Securing a job as a sales assistant can depend heavily on your resume, as your resume is what will hopefully make the hiring manager call you in for an interview. You need a strong and convincing sales assistant resume.
In your resume, you need to demonstrate that you are someone who could successfully promote products to customers, and handle a variety of tasks.
To get you started, we have created a comprehensive guide to take you through the necessary steps.
Resume objective for sales assistants
The sales assistant is who provides sales assistance, help, and guidance directly to the customer, which means you need to have exceptional customer service skills and the right attitude for dealing with people all day.
When you write a resume, it can be difficult to show personality, and that is why many sales assistants choose to include a resume objective. The objective works as an introduction, both to you as a person and to you as a professional, and it works almost like a trailer for a movie.
Write your resume objective in a casual but professional tone, and focus on sounding warm, helpful, and driven. As a sales assistant, you are the face of the company, and customers will remember you and base their opinion of the company on your performance.
According to One Education, key skills for a sales assistant are confidence, politeness, and being an overall social individual, who preferably thrives in a social setting.
In our research, we surveyed 16 job posts to see what employers tended to ask for, and we saw multiple mentions of personality traits and a desire to hire a specific personality type. The resume objective is your opportunity to show the hiring manager who you are.
Sample Objective
Driven sales professional with a commitment to exceeding expectations and providing exceptional customer service. Organized and service-minded, and able to maintain a positive attitude and a friendly demeanor also when working under pressure. Hoping to become a valuable part of a sales team.
Resume skills for sales assistants
Now, let’s have a look at the skills needed to be a good candidate for a job as a sales assistant. Many sales assistants opt for including a skill section, as it makes it easy for the hiring manager to identify your strengths.
The UK Natonal Careers Service makes an interesting observation by pointing out the importance of being understanding and compassionate as a sales agent. It is crucial that you can relate to a customer and make them feel seen, to motivate not only a purchase but
We surveyed real resumes and real job posts to get a better idea of what job seekers tended to list, compared to what employers often required. Our conclusion was that many of the listed skills were similar to those that would be listed for a customer service job, plus sales experience.
A sales assistant needs to have people skills, be patient, possess interpersonal skills, and be able to work on their feet all day. Sales assistants also need to be hard workers, enthusiastic, understanding, and communicative.
When writing your skill section, it is important to focus on selling yourself, as selling is what you will be doing if hired. If you fail to sell yourself on a sales resume, how will the hiring manager know you can sell?
Sample Skills
Communicative | 3 Years of Sales Experience | POS Software | Product Inventory Skills | People-Oriented | Team-Player | Patient | Career-Driven | Problem-Solver | Active Listener | Time-Management
Sales assistant work experience
When writing your resume for a sales assistant application, don’t underestimate the importance of a relevant work history! If you can show your future employer that you have worked successfully in sales before, that tends to improve your chances of getting hired.
List experience working in a store, call center experience, experience in marketing, and anything that highlights your ability to work independently and to follow directions.
Even if you have only worked in a supermarket previously – this can still be listed.
Think transferable skills – jobs where you have obtained skills that are relevant for a position as a sales assistant. Indeed.com also mentions the importance of having MS Office Suite knowledge, so if you have past work experience demonstrating this – list it.
While surveying job posts, we noticed that many did ask for 2+ years of sales experience, but this can usually be sales experience in any field.
Remember, including numbers is always a good idea when writing your sales assistant resume, as these can help highlight how you may have exceeded your sales goals and more.
Sample Work Experience
Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, Fort Worth, TX
Sales Assistant, 2017 – 2020
Promoted a variety of products, put together product displays, performed product positioning, provided appropriate support to sales reps and assisted customers inside the store.
- Created visual merchandise presentations that increased sales with 33%.
- Monitored weekly in-store promotion results to help improve sales strategies.
- Maintained records and logs related to sales and store performance.
- Implemented strategies established by the headquarter and sent in weekly staff performance reports.
Holiday Retirement, Cincinnati, OH
Sales Assistant, 2015 – 2017
Performed outbound sales communication through email and phone, conducted necessary follow-up activities, scheduled tours, handled contact information and answered client questions.
- Led a training session for new sales assistants.
- Implemented a more customer service based sales technique, which increased monthly sales.
- Named ‘Employer of the Month’ three times in a row thanks to superior sales results.
- Suggested a change to the record keeping processes to improve efficiency and reduce the risk of error.
Cox Media Group, Charlotte, NC
Sales Assistant, 2012 – 2015
Assisted with sales activity reports, order entry, and with sales coordinated events. Answered phone calls and provided personalized guidance to each potential customer.
- Coordinated the schedules for company advertisem*nt.
- Responsible for handling all incoming customer concerns, and recognized for flawless execution.
- Worked with vendors to keep inventory updated.
- Successfully resolved complex customer orders and secured large sales opportunities.
Sales assistant education
Working as a sales assistant is often an entry-level job that doesn’t necessarily require an education, but this doesn’t mean it can’t be good to have one.
A high school diploma does tend to be required, and depending on the field, you may come across job posts asking for an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree.
If applying for a sales assistant job in a store, our research showed that most job posts did not mention a need for a higher education, while many of the resumes sampled for this article did list university degrees.
Our conclusion is that applicants are often likely to have a university education or be current students, which could mean someone without may be overlooked, but employers generally did not require it.
A degree in sales, marketing or business is likely to impress, but you should list any degrees you have obtained (or are in the process of obtaining) in this section when applying for a sales assistant job.
Sample Education
Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, IL
Masters in Marketing, 2012 – 2014
Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, IL
B.S in Marketing, 2008 – 2012
- GPA: 3.5
Courses
As an aspiring sales assistant, there is sales training available at many community colleges and online, but this is rarely a requirement when applying for a job.
To get a better idea of whether sales assistant applicants tended to have formal training, we sampled 15 job posts and 15 resumes, and were able to conclude that this is rarely necessary.
However, if you feel you lack work experience or have a less impressive educational background, it could be in your best interest to attend a sales training program, or to take courses related to marketing, sales, business administration or customer service.
Sample Courses
- Culture of Services: New Perspective on Customer Relations
- Call Center Customer Service
- The Art of Sales: Mastering the Selling Process
- Sales Training: Practical Sales Techniques
Complete sales assistant resume sample
Here you will find a complete resume sample written for the following job post, to help you see the importance of using the job post and the information provided when writing your sales assistant resume.
Here we have a job post that is very straight-forward regarding what they want in an employee. They want someone tech-savvy who can multitask, and someone organized, reliable and dedicated to their job.
Additionally, they prefer a team player that can meet deadlines, is attentive to details and has excellent communication skills. We are now going to use this information to compose a strong sales assistant resume for the job.
Sales Assistant
Objective
Committed sales professional with 2 years of sales experience, and a desire to become part of a sales team and grow with the business. English and French speaking, with excellent customer service abilities and a natural talent for successful communication.
Skills
Patient | Understanding | Organized | Excellent Communication Skills | English & French | Attention to Detail | MS Office | 2 Years of Sales Experience | Strong Work Ethics | Customer Service Skills
Work Experience
Tilson Built Company, Boerne, TX
Sales Assistant, 2018 – 2020
Greeted prospective homebuyers, prepared files, and paperwork, guided clients through the different processes, maintained the CRM database, set meetings, and was involved in contract signings and other administrative duties.
- Exceeded set sales goals with 67% during the first 6 months of employment.
- Assisted in creating a new database for customer information and data, which doubled efficiency and safety.
- Trained 4 new sales assistants which led to a promotion to team leader.
- Built strong relationships with customers, and improved return business and recommendations.
Total Quality Logistics, Houston, TX
Sales Assistant, 2017 – 2018
Handled billing and invoices for the whole department, provided sales representatives with support, kept in close contact with shippers and delivery drivers and ensured smooth business operations.
- Became the youngest sales assistant to break the annual sales record.
- Participated in a sales manager course as preparation for a continuous career in sales.
- Created a reporting system to easier spot flaws in the work routines, which improved overall business efficiency by 73%.
- Won an award for ‘Most Innovative Ideas’ in 2018.
Six Flags, Arlington, TX
Call Center Representative, 2014 – 2017
Responded to customer queries through both phone, email and live chat, explained processes, resolved issues and provided pricing information. Also addressed concerns and resolved issues.
- Resolved tricky logistic issues by offering to take on shifts that were difficult for management to fill.
- Improved the sales of annual passes by implementing a new sales pitch.
- Organized staff get-togethers once a week, which helped strengthen the team spirit and build a stronger and more efficient team.
- Saved the company money by reducing the number of refund requests by 23%.
Education
Manvel High School, Manvel, TX
High School Diploma, 2012 – 2016
Courses
- Business Foundation Specialization
- Sales Training: Practical Sales Techniques
Key Takeaways
There is plenty of work for someone who wants to work as a sales assistant, as there are opportunities all over the country. However, these types of roles often have many applicants, which is why you need a good resume to stand out. Keep the following in mind when writing your sales assistant resume:
- Don’t just say you can sell – show it, by selling yourself and your abilities through your resume.
- Language skills are valuable when working as a sales assistant, as it enables you to communicate with a bigger group of customers.
- Focus on your strengths, and if you lack work experience – compensate in another section by adding additional skills, coursework, etc. etc.
Tips from Experts
“There is one thing that will make or break your sales resume. Does your resume include numbers? When you have exceeded your sales target – you need to talk about how much and how you did it. Any way that you can bring in numbers that make sense, as well as highlight your skills and strengths, that’s what you want to do. ” – Kamara Toffolo, Resume Writer, Linkedin Consultant and Job Search Strategist
“Do I really have to do a different resume for each job that I am applying for? Really simply, the answer is no, but different companies will have slightly different changes to their wording.” – Stacy Jene, Career Consultant
“Volunteer experience fits well with marketing and sales assistant positions, because building strong relationships within the community is key to understanding your demographic and relating with your customers.” – Alyson Howey, Business Student
Conclusion
A job as a sales assistant can often be fast-paced and stressful, and it requires patience and dedication to keep customers happy while also keeping business going. It may seem like an easy job, but you carry tremendous responsibility on your shoulders as a sales assistant.
Not only are you responsible for restocking, keeping the store looking neat and receiving customers, but your performance and behavior could be the sole reason for why a customer decides to make a purchase, or walk back out the door.
Write a sales assistant resume that demonstrates your sales abilities, by highlighting all your best assets and selling your skillset.
