The numbers each job is judged on
Every job in this group is measured, and the person hiring you knows which measures matter for the role. Use the ones that fit the job you want, not every figure you have:
- Retail sales associate: average sale or items per sale, loyalty or store card sign-ups, mystery shopper scores, and when you can work. Store managers build schedules, so availability belongs near the top.
- Customer service representative: contacts per day and what they are about, customer satisfaction (CSAT), first-contact resolution, quality review scores and customers kept from cancelling.
- Sales representative: percent of quota by year, revenue, new accounts opened, win rate and average deal size, plus the size of your territory.
- Account manager: the size of your book (accounts and yearly revenue), the share you renewed, the revenue you added from existing clients, and one account you saved.
- Sales manager: team headcount and quota, how the team finished, hiring and first-year turnover, ramp time for new reps and forecast accuracy.
A number on its own is hard to judge. 91 percent satisfaction could be ordinary at one call center and the best score at another, so put the team or store average beside it, or give your rank. If you missed a target, show where you started and how far you moved it.
Name the kind of selling or service you do
Sales and service titles hide very different jobs. Inside sales works from a desk by phone, email and video. Outside or territory sales visits customers in person. Account management keeps and grows clients the company already has. Support can be phone, chat, email or a counter. A hiring manager filling one of these wants to see the same kind of work on your page, so put it in your headline with the product or industry, for example Inside Sales Representative, Software or Customer Service Representative, Phone and Chat Support.
Two more habits run through the examples. Describe customers instead of naming them (a 40-location dealer group), because names, prices and margins can break a confidentiality agreement. And be ready to explain every figure in the interview; sales managers ask how each number was reached.
Licenses and certifications
Most jobs in this group need no license, and employers train on the job. The exceptions depend on what you sell or explain:
- Securities. Selling securities requires registering after qualification exams such as the SIE and Series 7, run by FINRA. Managers who supervise registered salespeople take supervisory exams such as the Series 9 and 10 or Series 24.
- Some retail sales. The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that some states require a license for certain retail sales jobs, such as selling cars. Check with your state's licensing agency.
- Insurance and finance questions. Customer service representatives who give information about finance and insurance may need a state license, which usually means passing an exam, according to the BLS. Rules vary by state.
Everything else is optional. The retail, service and sales example pages each list the credentials that exist for that job, such as the NRF Foundation's RISE Up credentials for store work, the HDI-CSR for support centers and the CSAM for strategic account managers, with links to the bodies that issue them. None of them replaces results.
Which example should you start from?
Pick the job you are applying for. If you are moving between jobs in this group, these are the usual routes:
- From the store floor or a call center into sales. Start from the sales representative example and turn your service numbers into selling proof: add-on sales, upgrades, customers kept from cancelling. Support work with business clients also leads to the account manager role.
- From rep to manager. Use the sales manager example and bring your coaching, training and team results forward. Keep your own quota years to a line each.
- From keyholder to store leadership. The supervisor example shows how to present shifts led and people trained.
- A first job. If the store or support job would be your first, the first job guide covers a page with little or no work history.
- From another field. Teaching, serving tables and recruiting all involve persuading people. Pair your example with the career change guide, and for home-based support jobs see the remote job guide.
The sales job market in numbers
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects overall employment in sales occupations to decline over 2025 to 2035. Hiring stays busy anyway: the group is still expected to have about 1.7 million openings a year, to replace workers who leave. The median annual wage for sales occupations was $38,530 in May 2025, against $50,980 for all occupations, and pay varies widely from one sales job to the next. Customer service representatives are counted with office and administrative support occupations, a group also projected to decline, with about 1.7 million openings a year to replace workers who leave and a median wage of $47,450. The table above gives the figures for each job on this page.
Frequently asked questions
What numbers should go on a sales resume?
The ones your employer already tracks for your role: percent of quota and revenue for reps, retention and growth of your book for account managers, average sale and sign-ups for retail, satisfaction and resolution scores for customer service. Add a team average or your rank so each figure means something.
Do I need a license for a sales job?
Usually not. You need FINRA qualification exams to sell securities, some states license certain retail sales jobs such as selling cars, and customer service roles that explain insurance or finance may need a state license. Your employer will say which one the job needs.
Does customer service experience count as sales experience?
Partly. Upgrades, add-on sales and customers you kept from cancelling are selling results, so give them their own bullets with numbers. Say plainly which parts were service and which were sales.
How do I move from retail into business sales?
Lead with your selling numbers, such as average sale, protection plans or financing sold, and your rank among associates. Then name an inside sales role in your summary, since it is the usual first step into business sales.
What if my numbers are confidential?
Use percentages, rounded figures and descriptions. 118 percent of quota, a book of about $3 million, and a regional grocery chain make the point without sharing a customer's name or your company's pricing.
Should I write the same resume for inside and outside sales?
No. Inside sales resumes show calls, meetings booked, pipeline and close rates. Outside sales resumes add territory size, visits and account growth. Change the headline and the first bullets for each posting.
How long should a sales or customer service resume be?
One page for retail, support and most sales reps. Two pages can suit sales managers and key account managers with ten or more years, as long as the current role and best results are on the first page.
Are sales jobs going away?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects sales jobs as a group to decline from 2025 to 2035, but it still expects about 1.7 million openings a year as people leave. Some roles, like sales managers, are projected to grow; the table above shows each job.
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