Chapter 3 of our Sales Resume Series providing Account Executive Resume guidance.
A career as an account executive isn’t for everyone, but you love what you do. You’re a people person, and you build and maintain relationships with your clients in a way impossible for a door to door salesperson. As the first point of contact, you’re keenly aware of the value of individualized attention for each customer. Any seasoned account executive will agree: A customer who feels neglected won’t be a customer for very long.
It’s imperative, however, not to forget about another important client: Yourself! Showering your customers with attention is great, but don’t forget to give your own sales career some TLC. Maybe you’re considering a change, and want to explore new account executive opportunities.
Your dream account executive job is out there waiting for you, and the first step is writing a great resume. Keep reading to learn how to do just that. Finally, don’t forget to create a free profile on Hired so companies apply to interview you!
Not your Grandma’s Account Executive Resume
You may be thinking to yourself “I already have a resume.” Even if that is true, when was the last time you updated it? The business landscape changes quickly, and in all likelihood your resume is in dire need of a refresh.
We’re not just talking about adding your latest position either. You, and everyone else with a nine-to-five job, know the basics of resume writing: contact info, education history, work experience, etc. Do you really want a basic resume, though? Would that work for your UVP and marketing materials? If you’re going to land an account executive position to take your career to the next level, you need a resume that stands out.
Don’t have the time to write your own resume right now? No worries, just get in touch with Leet Resumes. They’re resume experts, and will write yours for free!
Still want to tackle resume writing yourself? Great! Let’s touch on a few new additions you should make to your CV.
Encapsulate your Career with a Headline
Nowadays, landing more job interviews is all about capturing readers’ attention as quickly as possible. Realistically, hiring managers and recruiters will glance at your resume for a few seconds max before moving on. And that’s assuming an actual human is going to read your resume. In other words, first impressions are important.
Cue the professional headline. Your name and contact information should be at the very top of your resume, followed by the professional headline. Consider it a succinct summary of your career thus far, using a few words.
An ideal professional headline quickly describes your experience, workstyle, and ideal next job. Your headline should only be about three to five words. If you’re not quite sure how to write yours, start with a positive adjective and then add your current job title. For example, “Dedicated Account Executive” or “Relentless Account Representative.”
Add More Detail with a Professional Summary
Directly under the professional headline comes your professional summary. View this section as a continuation of your headline, providing further context to your career.
To start, don’t write any paragraphs! In fact, you should even avoid sentences. Your summary will consist of two to four lines (two minimum, four maximum) depending on your amount of work experience.
Instead of full sentences, each line will feature three to five distinct phrases or words better describing your career thus far, future aspirations, and prior achievements.
For line one you’ll write down a few job titles you’re interested in accepting as your next AE position. So, a strong first line on your resume may read: “Senior Account Executive – Head Account Representative – Client Success Manager.”
Feel free to use job titles you haven’t actually held yet. This first line is for telling recruiters and readers about the positions you feel you’re ready to tackle. Honesty is always the best policy when it comes to resume writing, but this isn’t deception – it’s confidence!
Moving on, line two is for listing a few of your sales and account management skills, such as project management, communication, or negotiating.
Lines three and four are only necessary for seasoned, highly experienced account executives. If that sounds like you, line three is for relevant career achievements (near perfect client retention, etc).
Finally, line four is for listing any prior sales awards or promotions you earned in the past.
Here’s an easy way to remember this professional summary format:
Line 1 is about your future.
Line 2 details your present, and
lines three and four focus on your past.
Keywords are Key
Another essential area of your new AE resume you may be unfamiliar with is the keywords section. This will be the very last portion of your single page resume, located at the very bottom of the page beneath your education history.
The very idea of a “keyword” is a relatively new phenomenon and consequence of the digital age, but this is how the resume game is played. Luckily, this part is simple. Just list some of your most attractive hard skills, soft skills, and career achievements or awards. Name any and all technologies or software you’ve mastered on the job.
You may be wondering why this section is necessary at all. Recruiters are routinely given checklists of “mandatory skills” job candidates should possess. The more relevant skills and keywords present on your resume, the better your odds of being called in for an interview.
A strong keyword section can make all the difference. Because it is the final area many recruiters review, consider it your “last opportunity” to make a good impression.
A few account executive skills/keywords you may want to include on your resume:
- Problem solving,
- Sales operations,
- Enterprise (or any specialization, like SaaS, or an industry),
- Salesforce, CRM.
Not sure which keywords are right for your CV? Leet Resumes has written countless resumes, and they’re ready to write yours for free.
3 Recommendations for Account Executive Resumes
Now that we’ve reviewed the new sections you’ll be adding to your resume, let’s touch on some additional guidelines. Following these suggestions will help you write your resume, and help you land your dream account executive job.
- Brevity is Best
It’s so important to keep your resume short and sweet. Your CV should convey what you have to offer as concisely and quickly as possible. Cut to the chase, but do so without sacrificing quality.
- Numbers, Numbers, Numbers
Speaking of quality, there’s no better way to show readers the quality of your skills than numbers. Numbers, statistics, and metrics should be sprinkled throughout your resume. Use them to tell a story.
These figures quickly display to readers what you’ve achieved in the past, and what you’re poised to accomplish in your next role. How many clients are you responsible for? How much revenue have you brought into your current company? Be specific, and cite real numbers.
- Highlight your High Points
While filling out the main body of your resume, or the work experience section, don’t fall for the antiquated resume trope of simply listing your daily duties and responsibilities. Chances are the reader already knows what an account executive is expected to do on a daily basis. You should use this section to highlight and explain your biggest career wins.
Instead of “Responsible for all client communications” write “Managed 30+ clients successfully” or “Increased overall sales by 19%.”
Interview Tip: Be prepared to explain ‘how’ and provide examples.
AE Careers Aren’t Built in a Day
A great account executive resume is just one tool in your professional arsenal while searching for a fantastic new job. If you’re looking for another way to build new career connections, complete your free profile on Hired today!
Related:
Chapter 1: Interested in a Sales or Customer-Facing Role? Here’s Your Resume Guide (Free Template)
Chapter 2: Interested in Sales Development? Jumpstart Your Sales Career with a Great SDR Resume
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Guest blog author Marc Cenedella is Founder at Leet Resumes, the largest free resume writing service in the world, and the author of seven Amazon Careers #1 Best Sellers on resume writing, interviews, and job search.
Source: Talent Acquisition - hired.com
