sales associate resume examples

Sales Associate Resume Example for 2024 [Job Description, Skills & Tips]

As a sales associate, you know the importance of persuasion.

With your positive attitude and effective communication skills, you can get any customer to buy any product…even if they don’t actually need it.

But it’s one thing to persuade customers into buying items and another thing to persuade the recruiter into hiring you. 

For the latter, you need an effective sales associate resume!

And, because sales skills tend to shine best in person, you might struggle to translate them into a winning sales associate resume.

Well, worry not! 

This guide includes everything you need to know about writing a sales associate resume, including:

• Sales Associate Resume Example (Better Than 9 Out of 10 Resume Examples)

Step-By-Step Guide to Write Your Sales Associate Resume

30 sales associate skills to put on your resume.

…and more! 

Sales Associate Resume Example

Not bad, right? 

Here are the elements that make this sales associate resume example so effective:

• Chronological format. The sales associate resume example above uses the reverse-chronological resume format, which is the most popular resume format all around the world.
• Relevant contact information. This sales associate resume example includes all the essential contact details, such as the candidate’s name, email address, and phone number, as well as their professional LinkedIn URL.
• Attention-grabbing resume summary. In just two sentences, the sales associate resume summary above highlights the candidate’s strong points and achievements.
• Work achievements. The sales associate resume example above focuses more on the candidate’s achievements over their responsibilities, which helps them stand out from other candidates.
• Bullet points. This sales associate candidate has structured the resume information in bullet points, which are much easier to read than a block of text.
• Relevant skills. The sales associate resume example above only mentions sales-related hard and soft skills. 
• Additional sections. This sales associate resume example includes extra sections such as volunteering experience, languages, and other skills that are valued in customer service and can help the candidate stand out more.

If you're interested in a different job position, check out these related resume examples:

• Sales Resume
• Marketing Executive Resume
• Marketing Resume

So, without further ado, let’s go through the process of writing a sales associate resume that’s just as compelling as the resume example above.

Here’s exactly what you need to do:

Step #1. Format Your Sales Associate Resume the Right Way 

As we mentioned above, you want to go for the reverse-chronological format for your sales associate resume. That’s the most popular resume format (and a favorite among recruiters!).

Here’s what it looks like:

The other two popular resume formats are functional and combination : 

• The functional resume format is skill-based, so you should only choose it in case you have no sales-related work experience but have industry-related skills.
• The combination resume format, on the other hand, should only be used in specific cases, such as employment gaps or in case of a career change. So, as a sales associate, this resume format is probably irrelevant to your situation.

All in all, none of these formats will do nearly as good of a job highlighting your experience and achievements as the reverse-chronological resume format , so don’t think twice about using it.

So, now that you’ve picked a format for your sales associate resume, you should focus on the resume layout , which includes:

• Use a professional font . You should use a simple, yet professional font style throughout your sales associate resume (yeap, that excludes Comic Sans & Co.).
• Choose the right font size. Go for 14-16 pts for headings and 11-12 pts for the body of your sales associate resume. Anything smaller will be hard to read and anything bigger might make your resume spill over to page 2.
• Use bullet points. Organizing the information in your sales associate resume in bullet points makes your resume look clean and helps the recruiter to skim your sales associate resume.
• Keep your resume short. It’s best to fit your sales associate resume in one page - that way, you can be 100% sure the hiring manager, busy as they are, will read it all. After all, they go through countless applications daily and they don’t usually spend more than a mere 7 seconds on each resume .
• Save your resume as a PDF file . Unless asked otherwise, save your sales associate resume in a PDF format to ensure it looks the same on every device and OS.

Use Our Tried & Tested Templates

If you’ve ever tried making a Word resume, you know that formatting alone takes ages.

You have to tweak the margins, pick the font, adjust its size, and the list goes on…

Instead of wasting your time on all of that, you should just be focusing on perfecting the content of your sales associate resume.

How do you ask?

It’s simple - just use one of our professional resume templates and jump straight to filling in the contents of your sales associate resume.

Our resume templates were created in collaboration with professional recruiters, so you don’t just win time - you get a free, professional, and visually appealing sales associate resume!

You can see for yourself how our tried-and-tested templates compare to traditional, black and white templates.

Step #2. Add Your Contact Information

Once you’re done with formatting, you can focus on the contents of your sales associate resume.

First things first - fill in your contact information (correctly!) so that the company can successfully reach out to you.

Here are all the contact details you should include:

• Your full name
• Your professional title
• Your phone number
• Your email address
• Your location (city and state)

If you are active on LinkedIn, make sure to include your profile’s URL, too.

Here’s an example of all the above:

Scott Michaels

Sales Associate

012-345-6789

[email protected]

Los Angeles, California

linkedin.com/in/scott.michaels

Step #3. Write an Appealing Sales Associate Resume Summary or Objective 

Your next step is to write a sales associate resume summary or objective.

Both of these 2-3 sentence paragraphs go at the top of your sales associate resume to show recruiters you’re a relevant candidate in a matter of a few seconds (and get them to read the rest of it).

However, you only need to use one. 

If you have plenty of work experience , you should write a resume summary to paint a picture of your professional background and highlight your top skills or achievements.

As such, an impactful resume summary can include:

• Your position and years of experience
• Your most relevant sales skills
• 1-2 professional achievements

Here’s an example of an effective sales associate resume summary:

• Enthusiastic and customer-oriented Sales Associate with 4+ years of experience in sales, specializing in the sale of home improvement items. Excellent customer service, communication, and collaboration skills. Awarded Employee of the Year in 2021 for regularly exceeding sales target quotas.

Now, if you’re still in high school looking for a part-time sales associate job or a recent graduate without work experience, you should use a resume objective to introduce yourself, your skills, and your professional goals.

To write an effective resume objective, just mention the following:

• Your industry-related degree (if applicable)
• What sales background makes you the right fit for the company
• Why do you want to work for the company

Here’s an example of an appealing sales associate resume objective:

• Outgoing and helpful costume design student, who is passionate about fashion and genuinely enjoys working with people. Looking to apply the strong customer service skills acquired from a summer job as a cashier in Company Y to help ensure customer satisfaction as a sales associate in your fashion boutique and learn more about fashion trends.

Step #4. Make Your Sales Associate Work Experience Stand Out

After you’ve grabbed recruiters’ attention with your resume profile, you should focus on your work experience section.

First, let’s address the basics.

Here’s how you should format your work experience section:

• Start from your current/most recent position and go back in time from there. If you have lots of experience in sales, only list your most relevant and recent positions. The recruiter won’t care about the summers you spent doing garage sales as a teenager.
• Begin each entry with your job title. Your job title should accurately describe your current/previous role.
• Continue with the company name and location. If the company isn’t well-known, you can also briefly describe it.
• Include the employment period. Use the mm/yyyy format to show how long you worked at the job.
• Add achievements and responsibilities. Go for 5-6 bullet points for your most recent jobs and 2-3 bullet points for older roles. 

Now that you know how to format the work experience section, let’s dig a little bit deeper:

You may or may not know this, but more than 13 million people are working in sales in the United States alone. 

And, of course, many of them are sales associates.

So, how can you make sure your sales associate resume stands out in such a big crowd?

Well, how you write your work experience section plays a big part:

The key is to focus more on your achievements over your responsibilities as much as you can.

Think about it - while most sales associates share the same responsibilities, such as helping customers and operating the cash register, your achievements are what can really set you apart from other candidates. 

So, as you write this section, ask yourself: how did your work affect the company? 

Perhaps you increased sales or customer satisfaction? Or maybe you’ve been awarded Employee of the Month?

No matter the achievement, make sure to mention it and make it as quantifiable as possible to really back your claims with hard evidence.

Here’s how an achievement-oriented sales associate work experience section should look like:

Make-up Sales Associate

Company X   

01/2019 - 12/2021

• Assisted over 50 customers every day in selecting the best cosmetic products for their skin type.
• Efficiently operated Point of Sale systems.
• Showed initiative to assist team members in handling customers, cash operations, and store maintenance when needed.
• Stocked and organized make-up counters 15% faster than other sales associates.
• Won Employee of the Month Award in April 2020, June 2020, and August 2021 for outstanding customer service.

What if You Don’t Have Work Experience?

Many people find their first job in sales, so don’t stress if you don’t have work experience .

To make up for your lack of professional experience, you can instead focus on other types of sales-related experience you may have.

The options are plenty. For example, you can mention volunteering , internships, academic projects, extracurricular activities, etc.

After all, being a sales associate is all about helping customers, communicating effectively, and making sales, so if you have any related experience, just write it down!

Here’s what this could look like:

Animal Shelter Volunteer Animal Shelter X

06/2018 - 12/2020

• Assisted 30+ people in choosing the right pet for adoption.
• Consulted people on pet adoption-related questions.
• Cleaned and maintained animal living spaces.

Step #5. List Your Education Right

A sales associate position doesn’t include many academic requirements.

This is probably why working as a sales associate is one of the best jobs for high school students .

So, whether you’ve been working as a sales associate for some time now,  are still in high school, or graduated college, you should keep your education section short and to the point.

Simply list your highest degree and include the following:

• Degree name
• University, college, high school, or other institution attended
• Location (optional)
• Years attended

Here’s what this looks like on the resume:

BA in American Studies

The University of Groningen, The Netherlands

09/2012 - 06/2016

Now, in case you don’t have any work experience or sales-related experience, you can mention your education first. 

Additionally, you can mention other details that add value to your application, such as relevant courses you’ve taken, academic achievements, GPA, Honors, and the like.

Step #6. List Your Sales Associate Skills

Skills are another key element to your sales associate resume. They can be a plus if you lack work experience in sales or help you stand out from other applicants with similar work experience as yours.

However, listing all your skills just for the sake of it is redundant and won’t really help you land the job.

So, instead, you should tailor your sales associate skills section for the position you’re applying for.

Now, the best way to go about it is by carefully reading the job ad. 

Does it mention some specific skills the company is looking for in a candidate? 

If your sales skills match any of the skills listed in the ad, make sure to include them in your sales associate resume.

And, in terms of formatting,  it’s generally advised to list your hard and soft skills separately.

Are you still unsure which skills to include in your sales associate resume? 

Worry not! We’ve compiled a list of the 30 most in-demand soft and hard skills for sales associates to give you some inspiration.

20 Soft Sales Associate Skills

• Customer Service
• Communication Skills
• Active Listening
• Helpfulness
• Organizational Skills
• Time Management
• Stress Management
• Conflict Resolution
• Problem-solving
• Adaptability
• Interpersonal Skills
• Multi-tasking
• Emotional Intelligence
• Persuasiveness
• Attention to Detail
• Negotiation Skills

10 Hard Sales Associate Skills

• Cash Register Operation
• Microsoft Office
• Point of Sale Systems
• Product Knowledge
• Stock Management
• Brand Awareness
• Visual Merchandising
• Store Maintenance

Step #7. Include Relevant Additional Sections 

If you still have some space on your sales associate resume, consider making use of some additional sections.

While they aren’t as important as your work experience or skills, additional sections can give you the edge you need over candidates with very similar resumes to yours.

Not to mention, these sections are especially useful if you’re still in school/university or recently graduated.

As a sales associate, you can add one or more of these additional sections:

• Languages. Do you speak any other languages than your native? If so, definitely include this in your sales associate resume! Languages are useful and highly valued in any job, but even more so in customer-oriented roles, as customers are more satisfied with and loyal to brands that offer customer service in their native language.
• Hobbies and interests. Including your hobbies and interests in your sales associate resume allows you to express your unique personality and skills. When relevant, list field-related hobbies/interests. For example, listing dog agility training as a hobby won’t help much if you’re applying to work in an electronics store, but it can definitely give you an advantage if you want to be a sales associate in a pet store.
• Awards and certifications. Perhaps you were awarded for selling the most vintage clothes in a charity event? If you want to work in a clothing store, definitely list that in your sales associate resume. Likewise, list any certifications related to sales, retail, accounting, and other related fields.

Here’s an example of how these additional sections should look on your sales associate resume:

English - Native or Bilingual Proficiency Spanish - Native or Bilingual Proficiency German - Limited Working Proficiency

• Programming
• Video Games

#8. Match Your Sales Associate Resume With a Cover Letter

By now, you should feel more confident about writing a job-landing sales associate resume.

And rightly so!

There is, however, one last step before you can put all that we covered into practice and that is to attach a sales associate cover letter to your resume.

Essentially, a cover letter is a 4-5 paragraph letter to the recruiter that aims to explain why you’re the perfect candidate for the position and a good fit for the company.

So, to do this effectively, instead of repeating what you’ve already said in your sales associate resume, your cover letter should explain more in detail anything important you didn’t have the chance (or space) to mention on your resume.

This may sound like a lot, but writing a compelling cover letter isn’t all that difficult. 

Here’s exactly what you need to do to write a convincing cover letter:

• Start your cover letter by including your contact information in the header.
• Greet the recruiter by their name or title, instead of the overly popular and outdated “To Whom It May Concern.”
• In the first paragraph, grab the recruiter's attention by mentioning your 1-2 top achievements.
• In the body of your cover letter, describe your work experience and skills in detail, explain your motivation to work for the company as well as highlight what makes you a good asset to their team.
• End your cover letter with a call to action.
• To make sure your cover letter is nothing short of perfect, check our cover letter writing tips and cover letter mistakes .

Want to impress the recruiter with your attention to detail? Make sure it matches your sales associate resume by choosing one of our cover letter templates !

Key Takeaways

And that’s all!

Now you’re ready to write the perfect sales associate resume AND cover letter to land the job.

But, before you do that, let’s go over some of the key points of writing your sales associate resume:

• Choose the ever-popular reverse-chronological format for your sales associate resume.
• Depending on whether you have work experience or not, catch recruiters’ attention with a resume summary or objective.
• If you have work experience, make it pop by focusing on your achievements. If not, you can write down any other relevant sales experience you have, including internships, projects, or volunteer experience.
• List any other additional information, such as languages, awards, and hobbies to make your sales associate resume stand out.
• Attach a convincing cover letter to your sales associate resume to help you land the job.

Suggested Reading:

• +150 Best Skills to Put On Your Resume
• Best Hobbies & Interests to Put on a Resume
• CV vs Resume - What is the Difference?

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Sales Associate Resume Examples For 2024 (20+ Skills & Templates)

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Looking to score a job as a Sales Associate?

You're going to need an awesome resume. This guide is your one-stop-shop for writing a job-winning Sales Associate resume using our proven strategies, skills, templates, and examples.

All of the content in this guide is based on data from coaching thousands of job seekers (just like you!) who went on to land offers at the world's best companies.

If you want to maximize your chances of landing that Sales Associate role, I recommend reading this piece from top to bottom. But if you're just looking for something specific, here's what's included in this guide:

• What To Know About Writing A Job-Winning Sales Associate Resume
• The Best Skills To Include On A Sales Associate Resume

How To Write A Job-Winning Sales Associate Resume Summary

How to write offer-winning sales associate resume bullets.

• 3 Sales Associate Resume Examples

The 8 Best Sales Associate Resume Templates

Here's the step-by-step breakdown:

Sales Associate Resume Overview: What To Know To Write A Resume That Wins More Job Offers

What do companies look for when they're hiring a Sales Associate?

When hiring a Sales Associate, companies typically look for people with strong communication skills who can effectively engage with customers and understand their needs. They also want candidates with a positive attitude and enthusiasm for the product or service being sold, as this can positively impact sales performance.

Your resume should show the company that your personality and your experience encompass all these things.

Additionally, there are a few best practices you want to follow to write a job-winning Sales Associate resume:

• Tailor your resume to the job description you are applying for: Tailor your resume for each application, aligning your skills with the specific requirements of each job description.
• Detail previous experiences: Provide detailed descriptions of your roles, emphasizing hard and soft skills related to the job description.
• Bring in your key achievements: Showcase measurable achievements in previous roles and share your best work.
• Highlight your skills:   Highlight your skills in Sales, Marketing, Communication, Customer Experience, and Management.
• Make it visually appealing: Use a professional and clean layout with bullet points for easy readability. Also, ensure formatting and font consistency throughout the resume and limit it to one or two pages.
• Use keywords: Incorporate industry-specific keywords from the job description to pass through applicant tracking systems (ATS) and increase your chances of being noticed by hiring managers.
• Proofread your resume: Thoroughly proofread your resume to eliminate errors (I recommend Hemingway App and Grammarly ). Consider seeking feedback from peers or mentors to ensure clarity and effectiveness!

Let's dive deeper into each of these so you have the exact blueprint you need to see success.

The Best Sales Associate Skills To Include On Your Resume

Keywords are one of the most important factors in your resume. They show employers that your skills align with the role and they also help format your resume for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).

If you're not familiar with ATS systems, they are pieces of software used by employers to manage job applications. They scan resumes for keywords and qualifications and make it easier for employers to filter and search for candidates whose qualifications match the role.

If you want to win more interviews and job offers, you need to have a keyword-optimized resume. There are two ways to find the right keywords:

1. Leverage The 20 Best Sales Associate Keywords

The first is to leverage our list of the best keywords and skills for a Sales Associate resume.

These keywords were selected from an analysis of real Sales Associate job descriptions sourced from actual job boards. Here they are:

• Communication
• Customer Service
• Customer Experience
• Time Management
• Collaboratively
• Organization
• Written Communication

2. Use ResyMatch.io To Find The Best Keywords That Are Specific To Your Resume And Target Role

The second method is the one I recommend because it's personalized to your specific resume and target job.

This process lets you find the exact keywords that your resume is missing when compared to the individual role you're applying for.

Here's how it works:

• Open a copy of your updated Sales Associate resume
• Open a copy of your target Sales Associate job description
• In the widget below, paste your resume on the left, paste the job description on the right, and hit scan!

ResyMatch is going to scan your resume and compare it to the target job description. It's going to show you the exact keywords and skills you're missing as well as share other feedback you can use to improve your resume.

If you're ready to get started, use the widget below to run your first scan and get your free resume score:

Copy/paste or upload your resume here:

Click here to paste text

Upload a PDF, Word Doc, or TXT File

Paste the job post's details here:

Scan to compare and score your resume vs the job's description.

Scanning...

And if you're a visual learner, here's a video walking through the entire process so you can follow along:

Employers spend an average of six seconds reading your resume.

If you want to win more interviews and offers, you need to make that time count. That starts with hitting the reader with the exact information they're looking for right at the top of your resume.

Unfortunately, traditional resume advice like Summaries and Objectives don't accomplish that goal. If you want to win in today's market, you need a modern approach. I like to use something I can a “Highlight Reel,” here's how it works.

Highlight Reels: A Proven Way To Start Your Resume And Win More Jobs

The Highlight Reel is exactly what it sounds like.

It's a section at the top of your resume that allows you to pick and choose the best and most relevant experience to feature right at the top of your resume.

It's essentially a highlight reel of your career as it relates to this specific role! I like to think about it as the SportsCenter Top 10 of your resume.

The Highlight Reel resume summary consists of 4 parts:

• A relevant section title that ties your experience to the role
• An introductory bullet that summarizes your experience and high-level value
• A few supporting “Case Study” bullets that illustrate specific results, projects, and relevant experience
• A closing “Extracurricular” bullet to round out your candidacy

For example, if we were writing a Highlight Reel for a Sales Associate role, it might look like this:

You can see how the first bullet includes the Sales Associate job title, the years of experience this candidate has, and it wraps up with a value-driven pitch for how they've helped companies in the past.

The next two bullets are “Case Studies” of specific results they drove at their company. The last bullet wraps up with extracurricular information.

This candidate has provided all of the info any employer would want to see right at the very top of their resume! The best part is that they can customize this section for each and every role they apply for to maximize the relevance of their experience.

Here's one more example of a Sales Associate Highlight Reel:

The content of this example showcases the candidate's years of experience and wraps up the first bullet with a high-value pitch, while the following bullet points focus on measurable results and relevant experience. Then, they highlight their achievements and extracurricular activities.

If you want more details on writing a killer Highlight Reel, check out my full guide on Highlight Reels here.

Bullets make up the majority of the content in your resume. If you want to win, you need to know how to write bullets that are compelling and value-driven.

Unfortunately, way too many job seekers aren't good at this. They use fluffy, buzzword-fill language and they only talk about the actions that they took rather than the results and outcomes those actions created.

If you apply this framework to each of the bullets on your resume, you're going to make them more compelling and your value is going to be crystal clear to the reader. For example, take a look at these resume bullets:

❌ Sales Associate with 9+ years of experience.

✅ Sales Associate with 9+ years in retail sales & customer service, exceeding sales targets by 25% through engagement strategies.

The second bullet makes the candidate's value  so much more clear, and it's a lot more fun to read! That's what we're going for here.

That said, it's one thing to look at the graphic above and try to apply the abstract concept of “35% hard skills” to your bullet. We wanted to make things easy, so we created a tool called ResyBullet.io that will actually give your resume bullet a score and show you how to improve it.

Using ResyBullet To Write Crazy Effective, Job-Winning Resume Bullets

ResyBullet takes our proprietary “resume bullet formula” and layers it into a tool that's super simple to use. Here's how it works:

• Head over to ResyBullet.io
• Copy a bullet from your resume and paste it into the tool, then hit “Analyze”
• ResyBullet will score your resume bullet and show you exactly what you need to improve
• You edit your bullet with the recommended changes and scan it again
• Rinse and repeat until you get a score of 60+
• Move on to the next bullet in your resume

Let's take a look at how this works for the two resume bullet examples I shared above:

First, we had, “Sales Associate with 9+ years of experience.” 

ResyBullet gave that a score of 35/100.  Not only is it too short, but it's missing relevant skills, compelling language, and measurable outcomes:

Now, let's take a look at our second bullet,  “Sales Associate with 9+ years in retail sales & customer service, exceeding sales targets by 25% through engagement strategies.”

ResyBullet gave that a 60 / 100. Much better! This bullet had more content focused on the experience in the Sales Associate role, while also highlighting measurable results:

Now all you have to do is run each of your bullets through ResyBullet, make the suggested updates, and your resume is going to be jam-packed with eye-popping, value-driven content!

If you're ready, grab a bullet from your resume, paste it into the widget below, and hit scan to get your first resume bullet score and analysis:

Free Resume Bullet Analyzer

Learn to write crazy effective resume bullets that grab attention, illustrate value, and actually get results., copy and paste your resume bullet to begin analysis:, 3 sales associate resume examples for 2024.

Now let's take a look at all of these best practices in action. Here are three resume examples for different situations from people with different backgrounds:

Sales Associate Resume Example #1: A Traditional Background

Sales Associate Resume Example #2: A Non-Traditional Background

For our second Sales Associate Resume Example, we have a candidate who has a non-traditional background. In this case, they are coming from a background as an elementary school teacher, but leverage experiences that can help them transition to a Sales Associate role. Here's an example of what their resume might look like:

Sales Associate Resume Example #3: Sales Associate With No Experience

For our third Sales Associate Resume Example, we have a candidate who's never worked for another company, but has developed several personal projects and worked as a consultant and a freelancer. Here's an example of what their resume might look like when applying for Sales Associate roles:

At this point, you know all of the basics you'll need to write a Sales Associate resume that wins you more interviews and offers. The only thing left is to take all of that information and apply it to a template that's going to help you get results.

We made that easy with our ResyBuild tool . It has 8 proven templates that were created with the help of recruiters and hiring managers at the world's best companies. These templates also bake in thousands of data points we have from the job seekers in our audience who have used them to land job offers.

Just click any of the templates below to start building your resume using proven, recruiter-approved templates:

Free Job-Winning Resume Templates, Build Yours In No Time .

Choose a resume template below to get started:.

Key Takeaways To Wrap Up Your Job-Winning Sales Associate Resume

You made it! We packed a lot of information into this post so I wanted to distill the key points for you and lay out next steps so you know exactly where to from here.

Here are the 5 steps for writing a job-winning Sales Associate resume:

• Start with a proven resume template from ResyBuild.io
• Use ResyMatch.io to find the right keywords and optimize your resume for each role you apply to
• Open your resume with a Highlight Reel to immediately grab your target employer's attention
• Use ResyBullet.io to craft compelling, value-driven bullets that pop off the page
• Compare the draft of your resume to the examples on this page to make sure you're on the right path
• Use a tool like HemingwayApp or Grammarly to proofread your resume before you submit it

If you follow those steps, you're going to be well on your way to landing more Sales Associate interviews and job offers.

Now that your resume is taken care of, check out my guide on how to get a job anywhere without applying online!

Paula Martins

Paula is Cultivated Culture's amazing Editor and Content Manager. Her background is in journalism and she's transitioned from roles in education, to tech, to finance, and more. She blends her journalism background with her job search experience to share advice aimed at helping people like you land jobs they love without applying online.

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Sales Associate resume examples & templates

Choosing the right resume format for sales associates

Include your contact information, make use of a summary, outline your sales associate work experience , include the relevant key skills that make you a great sales associate, detail your education & relevant sales associate certifications, pick the right resume layout and design for a sales associate resume, what type of salary you can expect as a sales associate, full text adaptable resume example.

Whether you're a student, retiree, or just looking to earn some extra cash, working as a sales associate has long been considered the most accessible entry-level position . What's more, you won't have to travel far from home to find one of these positions since sales associates work in just about every neighborhood store.

Even though sales associate jobs are plentiful, they're not all created equal. The best opportunities come with daytime hours, benefits, and a paycheck that's higher than minimum wage. 

According to the U.S. Census Bureau , more than half of all retail workers are between the ages of 16 to 34. After grocery stores, the majority of sales associates work in general merchandise stores, clothing stores, and department stores.

Resume guide for a sales associate resume

To land one of those sales associate positions, you'll need a resume that sets you apart from the crowd. Luckily, Resume.io has all the tools you need to make it happen, starting with this sales associate resume example .

This resume guide and corresponding sales associate resume example will cover the following:

How to write a sales associate resume

• Choosing the right resume format for  sales associates
• How to add your contact information
• Using summaries
• Adding your sales associate experience
• Listing education and relevant experience
• Picking the right resume design/layout
• What the sales associate market looks like, and what salary you can expect

Resumes are highly formatted documents. The individuality comes in the text and design, not the structure. That means your resume should contain the following elements:

• The resume header
• The resume summary (aka profile or personal statement)
• The employment history section
• The resume skills section
• The education section

When you apply to a retail establishment, you need to address the products and style of that company within your resume. That means doing some research upfront so you can use the appropriate language and tone. Your resume is designed to answer the question, "Why should I hire you?" so tell the hiring manager the answer up front by showing off your knowledge of the establishment.

If this is your first job, you may consider bumping your employment history section below your skills and education sections to focus on what you can do, but even if you don't choose to go that route, you should use the reverse chronological order resume format. This format mostly affects your employment history section, which should be arranged with your most recent experience first and working backward from there.

If you have no experience, you may consider one of the hybrid resume formats we suggest as chronological alternatives. This may also be of value to you if you are looking for part-time work to supplement your income or if you are changing careers or looking for a job after retirement from your first career.

When you submit your resume, it's imperative that the hiring manager or recruiter can easily figure out how to contact you. That means including the following: 

• Full name & title. List your first and last name. Use the title of the role you are pursuing.
• Professional email address. Use a clean format like [email protected] . Don’t use a quirky, unprofessional email address.
• Phone number. List a number where you can be readily contacted, with a professional voicemail greeting.
• Location . List only your city and state . Don’t list street address or zip code. It’s both outdated and unsafe. If you're willing to relocate, you an note 'Willing to Relocate' here as well.
• LinkedIn. If your LinkedIn profile is active, relevant, and shows your sales network, include it here.

Don’t include:

• Date of birth: Not necessary and could potentially lead to age discrimination .
• Personal details: Marital status, social security number, passport number , etc.

Seattle, WA 

(206) 479-6342

[email protected]

640 Obtuse Road

Seattle, WA 98146, 

United States, (206) 479-6342

Your resume is your sales pitch for yourself. Use it as an opportunity to show off your selling abilities. Your summary section is the best place to do that because it is free-form sentences instead of bullet points. It gives you a chance to give hiring managers a taste of your demeanor, experience, accomplishments, and attributes. Especially if you are looking for your first job, you can beef up this section a bit to let employers know more about you and why you would be a great hire.

Remember to use as many powerful action verbs and job-specific information as you can. Sales associates must be able to establish and nurture positive relationships with prospects and customers, so consider giving an example of a situation in which your people skills made a difference. 

This formula can help you make the most of the 3-5 sentences in your resume summary section:

• Sentence 1: Introduce yourself and explain your philosophy of sales.
• Sentence 2: Give a little background on your career or explain why you want to work at the particular establishment.
• Sentence 3-4: Tout one or two of your greatest career or academic achievements in as much detail as possible.
• Sentence 5: Offer an idea of what you will bring to the job.

When searching for a retail assistant position, also look for the following job titles:

• Sales assistant
• Sales associate
• Retail or sales clerk
• Shop assistant
• Retail salesperson

You can find an adaptable sales associate resume example summary below:

Enthusiastic and reliable Sales Associate, dedicated to providing excellent customer service with a smile. Organized, detail oriented, and experienced in properly handling customer inquiries and transactions. Dedicated to increasing sales by providing the ultimate customer experience. Several years of experience in various retail settings with a proven track record of job success. 

No matter what type of work you have done before, even if it was volunteer work, you have experience that counts. Consider the skills necessary to be a great sales associate and use examples from your career and schooling to show off those skills even if you did not perform them in a retail setting. 

Create 3-4 bullet points under each previous position to discuss your duties and accomplishments. Start each item with a strong action word and jump right into detailing your accomplishments. Leave out phrases that don't add to your descriptions, such as "in this job I have," as you want to make the best use of the space you have.

Avoid being too general; for example, the following bullets don't share specifics about your accomplishments:

• Helped customers in the store
• Upsold products to customers
• Trained new employees

Adding more context and metrics can call the right attention to your unique value proposition. Take a look at these reworked bullets: 

• Served an average of 100 customers per day in region's largest and busiest store
• Upsold products to customers, achieving 120% of quota
• Trained 2 new employees a month on cash register, sales tactics, and store policies

The resume example text below will give you some ideas for your employment history section.

Sales Associate at Viola's Flowers and Gifts, Seattle  March 2016 - September 2019 

• Put forth excellent customer service efforts at all times.
• Recorded and processed all flower orders in an organized and accurate manner.
• Provided relevant information and suggestions regarding floral arrangements and purchases.
• Ensured proper delivery times for all events and coordinated travel for deliveries.
• Answered phones, relayed important messages, and served as a general liaison between the florist and customers.

Sales Associate at Nordstrom, Seattle  December 2015 - March 2016 

• Greeted customers with a smile and encouraged feedback pertaining to their shopping experience.
• Handled all merchandise with care and packed customer bags neatly.  •
• Settled customer disputes in a professional and pleasant manner.
• Maintained up to date knowledge of all retail promotions.
• Prevented long waits by quickly and carefully ringing up items, adding to the hassle-free experience of the customer.
• Mentored junior cashiers and new employees.
• Took on extra shifts based on the needs of the store.
• Remained punctual and professional at all times.

Inventory Monitor at Wal-mart , Hartford  May 2013 - April 2014 

• Carefully and accurately monitored and recorded all refrigerated items ready for stocking.
• Delivered inventory reports to my supervisor in a timely fashion each and every week.
• Coordinated and scheduled deliveries based on sales and future needs.
• Worked well with other employees to ensure proper running of the inventory department.

How to write a sales associate resume with no experience

If you've never worked as a sales associate before, don't sweat it! Nearly a third of all Americans got their first job working in a store, according to the National Retail Federation . The secret of landing a sales associate job with no experience is simply to highlight the transferrable skills and applicable qualities you already possess.

Here are some examples:

• Teamwork (for instance, from playing sports like basketball or baseball)
• Organization (this can be seen in past administrative roles or even being part of a club in school)
• Communication skills (which will be evidenced by how your resume is written)
• Positive attitude (you can show this by displaying past leadership roles or volunteer work)

Most employers are familiar with candidates who have never worked in retail before. They aren't looking for you to know everything – just to demonstrate a keen interest in learning your duties and carrying them out professionally and positively.

Here are some other resume examples from other first jobs that may help you create your sales associate resume: 

• Office assistant resume example
• Customer service representative resume example
• Server resume example
• Barista resume example
• Cashier resume example.

Your skills section is important for two main reasons:

• It is an at-a-glance version of your best that recruiters look for to gauge if you have what they need.
• It is a quick way to personalize to ensure you get those all-important keywords in for the ATS.

Important to the job of a sales associate is the depth of knowledge of the product or service you are selling. You also must be great listeners and have patience with customers and colleagues alike. Other attributes that hiring managers will look for are strong communication and a knowledge of marketing strategies. Be sure to include job-specific skills. If you have them, be sure to include any hard skills mentioned in the job description, such as POS systems or foreign languages.

Choose the top 4-6 skills you believe make you a well-rounded candidate for the job, paying careful attention to those attributes mentioned in the job listing.

The resume example text below will give you some ideas for your skills section.

Key Skills and Proficiencies

For a sales associate resume, you can keep your education section short. List all degrees and certifications here. If you are a student, you can include your degree in progress and your expected graduation date. If you hold a degree higher than a bachelor's degree, you can leave out your high school.

Any honors or distinctions should be noted here as well. Past Employee of the Month awards, customer recognition, or other sales-related achievements are great to include. If you've taken any sales-specific courses or trainings, add them to show your expertise and commitment to continuous learning. You can also include any sales associations or networking groups you're part of.

Use the resume example text below to help you format your education section.

Associate in Business Administration, Westchester Community College, Valhalla  August 2015 - May 2017 

High School Diploma, Norwell High School, Norwell  September 2011 - June 2015

An interview-worthy resume isn't just about the writing – your resume design also makes a big difference in getting hired. A clean and organized modern resume is much better than a busy resume that's hard to read. Your goal should be to lay out your experience and education in a format that's both easy to understand and visually attractive.

If you don't have much time to fuss with word processors and graphic design software, a resume template may be able to help. This pre-made format allows you to add your own information, move around the sections and play with design elements like lines and colors. When you're ready, you can download your resume as a PDF or Word, the two most commonly requested formats. 

• Keep your font size between 10 and 12 point
• Create a header with your name and contact information
• Choose an easy-to-read format
• Overload the page with too much text
• Use more than a maximum of 2 font styles
• Include too many bright colors

Sales associate job market and outlook

The retail industry as a whole is not expected to see much growth in the next decade, which means the demand for sales associates will be mostly flat, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts . 

Aiming for a stellar sales associate resume? Take a peek at our other related sales resume samples:

• Sales Assistant resume sample
• Car Sales resume sample
• Telemarketer resume sample
• Sales resume sample
• Account Executive resume sample
• Account Manager resume sample
• Sales Representative resume sample
• Sales Manager resume sample
• National Sales Controller resume sample
• Field Sales Professional resume sample

Employment history

• Organization
• Excellent Communication
• Customer Service
• Advanced Math

Key takeaways for building a sales associate resume

• A resume is an essential tool for landing the best sales associate opportunities.
• Include important words from the job description in your summary and skills section.
• Your summary section is the best place to show off a bit of your personality and professional demeanor – essential for sales associates
• You can land a sales associate job even with no experience as long as you focus on personal traits and transferrable skills
• Your formatting should never be overlooked as it is an essential part of making a great first impression
• Using the online resume maker is a way to make your life easier and the job application process faster!

Beautiful ready-to-use resume templates