With rarely a dull moment and no two days the same, working as a sales advisor can be an exciting entry-level role or part-time job.
To land a job as a sales advisor, your CV will need to show that you have good numeracy and communication skills.
Whether you're looking to start your career in retail, customer services or sales, or take that next step up the ladder, our free CV template is tailored to ensure your CV stands out from the crowd.
A guide to writing a CV for a job as a Sales Advisor
Name: Amber Shaw
Tel No: 0000 0000 00
Email: AmberShaw@email.com
Address: 48 North Promenade
Dovercourt
CO12 3UD
Personal Profile
In the personal profile, you should professionally introduce yourself, in three or four sentences, with relation to the job you’re applying to.
Try to include: your current work situation, what type of work you are searching for (such as part-time, flexible hours, or full-time employment starting immediately) some key skills and/or traits that will show the potential employer that you are a good candidate for the advertised job. For example if you have previous experience working in customer services, retail or sales and are used to working in a fast paced environment, mention this here.
EXAMPLE:
I am a positive and hard-working sales advisor with two years’ of experience in this role. I enjoy working in a team as well as being able to manage my own time effectively. I also have experience of meeting sales targets, staying up-to-date with product information, and managing the breaks of some of my team.
Work History
The work history section should highlight the skills and experience your current and/or previous jobs have given you relevant to the role your apply for. This in turn should show employers why you are a good fit for the job. You don’t need to include every last detail, just pick the best parts. You can always write down and save your examples or other relevant skills for the interview.
- Job title, name of employer, location, month and year started – present (or month and year that you left)
- Briefly list the duties you had, and skills you learned while working here. Choose skills or qualities that the employer has listed in their job description
EXAMPLE:
- Sales advisor, Vodafone, Bedford, January 2018 – present
- My duties include working on different sections to ensure stock is well presented and tidy, serving customers on the till, issuing refunds and answering product queries
- I have improved my ability to manage angry or difficult customers by ensuring I first listen to their issues and then work with them to find a reasonable solution
What jobs should you include?
- Try to include your work history for the last five years. If you haven’t been working for that long, that is okay. It will be explained by the education history. If you have recently moved to the country, it’s okay to include employment in other countries. There is more advice on work and education history in our top tips online article. Any jobs you’ve had in the, sales, administrative and secretarial, call centre or retail sector will be useful to include here as lots of the skills will overlap and show you’re a good candidate for the role.
- If you have recently left education, or are new to this type of work, try to include any jobs you’ve had that will highlight the skills the employer is looking for. For example, if you have worked on the reception desk in a school, use this to show that you have developed a good telephone manner, paperwork organisation and the ability to prioritise your workload
Education History
Although no formal qualifications are required to be a Sales Advisor, employers will expect you to have a good level of English and Maths. If you have completed courses or gained certificates in other work-related areas, such as first aid, include that information here also.
- Name of course or qualification, name of training centre or education centre, dates you were in attendance or you complete the course
- Explain briefly the training certificate relevant to the job you are applying to. What did you learn that is relevant to the job?
EXAMPLE:
- Dual diploma of business and leadership and management, Bedford College, September 2016 – June 2017
- Modules included leading teams, managing personal work, recruitment processes, professional documents, customer service, and managing workplace relationships
Skills
Here is your chance to highlight the best skills you have in relation to the job you’re applying for. Hint: these will be the skills listed in the job advert, but only highlight the skills you have. Misleading information on your CV is likely to trip you up in an interview and is unprofessional; you don’t have to show you have every last skill listed in the job advert to be successful.
EXAMPLE:
- Organisation – ‘I have improved my ability to sort through new stock, organise it before taking it to the shop floor, and use my keen eye for detail to ensure each section is looking great.’
- Working in a team – ‘I have been focusing on my ability to communicate effectively with members of my team in order to work together to provide excellent service and deal with busy periods in the shop.’
References
First and last name
Job title and relation to you in the work place (if it isn’t obvious from the job title), name of work place, work contact number (or main company phone number which they can be reached through) and work email address.
EXAMPLE:
Kate Mitchel
Supervisor at Debenhams
0000 0000 00
KateMitchel@email.com
Who should you include as a reference?
- Your first reference should ideally be from a senior colleague or manager who you’ve been working closely with in your most recent role. The second reference can be from a current colleague, or line manager or supervisor from a previous job. It’s best practice to ask someone if they will be a reference for you before they are contacted. Be aware that not all employers actually contact references, but it’s important to have them available if needed
- It’s important to remember that while you are in your current job, consider that you may not want your reference (eg. your current boss) to be contacted until you have had an interview for a new possible job, or are actually offered it. This is because, for instance, if you weren’t offered the new job, and end up staying in your current job then you might not want your manager having been contacted as a reference. It can cause tension or awkward conversations about why you were trying to leave. A good way to get around this is to simply write ‘References available on request’. This shows the new employer that they can ask you for them as needed, but also means you can ask them to only contact them if you are offered the job, and then have time to ask the reference if it’s okay for them to be contacted. Most potential employers will be happy to wait to do this after offering you the job.
- If you have only had one previous job, or have been studying, it is okay to include a tutor as a reference, or someone else as a character reference (who is not related to you)
