May 2014
Sacramento City College Sacramento, CA
Associate of Arts Business Communications
Certifications
Certified Inside Sales Professional (CISP) – (Updated 2024)
5 essentials of a top inside sales representative resume
Contact details
Add your contact information to the top of your resume so hiring managers can contact you for an interview. As our sample inside sales representative resume shows, your contact information must include your full name, your city, state and ZIP code, phone number and professional email address. If you have a LinkedIn profile, add a link to this last.
Personal statement
A personal statement, also known as a professional summary, is a concise, three-to-five-sentence statement that tells the hiring manager who you are and what you can offer. An inside sales representative resume summary must include job-relevant skills and one or two notable work accomplishments. It should also touch on how many years of experience you have in the field of sales. If you are applying for your first job or changing careers, use an inside sales representative resume objective instead.
Skills
Create a separate skills section in your resume for an inside sales representative job so that hiring managers can see if your skill set matches their needs. Use a bulleted list to highlight your job-relevant skills. It’s best to include both hard and soft skills, such as account management and relationship building.
Work history
Whether this is your first job or you’ve been at it for decades, your resume must include a section to display your job history. In reverse-chronological order, show your current and previous employers and provide company names, locations and the dates you worked for them. Include three bullet points of measurable achievements for every job you list. If you don’t have much inside sales representative experience to list on your resume, you can highlight relevant volunteer work, internships, community service and personal projects.
Education
An inside sales representative resume must include an education section, whether or not you have a degree. In reverse-chronological order, display the names of any educational institutions you’ve attended and the years you graduated using bullet points. If you did not attend college, list your high school information and any courses you’ve taken since finishing.
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Action words for a stand-out inside sales representative resume
To add impact to your resume and keep it from sounding generic, use a combination of powerful action words and numbers.
Here’s a short list of perfect action verbs to include in your resume for an inside sales representative position:
- Promote
- Pitch
- Record
- Answer
- Close
- Demonstrate
- Call
- Source
- Maintain
- Upsell
- Increase
- Exceed
- Research
- Seek
- Identify
- Assess
- Discuss
- Foster
- Negotiate
- Convince
- Collaborate
- Present
- Report
- Generate
- Resolve
Check out our collection of resume samples to help you write a top-quality resume for an inside sales representative job. Simply browse our resources and you’ll find a well-crafted inside sales representative resume and cover letter examples to inspire you!
Need an eye-catching resume now? Our Resume Builder has all the tools you need to create a professional resume in minutes! Just fill in one of our templates and you can make edits as you go, download your finished resume and save it in any file format you want. Yes, it really is that easy!
Top skills for an inside sales representative resume
Ideally, you want to show hiring managers that you have the specific competencies that they value. So, review the job description closely and match the required skills to your capabilities and traits.
Some key skills you might find on the resume of an inside sales representative include:
- Customer service
- Telephone and email etiquette
- Cold calling
- B2B and B2C sales
- Account management
- Knowledge of the sales cycle
- Market and prospect research
- Lead generation
- Applying sales techniques
- Upselling
- Pipeline management
- Forecasting
- Product demonstrations
- Record-keeping
- Client retention
- Product knowledge
- Microsoft Office Suite
- Spreadsheet software
- Presentation tools
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software
- Salesforce
- Negotiation
- Verbal and written communication
- Interpersonal skills
- Persuasiveness
- Relationship building
- Adaptability
- Teamwork
- Empathy
- Multitasking
- Resilience
- Active listening
- Time management
- Problem-solving
- Organization
Certifications for an inside sales representative resume
While many inside sales representatives have college degrees, it’s usually not essential to hold certifications in order to secure a job. That said, having at least one of these credentials to include on your resume will make you stand out from the pack and impress hiring managers.
Fortunately, there are many sales-related certifications that you could pursue to boost your resume. Here’s a sample:
Pair your resume with a matching cover letter
Inside sales representative resume FAQ
1. Which skills should you highlight in a resume for an inside sales representative job?
There are two types of skills you need to highlight in your inside sales representative resume: hard skills that have been actively developed and are specific to the world of sales, like pipeline management and knowledge of B2B sales techniques, and soft skills that are valuable in any role, like communication and time management. Ideally, you want to highlight the skills mentioned in the job description, if they apply to you, to demonstrate that you’re a perfect match for the role. If you need more ideas for skills to list on your resume, take a look at our overview of top skills for your profession higher up on this page and check out our resume sample for an inside sales representative.
2. How should you format an inside sales representative resume?
The best resume format for your document will depend on the amount of work experience you have and the seniority of the position you’re applying for. The functional format is a good option for entry-level sales professionals with no or very little work experience as it keeps the focus on your skills and training. A combination format highlights both your skills and your work experience, so it’s ideal for midlevel job applicants. And the chronological resume format is the best choice for experienced professionals with consistent career progression as it places emphasis on your job history. Alongside your resume’s format, remember to also consider formatting and ensure you use a professional font as well as clear headers and bullet points, like our inside sales representative sample resume does.
3. What should you write under the experience section on an inside sales representative resume?
As you can see in our inside sales representative resume example, it’s important to list your current and previous job titles, employer names, locations and the dates you were employed by each company. Under every header, it’s better to include specific work accomplishments from each position rather than simply listing your duties and responsibilities. Try to quantify your achievements because numbers tend to stand out in hiring managers’ minds and be great indicators of impact. For example, you could say “Closed an average of seven sales per day over three months.” If you don’t have any work experience, focus on volunteer work, internships, personal projects and extracurricular activities that have helped you develop inside sales-related skills.
Do’s and don’ts for building an inside sales representative resume
- Use measurable achievements to describe your abilities and experience as an inside sales representative.
- Use action words to add impact to your inside sales representative resume.
- Tailor your resume to your target inside sales representative job.
- Use keywords from the job description throughout your resume for an inside sales representative role.
- Format your inside sales representative resume so that it is easy to read by ATS software and human eyes.
- Lie about your inside sales representative experience and skills.
- Boast that you’re the “most successful inside sales representative around.”
- Include irrelevant personal information, such as your ethnicity and age.
- Add skills and experience that aren’t relevant to an inside sales representative role.
- Forget to proofread. An inside sales representative resume with errors is unprofessional.
Top 4 tips for acing an inside sales representative interview
Research the company.
It’s vital to take the time to learn about the company’s history, goals, values and people before the interview. Doing so conveys interest, passion and commitment — traits that can set you above the competition.
Practice.
Practice does make perfect. To prepare for your interview, start by reviewing the most common interview questions, such as:
- Why should we invest money in hiring and training you?
- What kind of supervisor do you work best for?
- What do you do in your free time?
Write down two or three possible answers for each question, then practice answering them with a friend or family member.
Ask questions.
Always have at least three questions ready for each person you speak with during the interview process. Doing so shows that you’re genuinely interested in the role and have been paying close attention.
Some questions you might ask for an inside sales representative job are:
- Can you describe the typical sales cycle or process followed by the sales department here?
- What kind of support is available to inside sales representatives during customer negotiations or complex sales situations?
- How does the company foster a motivating sales culture for sales representatives?
- Can you provide insight into the typical career path for an inside sales representative in this company?
Prepare references.
Have professional references ready before you enter your interview — you never know if the hiring manager might want to contact them immediately. Ask a former manager and two former colleagues who can speak about your performance as a sales representative and who you know will give you an excellent review.
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Inside Sales Representative Resume Example
Dayle Kavonic is a professional online writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience in digital content creation. She has written extensively on the topics of resume and cover letter writing, job hunting and career development.