What should be on a resume for a business development representative?

A resume summary is a short, two to four-sentence "summary" of what qualifies you to be a business development representative.

For example, "Self-starting business development representative with over six years of experience finding, negotiating with and establishing partnerships. Over $500,000 in revenue was generated for Company X through such partnerships in 2020".

The profile summary should include:

• Your role and years of experience

• Your one to two top achievements

• Your most important skill(s) as a business development manager

The profile summary really sets the tone for the experience section. For this section, begin each entry with your job title, then add the company name underneath that, the dates worked, and three to six of your top achievements or responsibilities in bullet points.

When possible, focus on achievements over responsibility and quantify those achievements. For example, "Grew revenue over $1M per year and achieved sales growth of 10% through new business acquisition and implementing growth strategies".

If you're just starting your career as a business development representative and do not have a lot of experience, then the education section is a great opportunity to showcase some of your skills and achievements.

Here, you can mention any courses that you may have excelled at or any relevant group projects that you may have worked on. Be sure to also include any professional certifications, such as The Certified Sales Professional (CSP).

Top skills to list on your resume for business development representatives:

• Business forecasting

• B2B sales

• Relationship management

• Microsoft Office

• Problem-solving skills

• Sales experience and strategy

• Communication skills

• Public speaking

• CRM Software (Oracle Eloqua, Salesforce)

• Proposal writing

• Account management

• Vendor management