Your CV is the key to unlocking exciting new career opportunities in today’s competitive job market. With the right CV, you can capture the fleeting attention of automated tracking systems and human recruiters. However, generic or poorly optimised CVs often end up in the virtual trash bin.
Crafting a tailored, ATS-friendly CV that impresses recruiters requires strategy and effort. By optimising each section and quantifying your achievements thoughtfully, you can create a CV that reflects your skills, experience, and potential. This guide provides the crucial steps to transform your CV into a document that conquers ATS, captivates recruiters, and lands you interviews.
Optimise for ATS and Readability
When applying for B2B sales roles, your CV must usually pass the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) before a human recruiter views it. The ATS filters scores of applications, looking for relevant keywords and experience.
To ensure your CV progresses, tailor it to each specific job posting. Naturally, incorporate keywords from the job description throughout your CV, especially in the summary, skills, and experience sections. Avoid simplistic keyword stuffing, as this raises red flags. Your aim is to demonstrate you’re a strong match on paper, prompting further review.
Additionally, formatting your CV for ATS friendliness and human readability is key. Use clear fonts, consistent layouts, logical organisation, and bullet points to enhance scannability. With an ATS-optimised CV, you’ll progress beyond the automated gatekeeper and showcase your qualifications.
Structure for Clarity
To craft a clear, consistent format that optimises your CV for both ATS algorithms and recruiters, follow these tips:
- Clean, concise layout: Use adequate white space and clear headings. Choose standard fonts like Arial or Times New Roman in 11 or 12-point size.
- Logical organisation: Start with your contact info and a compelling summary section. Then, list your work experience in reverse chronological order, key achievements, relevant skills, education, and training.
- Enhanced scannability: Employ bullet points rather than dense paragraphs. Break content into easily digestible sections.
- Quantifiable achievements: Showcase your accomplishments in metrics and data vs merely listing duties. For example:
- “Increased qualified leads by 30% over 6 months through targeted social media efforts.”
- “Ranked #1 sales rep in closing new enterprise deals 4 quarters in a row.”
A consistent, clean, and logically organised CV structure allows the most pertinent details to shine easily. Both ATS and human eyes will appreciate the clarity.
Showcase Achievements, Not Just Duties
Go beyond listing responsibilities in your CV. Quantify your accomplishments with impactful metrics and data to demonstrate the tangible value you delivered in each role:
- Instead of: “Generated leads.”
- Try: “Implemented a targeted LinkedIn strategy, increasing qualified leads by 20% over 6 months.”
- Rather than: “Managed key accounts.”Highlight: “Grew revenue from top 5 accounts by 30% over 2 years through strategic upselling.”
- Avoid: “Exceeded sales targets.”Specify: “Surpassed $2M annual quota by 135% and ranked #1 in region 3 years in a row.”
- Instead of: “Improved sales processes.”Say: “Standardised the sales methodology across 4 locations, resulting in 10% higher win rates and 15% larger deal sizes.”
You provide concrete proof of delivering value by quantifying your achievements with impressive statistics. This helps build a compelling case for why you’re an exceptional candidate. The results and metrics catch a recruiter’s eye, convey your impact, and demonstrate how you can achieve similar success in the role you’re applying for.
Highlight Your B2B Sales Prowess
Employers want sales reps with specialised abilities for the B2B space. Showcase your sales know-how by listing the most important competencies on your CV:
- Lead generation – Detail your skills and experience with various B2B lead gen tactics, whether it’s inbound marketing, cold calling, networking events, referrals, trade shows, or advertising. Quantify your achievements, like the number of qualified leads generated monthly.
- Pipeline management: Discuss your proficiency managing complex B2B sales pipelines and forecasting. Show you can analyse data to predict revenue and spot roadblocks. Share any metrics that demonstrate your pipeline management success.
- CRM expertise: List your capabilities with CRM platforms like Salesforce, HubSpot, Revwit CRM, Pipedrive, etc. These skills are highly sought after since CRMs are essential in B2B sales.
- Sales methodologies: Reference methodologies you’ve been trained on and applied successfully, such as MEDDIC, BANT, SPIN, Challenger Sale, or Strategic Selling. This shows you understand proven frameworks.
- Communication and presentation: Emphasise your ability to communicate effectively across different mediums with prospects and clients. Also highlight presentation and public speaking skills.
- Negotiation – Share your experience negotiating and closing complex deals. Call out any training in negotiations and quantifiable results you’ve achieved.
Conveying your specialised abilities in these core B2B sales areas will capture a recruiter’s attention. They’ll see you have the right stuff to deliver results in a B2B sales role.
Demonstrate Continuous Learning
Today’s competitive B2B sales landscape requires constant skills development. Your CV should showcase your dedication to professional growth and depth of knowledge by listing relevant sales training programs, certifications, and online courses. Check academy.revwit.com to create an account and take one of our B2B Sales or Customer Success Management courses.
Quantifying your training and certifications demonstrates your commitment to honing your B2B sales skills and boosts your professional credibility.
Proofread Meticulously
A CV with typos, grammar errors, and inconsistencies will undermine your professional image. Recruiters spend an average of 7 seconds reviewing a CV, and a single mistake can lead to an instant rejection.
Set your CV aside for a few hours after drafting, then review it with fresh eyes. Read slowly and carefully, double-checking:
- Spelling of your name, contact details, company names, job titles, and other key info. Typos here make a terrible first impression.
- Consistent verb tenses and formatting for date ranges and bullet points.
- No missing words, duplicate words, or other typos. Don’t rely solely on spellcheck to catch errors.
- Correct punctuation and capitalisation for grammatically sound sentences.
- Numbers and facts stated accurately throughout all sections.
Recruiters receive hundreds of applications, so don’t disqualify yourself over easily avoided mistakes. Invest time to polish and perfect your CV. You only get one chance to make a great first impression. A flawless, professional CV demonstrates your communication skills and attention to detail.
Customise Each Application
Do not apply a “one-size-fits-all” approach to B2B sales roles. Take the time to carefully tailor your CV and cover letter to each job description.
Start by thoroughly analysing the job ad. Note any must-have qualifications, specialised skills, or certifications mentioned. You can even look up the company’s products, services, mission and clients to gain helpful context.
Next, comb through your CV for relevant experiences that show you possess those desired attributes. Sometimes, this may involve tweaking the wording of your achievements or responsibilities to better match the language used in the job posting.
In your cover letter, explain why you are an excellent fit for that specific company and position. Provide examples of how your background and competencies align with their needs. Mention any connections you have to the role, company, or industry.
Avoid any obvious duplications between applications. Slightly adjusting the phrasing helps make each document appear customised. Match the tone of your materials to the company culture described in the job ad.
With some strategic fine-tuning, you can make your B2B sales CV and cover letter speak directly to each employer’s values, goals and requirements. This extra effort enhances your candidacy by demonstrating genuine interest and fit.
Craft a Compelling, Strategic Sales CV
Your CV is your ticket to that critical first interview. By optimising for both ATS systems and recruiters, showcasing quantifiable achievements, highlighting specialised sales skills, and demonstrating continuous learning, you can create an impressive document that gets you noticed.
Follow the strategies outlined here to develop a compelling, strategic CV tailored to landing B2B sales roles. Carefully review each section—from formatting to content—to ensure you put your best foot forward. Proofread meticulously and tailor it to each job description.
With a polished, targeted CV that conquers ATS and captivates recruiters, you’ll be ready to land interviews and take the next step toward your dream sales job. The investment of time is well worth it. Update your CV today and unlock new career opportunities!
Download Revwit’s CV Template
Getting started is often the hardest part of the CV writing process.
To hit the ground running, download our free B2B sales CV template. It provides an excellent framework for organising your skills, experience, and achievements. Simply plug in the details specific to you.
Next, set aside a few hours to work on crafting your content. Your CV is a powerful career tool and worth thoughtful reflection.
Invest time tailoring the details to each new job opportunity. Showcase how you’re a perfect match by aligning your skills and experience with the position requirements. Quantify achievements, emphasising your proven sales abilities.
Polish the language, carefully proofread, and then ask a friend or career coach to review. With their feedback, refine it even further.
