Introduction:
As a sales professional, you’re likely skilled at crafting compelling pitches and building strong relationships. But when it comes to your own CV, are you telling the right story? One of the most common mistakes I see is a lack of context and detail in employment history. Many salespeople list their roles but leave hiring managers guessing about what they actually sold, who their customers were, and why it matters.
This is especially damaging when you’re applying for roles outside of your current sector. Your CV isn’t just a list of jobs—it’s your marketing tool, and if it doesn’t sell your experience clearly, you won’t get to the interview stage. Just like in sales, a weak first impression can cost you the deal.
The Missed Opportunity: Why Context is Crucial
Too often, salespeople write vague CV entries that don’t tell the full story. You might say you “achieved £X in revenue,” but without context—what product or service were you selling? To which customers? In which market? You’re leaving the hiring manager to piece it together.
In a competitive job market, you need to make it as easy as possible for employers to see how your experience applies to the role you’re after. Providing this context is key to unlocking new opportunities, especially if you’re switching sectors.
The Power of Storytelling in Your CV
Just as you’d never pitch a product without understanding your customer’s needs, you should never submit a CV that lacks the context that tells your story. Here’s why storytelling matters:
- Contextualising Your Experience: If you’re looking to move into a new sector, the hiring manager needs to see how your past experience is relevant to their industry.
- Highlighting Transferable Skills: Explaining what you sold, who your clients were, and the challenges you addressed shows how your skills will transfer to their business.
- Building a Clear Narrative: Your CV should tell the story of your career progression, showing how each role has prepared you for the next.
❌ A Bad CV Example:
Nov 2019 – Present Sales Executive, ADART Ltd
Achieved operational success through process optimisation, overseeing sales performance, and managing a team of field sales support.
- Led the deployment of 1,600 ADART systems across the client’s sites during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Introduced new systems to enhance data-driven decision-making, boosting both revenue and efficiency.
- Directed contract discussions and executed operational agreements, ensuring regulatory compliance and operational improvements.
- Managed high-value inventory, streamlining supply chain processes to maintain efficient operations across various locations.
- Worked closely with key partners to supervise operations and ensure the effective integration of new partners and systems.
What’s missing here? Everything! What does ADART do? What product or service was being sold? Who were the customers? Is selling 1,600 systems good or bad? What sites are we talking about? Industrial? Retail? Office? How about some examples of how you were successful? What was the purpose of the role? How was your performance measured? What geographic territory were you responsible for? Was it field-based or office?
This lack of detail leaves hiring managers guessing about whether or not you have any relevant experience that they can draw upon of where you’re actually any good at your job…
✅ A Good CV Example:
Nov 2019 – Present Sales Executive, ADART Ltd
ADART Ltd are coatings manufacturer who offer specialist, automated colour-mixing systems for retail and trade customers, providing them with the ability to produce and supply a wide range of coloured paints and coatings for automotive and construction applications.
- Working with the construction sector my role was to manage and grow an existing customer base across the North West as well as identify and develop business with prospective new accounts. These ranged from independent retail DIY stores, through to the construction merchanting sector including national and regional wholesaler chains.
- Against an annual target of 1400 installed systems during the COVID-19 pandemic, I achieved actual sales of 1600 units.
- Successfully championed for and helped implement a new CRM system across the sales team that had a material impact on revenue and efficiency in reacting to customer enquiries.
- Regularly involved in complex contract negotiation with larger customers, supporting my colleagues with onboarding larger national deals, such as helping to secure a 3-year contract worth over £10million with a national DIY brand.
- Developed strong relationships with customer sales teams to help them demonstrate product and secure larger orders resulting in ongoing consumable orders for ADART.
This entry paints a much clearer picture of what you did, who you did it for, and why it’s relevant. It’s much easier for the reader to see how your skills could transfer to their company.
Why Your CV is a Marketing Tool
Just like the marketing materials you use in sales, your CV is the first step in the sales process. It’s your personal marketing tool. If it doesn’t tell the full story, you’re missing out on opportunities. A hiring manager isn’t just looking for numbers—they want to understand the impact of your work, the challenges you overcame, and how your experience fits into their business.
Expanding Your Reach
When you provide relevant context and detail in your CV, you broaden your appeal. This is especially important when applying for roles in a different sector. You’re giving the reader the information they need to connect the dots between what you’ve done and what the role requires. Don’t make them do the heavy lifting—paint the picture for them.
Conclusion:
Your CV is more than just a list of job titles and responsibilities—it’s the story of your career. To make sure it resonates with hiring managers, you need to provide the right context. Instead of relying on generic descriptions, ensure each entry offers enough detail for the reader to fully understand what your company does, what you sold, and who your customers were. This isn’t about tailoring your CV for each role—it’s about making sure that the person reading it has the full picture of your experience and can see why you’d be a great fit for their organisation. The more clearly you tell your story, the better your chances of moving to the next stage.