Resume Formatting Instructions with
FREE Downloadable Resume Template
Recruiters are paid to find you when you and present you a better opportunity based on their review of your job history, product experience and relationships. The content and format of your LinkedIn profile is critical in getting you on recruiters radar when they search to fill positions. Your profile page really IS your global public resume, and should reflect the exact same content and format. What is missing on most profile pages are the critical keywords that match the recruiters boolean search strings. If the content of your profile page is poor (and most are) you may not be found and contacted. First, maximize the resume content and format, then transfer that content to your profile page.
The information below is provided at no charge. If you want to learn how PRN can create your resume and maximize your Linked In profile page for you after a personal phone career consultation, CLICK HERE, otherwise, read on, and then download the free template with instructions after the resume example below.
Keep in mind that your resume and LinkedIn profile page is a highway billboard that will be reviewed in less than 4 seconds for specific "screen in" information about you. The key is deciding what information is important, and what information is useless camouflage. After taking 10,000 job orders from medical device industry hiring managers, we know what info gets you to the interview, and where it should go on your resume.
In Medical Device Sales, other than your Name and address, it is all about the recruiter or hiring manager discovering
- What you sell (Products)
- Who your customers are (Call Points)
- What your track record is (Rankings / Awards / Quota attainment yrs)
Focus on putting this information where we know it occurs on most industry resumes so the reader can find it, and resist the temptation to "sell yourself" with useless, subjective, promotional information that only camouflages the good stuff and hurts your chances of being discovered. This is NOT what we screen for.
The basics from top to bottom...
Keep demographic information simple and center justified at the top of the resume; Name, address, cell, email. Don't waste space with your name in giant type. Your name is not the feature here. Keep the information "center" justified so it is readable in the least amount of time. Don't make the reader search for demographic information.
Do not include a "skills summary". They are universally discounted as being too generic and subjective, take up space, and compete with the readers eye for the critical information about products, call points and rankings that will get you screened in.
Do not include an "objective". This is also generally disregarded and can limit you if the job opportunity is not in line with your goals. You will be called based on your experiences, not what "you" want to do.
List dates of employment on the left side of your resume. It is easier to show future or past promotions by indenting them relative to other jobs. The visual impact of indenting promotions is positive, whereas listing all jobs and titles on the left simply looks like too many jobs on your resume. See the sample resume.
List Month and year of employment, to list year only gives rise to the suspicion of gaps; better to explain them; losing a job is not a deal killer, trying to hide it is.
List company name and division first, then your title, on the second line. This is the industry standard and makes your information easier to assimilate. Do not list the location of the corporate office. Gives rise to confusion over YOUR location.
Use generic or functional titles or that clearly communicate your role, not the title on your business card.. Yes, I know your business card says you are a "Regional Clinical Urology Manager", but this could be construed in a number of ways and eliminate you from consideration as a sales representative. Business card titles are more often than not, misleading and inaccurate when perceived by recruiters and hiring managers. Communicate what you do functionally by using the most common vernacular for your role: i.e. "Sales Representative" if you receive commission for selling things, "Regional Sales Manager" if you hire and fire direct sales representatives, or "Director of Sales / National Sales Manager", if you manage Regional Sales Managers who manage sales representatives. Overstating your image leads to lost opportunities because of the perception of over qualification.
College Education information should be presented at the bottom of your resume for 2 reasons; first, 95% of resume place it here so the reader is less apt to look for it elsewhere and second, resumes are read from the bottom to the top in reverse chronological order, beginning with your graduation date.
Products, call points, rankings
In sales hiring, 3 pieces of information from this part of your resume drives 90% of the decision to screen you in for further consideration. It is critical that this information is placed in a location and format that is easy to spot based on universal and historical viewing patterns by recruiters and hiring managers in our industry.
Over the years PRN has observed that Products and Call Points most often appear in a paragraph after your Title. In order of frequency, list every significant product you sold for each employer and every single Call Point you called on (Physician specialty, hospital department, type of manager, type of facillity, or type of company). Ranking and performance information is broken out in bullets under the company where they occured; not in a separate location on the resume.
Examples of products: Surgical instruments, laproscopic instruments, Diagnostic Ultrasound Equipment, Surgical lights and tables, capital equipment, total joint implants, etc.
Examples of Call points: Operating room, Cath Lab, Interventional Radiology, Acute care hospitals, Long term care facillities, Home health care companies, alternate site, surgery centers, physician offices, Rehabillitation Clinics.
Rankings We have observed that rankings or performance information is most often displayed as bullets. Read this part carefully: this is the most important part of your resume and ironically, where most errors are made on sales resumes.
Most ranking and performance data is presented in a way that is not relevant to the reader in terms of showing your true abilities. Listing sales numbers and percentages is just "data" if not presented in a visually impressive format that is universally translateable.
The very best way to effectively communicate your performance to the world of recruiters and hiring managers outside your company is best accomplished by these 3 formats:
- Simply listing the years you exceeded the company's expectations or sales goals (Quota)
- The years you were "stack ranked" in the upper range of your peers in any category.
- The years you won universally acknowleged awards (Rookie of year, Pres Club, Incentive Trips)
For Quota attainment, "Presidents" Clubs, and Incentive Trip wins, lead with the accomplishment, then simply list each year you achieved it to the right. Don't forget to add the last partial year if you were ahead of plan when you left with a "YTD" after the date.
- Presidents Club, 2004, 2005, 2007
- Exceeded Quota, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 YTD
- Incentive Trip Winner, 2004, 2006
For top stack rankings, use a separate bullet for each year and eliminate all but the essential words as per the example.
- # 2 of 55 reps, 2003
- # 1 of 56 reps, 2004
- # 3 of 55 reps, 2005
Professional Resume Creation / Career consultation Service
If you would like PRN to create your resume after an hour of professional career consultation, click here, otherwise, download the free template with instructions after the resume example below.
Click to download resume template
Professional Recruiting Network, Inc.
Create a World Class Sales Resume and LinkedIn Profile Page
Click on the link below for a free resume template, along with instructions on how to transfer the content and format to your LinkedIn profile page.
