The Best Resume Tip for Medical Sales Jobs

What’s the best way to show recruiters and hiring managers why they should consider you for a position? It has nothing to do with the interview…go back a step. It’s your resume. But many sales reps fail to understand exactly what recruiters and hiring managers are looking for when they scan resumes.

As a medical sales recruiter, I frequently see resumes cross my desk from candidates who’ve had experience in selling roles, but fail to include numbers, dollars, or percentages on their resumes. It’s a common mistake that can really hurt you in the job search.

What do I mean by numbers, dollars, or percentages? Here are some examples: revenue in the territory, percent-to-budget, average selling price, largest account, largest sale, rank among sales reps, how many sales reps in their company, etc. There are many factors they could use to show their productivity.

Why? If you don’t include these statistics on your resume, it sends the message that you aren’t clear on what your role as a sales rep is supposed to be.

If you do understand your role as a sales rep, you understand that your job is to drive revenue. You must include evidence that supports your success in that role on your resume - in the form of dollars, numbers and percentages. That’s what will attract the attention of recruiters and sales managers.

Remember, your resume is your marketing brochure. Use it to show potential employers that they need you because you know how to drive revenue for their company—and you’ve done it before for others.