The Do's and Don'ts of a Medical Sales Resume

Here’s some great advice on the “Do’s and Don’ts” of writing a medical sales resume:

Do:

(1)  Include your name and contact information (i.e. a current phone number and email address)

• Your voice mail message should be professional
• Your email address should be professional and checked frequently
• If you have a good profile on LinkedIn, include your customized public profile URL

(2)  List all sales achievements, and don’t be shy!

• Use as many numbers as you can! For example:
  • 120% to quota in January 2014
  • Consistently ranked in the top 10% for regional sales among 110 reps
  • Received President’s Award in 2013 for the East Bay Area (132% of plan)
  • Achieved 191% growth in the territory between 2011 and 2012

(3)  Use formatting – different fonts, sizes, italics, bold, and underline – without using too much

(4)  Use headers and footers so contact information is displayed on both pages of your resume

(5)  Use keywords associated with medical sales jobs

(6)  Leave some white space

(7)  List athletic achievements if you have participated in competitive collegiate or professional athletics

(8)  Include volunteer activities/community service, especially if you are a recent graduate without sales experience

(9)  Note if you are open to relocation, and the specific areas if you are limited

(10) Pay for a professional to write your resume if you’re not skilled with writing

Don’t:

(1)  Misspell anything on your resume!

• Spell check is your friend

(2)  Leave gaps in employment time frames

(3)  Use more than two pages at a maximum (one page for recent college graduates)

(4)  Use an “Objective”

• Opt for “Professional Profile” or “Summary of Qualifications” instead

(5)  Include GPAs if they are average or low

(6)  List graduation dates (if you are a seasoned professional and don’t want to worry about the potential for age discrimination)