How to write a sales resume with no sales experience

To write a sales résumé (CV in Australia) with no sales experience, lead with a short headline and summary that names the role you want, list the selling skills you already use, then rewrite your past jobs as sales-style results using numbers you can honestly back up. Add any sales training, a LinkedIn link and, if you have one, a short role-play recording. Keep it tight: SEEK says one or two pages may suit many applicants in Australia, and US career guides say much the same. She Sells, with a team in Australia and the US, trains women in closing and appointment setting, and its She Soars career program adds placement support once you’re certified.

The quick version: what goes on the page

Hiring managers for setter and closer roles skim for three things: can you talk to people, can you handle a “no”, and will you show up and follow a process. Every section below exists to answer one of those questions.

Section	What to put in it	What to leave out
Name and contact	Name, phone, email, suburb or city, LinkedIn link	Full street address, date of birth, photo
Headline and summary	Target role plus two or three lines on your strengths	“Hardworking team player seeking opportunity”
Key skills	Phone and video confidence, objection handling, CRM or booking systems, follow-up	Skills you can’t talk about in an interview
Experience	Most recent first, two to four bullets each, framed as results	Duty lists copied from a job ad
Training and certificates	Course name, provider and year, worded exactly as issued	Upgraded titles or implied accreditation
Links	LinkedIn, a two to five minute role-play recording	Personal social accounts

If you are still working out which job to aim for, start with how to get into sales with no experience, then come back and write the résumé for that role.

Section by section: how to build it

1. Headline and summary

Put the job title you want right under your name: “Appointment Setter” or “Remote Sales Closer (in training)”. Then write two or three lines that connect your past to the role. For example: “Former retail team lead with five years of face-to-face selling and a She Sells sales training certificate. Comfortable on the phone, calm under pressure and available for evening shifts in AEST or US Eastern time.”

2. Key skills

List six to eight skills, using the words from the job ad where they honestly fit. Good ones for sales: discovery questions, objection handling, rapport building, booking and calendar management, CRM data entry, follow-up, video calls and active listening. Only list software you have actually used. “Learning HubSpot” is fine if it is true.

3. Experience, reframed as results

SEEK’s resume guide recommends quantifiable achievements over vague duties, and it suggests a skills-based or combination format can help when you are changing careers (SEEK career advice). The trick is to describe what you already did in the language of sales: conversations, conversions, follow-up, targets and repeat customers.

The golden rule: only use numbers you could explain in an interview. If you don’t know a figure, use a real count (“about 40 calls a day”) or describe the outcome without a number. Never invent a percentage.

4. Training and certificates

Sales training shows you’ve taken the career change seriously. List the exact course name, the provider and the year. If you’ve completed She Sells training, write it the way it is issued, for example “Cert III in Remote Sales, She Sells (certificate of completion), 2026”. Always name the provider, so an employer doesn’t mistake a private certificate of completion for a vocational qualification.

5. Links and a role-play recording

Remote sales is a talking job, so let them hear you talk. A two to five minute recording of a practice call (with a friend or a training partner, never a real customer without consent) can do more than a page of bullets. Upload it as an unlisted video and add the link next to your LinkedIn profile. Make sure your LinkedIn headline matches your résumé headline.

Before and after: bullets for common backgrounds

Here is how to turn everyday experience into sales language. The “after” versions are templates: swap in your real numbers or leave the numbers out.

Background	Before	After
Mum returning to work	Career break to raise children	Career break (2021 to 2025): organised a school fundraiser, recruited [number] parent volunteers by phone and message, and followed up until every roster slot was filled
Retail	Served customers and worked the register	Advised [number] customers a shift on product choice, recommended add-ons, and met or beat weekly store targets in [number] of [number] months
Admin or reception	Answered phones and managed bookings	Handled about [number] inbound calls a day, booked and confirmed appointments in [system], and cut no-shows with reminder calls
Teaching	Taught Year 4 class	Presented to a class of [number] students daily, ran parent-teacher conversations about difficult topics, and kept detailed records for [number] families
Hospitality	Waited tables	Upsold specials and drinks across [number] tables a shift, handled complaints on the spot, and built a base of regular customers who asked for my section

Notice the “after” column describes things you really did. A career break is not a gap to hide. Name it, give it dates, and show the skills you used. If this is you, how to get your first remote sales job walks through where to apply once the résumé is ready.

Australia vs the US: the conventions that differ

Most of the advice is the same in both countries, but a few conventions differ. Here is what reputable guides say.

Convention	Australia	United States
What it’s called	Résumé and CV are used interchangeably (SEEK)	“Résumé” is the usual term for job applications
Length	SEEK: one or two pages may suit many applicants, with no universal length. The University of Queensland says professional résumés are generally 2 to 4 pages	The University of New Mexico career guide says one or two full pages
Photo	The University of Queensland lists your photo under “what should you leave out”	UNM: “Do not include a photo of yourself.” The EEOC says employers should not ask for an applicant’s photograph
Date of birth and age	SEEK: you generally don’t need age, marital status or date of birth	UNM: birth date should not be included
Address	Suburb and state is plenty	City and state is plenty

Sources: University of Queensland resume fact sheet, UNM Career Services resume guide and the US EEOC on prohibited practices, which says a photo, if needed for ID, can be collected after an offer is accepted. For a career changer with no sales history, one tight page is usually enough in either country.

ATS basics: getting past the software

Many employers run applications through an applicant tracking system (ATS) before a person reads them. The University of Maryland career centre says organisations, including the US federal government, use this software to sort applicants (UMD Career Center). Its practical tips, which match the UQ guide:

• Use words from the job description where they honestly describe you, such as “appointment setting”, “CRM” or “objection handling”.
• Write a term in full and as an acronym once: “customer relationship management (CRM)”.
• Avoid tables, columns and text boxes in the résumé itself, as they can confuse the software.
• Keep contact details out of headers and footers, and stick to a standard font.

Honesty: the line you never cross

Sales is a trust job, and your résumé is the first sales conversation you’ll have with an employer. Never fake numbers, job titles, dates or certificates. Don’t claim a “closing rate” if you’ve never closed. Don’t call a course something it isn’t. Most remote sales roles are commission-heavy or commission-only, and hiring managers have heard every overblown claim. The candidate who says “I haven’t sold professionally yet, but here is my training and here is a recording of me practising” often gets the call back.

That honesty matters for timelines too. Results in sales take time to build, and even the best résumé gets you an interview, not a job. Brooke made $440 in her first month in remote sales back in 2020 (her result, not typical, and a reminder that everyone starts somewhere).

The cover note: short and specific

Many sales applications ask for a short message rather than a formal letter. Aim for four to six sentences:

1. The role you’re applying for and where you saw it.
2. One line on your background, framed for sales.
3. One specific result or skill that matches the ad.
4. Your training and a link to your role-play recording.
5. Your availability, including hours and time zones.

Then prepare for the call. Our guide to sales closer interview questions covers what they’ll ask, including the dreaded “sell me this pen”.

Where She Sells fits

A résumé can only describe skills you already have. She Sells exists to help women build those skills and then get hired. She Launches is the foundation: live coaching, role play and frameworks (it does not include direct placement). She Soars is the career program through the She Sells Cert III in Remote Sales certificate: once you’re certified, the recruitment team works with you to land a role within 90 days, or your money back. See our programs for details.

Frequently asked questions

Should I put a photo on my sales résumé?

Generally no, in both Australia and the US. The University of Queensland lists a photo among things to leave out, and US career guides say the same. The only exception is when the job ad asks for one.

How long should a sales résumé be with no experience?

One tight page is usually enough when you are changing careers. SEEK says one or two pages may suit many applicants, and US university career guides say one or two pages. Relevance matters more than length.

Can I list a career break as a mum?

Yes. Give it dates and a short line, and include anything you organised, sold or coordinated during that time, such as fundraising, volunteering or a small side business. Employers care more about what you can do now than about the gap.

Should I put numbers on my résumé if I’m not sure they’re exact?

Only use numbers you can honestly explain, such as a real count of calls or customers. If you don’t know, describe the result in words instead. Never invent percentages, because interviewers will ask how you measured them.

Is a sales training certificate worth putting on my résumé?

Yes, if you list it accurately with the course name, provider and year. It shows commitment to the career change. Never describe a certificate of completion as something it is not.

Results vary. Nothing here is a promise of income. See our earnings disclaimer.

Keep reading

• How to pass a sales role-play interview
• Going back to work after years as a stay-at-home mum
• From hospitality to remote work: a realistic path
• How to make a second income from home without a second job