Sales assistant resume example

Key sections to include in resume

Building a great sales assistant resume is all about highlighting your experience and passion for the field. Here’s a list of what you need to include in your resume, along with some sales assistant resume examples to help you understand how to structure your document.

Your header lets the recruiter and hiring manager know whose resume they’re reading. It should contain your name and a current job title if you have one.

You should also include your contact information in case there are questions or someone would like to call you in for an interview. A phone number, email address, city, state, and zip code are standard practice for resumes.

Example Header Section

Nicole Jones
Sales Assistant
n.h.jones@example.com
(919) 275-1982
Chapel Hill, NC 27514

Professional summary

Your professional summary should give the person reading your resume an overview of your personal traits, past accomplishments, and future goals.

This section must be concise, so try to keep your summary statement to no more than a few sentences. Give an overview of the nature of your work experience, and make sure to quantify any achievements you list.

Example Professional Summary Section

Personable, detail-oriented sales assistant with extensive experience providing an elevated level of care, attention, and service to customers. Increased repeat conversions by 32% by creating and implementing a customer care follow-up protocol. Looking to advance into a sales management position after obtaining a master’s degree and additional sales experience.

Work experience

This is where you’ll list your past work opportunities chronologically from the first to the most recent. Include the name and location of each company, the dates you worked for them, and bullet points listing your major responsibilities.

Example Work Experience Section

Marian’s Fine Jewelry, Chapel Hill, NC
6/2022–Present

Assisting customers in choosing and customizing fine jewelry pieces
Arranging displays and offering ideas to increase product appeal
Taking customer payments in person and over the phone
Increased repeat sales by 32% by implementing a post-purchase follow-up protocol and repeat customer discount campaign

Education

The education section of your sales assistant resume should contain information about any higher education institutions from which you’ve obtained (or are in the process of obtaining) a degree.

In this section, you should include the name of the school or institute, the degree you earned, your major or area of concentration (if applicable), and the dates of your attendance. If you participated in any relevant research or coursework, you can also note that here.

Example Education Section

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
Concentration in Marketing & Sales
9/2018–5/2022

Completed extensive upper-level coursework in Retail & E-tail Marketing, Consumer Behavior, and Professional Selling Strategies

Skills

The skills section of your resume is what tells the recruiter or hiring manager you have what it takes to get the job done. It’s important to ensure that every skill listed here is relevant to the position you’re applying for. Also, avoid embellishing your skills in order to land an interview, as you may be asked for proof.

Example Skills Section

Hard Skills

Sales and marketing
Market research
Multitasking
Consumer behavior analysis

Soft Skills

Communication
Active listening
Problem-solving
Emotional intelligence

Associations and Certifications

As an entry-level applicant, you likely won’t be expected to have special certifications or membership in any professional associations. However, if you do possess these things, listing them on your resume can help you stand out as a candidate because they demonstrate a unique passion and dedication to the field.

Make it a point to include the name of the association and the dates of your membership. If you’re listing a certificate, include the name of the certifying body, the title of the certificate, and the date you obtained it.

Example Associations and Certifications Section

National Association of Women’s Sales Professionals
6/22–Present

Institute of Sales Professionals
2/2023–Present

Certifications
Certified Professional Sales Person
Awarded by: The National Association of Sales Professionals, 12/2022

Hobbies and interests

This optional section should include information about any hobbies or interests you have that are relevant to the job you want. For example, if you want to become a sales assistant in an area of town that has many customers who speak a particular language, it may help you land the job if the hiring manager knows you’re fluent in that language.

You can also list any volunteer work you do in the community. This is especially helpful if that work can help open up sales opportunities for the company.

Example Hobbies and Interests Section

Languages Spoken: Full professional fluency in English and French; working proficiency in Spanish and German
Volunteer Work: Chapel Hill Youth Center Mentor

Tips for writing the role-specific resume

Hiring managers for sales jobs at every level are highly focused on whether you have the skills to help them increase conversions and revenue.

Because your past experience is the best way to prove that you possess those skills, it’s a good idea to use a reverse chronological format for your resume. This format puts your relevant work experience at the forefront, making it easy to see your daily responsibilities and achievements.

If you’re using a sales assistant resume sample, it’s critical that you tailor it to the role you want. Doing so allows you to highlight and detail sales-specific work experience and skill sets instead of just speaking generally about your abilities. This, in turn, helps the hiring manager see why you’re a good fit for the position in question.

Additionally, you should tailor your resume template to each job so you can include special information about your education, certifications, and association memberships.

You can highlight relevant sales or marketing coursework you completed in college and showcase how you’ve gone above and beyond to obtain additional training and improve your craft. Similarly, your professional association memberships show the hiring manager you’re truly dedicated to your field.

Tailoring any resume or cover letter examples you’re using also shows that you’re willing to go the extra mile to achieve success. This is a necessary trait for a salesperson, who will be expected to repeatedly deliver a stellar customer experience.

As you write your resume, make sure you quantify your achievements to show the impact you’ve made in your current or previous position.

This is fairly easy for a sales assistant, as you can report how many customers you serve weekly or monthly, highlight how much you make in sales per month, or show how much you’ve increased sales, conversions, or revenue.

Separate your sales assistant resume from the pack

Writing a sales assistant resume and cover letter that stands apart is all about letting your relevant experience shine through.

Use a reverse chronological format, and incorporate important sections like work experience, education, certifications, association memberships, and any hard or soft skills you’ve developed. When you quantify your achievements and tailor your resume, sales assistant positions are much easier to land.

Jobseeker’s tools make creating your role-specific resume easy. With just a few clicks, you can turn one of our resume or cover letter templates into a personalized document to help you score the job you’ve got your eye on.