Resume Tips for SaaS Sales Professionals: How to Stand Out
- Jay Green
- Aug 22
- 4 min read
Why This Guide Exists
Hiring managers and recruiters are moving fast, especially at startups. Given the volume of applications for most roles, they are not typically looking for reasons to interview someone, they are looking for reasons to decline them. So, your resume’s job is simple: get you past the screen and into the interview. This guide is designed to help you avoid easy disqualifiers, showcase your wins, and create a resume that speaks directly to what early stage SaaS companies are looking for in their next sales hire.
1) Stick to 1 to 2 Pages, Max
No one is reading a 4 page resume, and for most people, 4 page resumes are filled with fluff. If you have more than 6 to 8 years of experience, it is fine to cut older roles or summarize early experience in one line. Your goal is to surface the most relevant, recent, high impact work, not list everything you have ever done. Save deeper context for the interview.
2) Use a Custom LinkedIn URL
Why a custom URL matters: it shows attention to detail and professionalism. It also helps ensure your profile is more easily found and searchable.
3) Header and Summary: Make It Clear Who You Are
Your resume header should include:
Name
City and state, especially for in person or hybrid roles
Email
Custom LinkedIn URL
If you choose to include a one line summary, make it specific and quantifiable, not fluffy:
Mid Market SaaS AE | 132% Avg Quota | DevOps and Cybersecurity Specialist
4) Role Descriptions: Build Like a Sales Pitch
Each role should highlight:
A. Impact
Quota: always list your target and attainment
Pipeline: what percent did you source yourself
Deal size: what was your average and largest deal
Metrics: ARR closed, win rates, ACV, number of opps
Example
FintechCo | Boston, MA | Aug 2021 to Present Enterprise Account Executive
Closed $980K ARR in 2023, 118 percent to quota
Avg deal size $22K, sales cycle 45 days
Sourced 55 percent of pipeline via outbound
Sold to CFOs and Controllers at Seed to Series B startups
B. Motion and ICP
Do not assume they know your buyer. Spell it out. Mention: buyer type, for example sold to HR leaders at Series A tech companies, industry, Fintech, HR Tech, MarTech, etc., and deal type, PLG, inbound, outbound, expansion. This helps hiring managers match your experience to their motion.
C. Awards and Promotions
Show every promotion with separate lines and dates. Startups love seeing growth inside a company because it signals trust and performance. And if you have earned any awards, list them. They stand out especially in earlier stage companies that track this closely.
Presidents Club
Rep of the Quarter
Rookie of the Year
Top 10 percent Global
5) Address Job Gaps or Short Stints Clearly
Startups often assume the worst if there is no context. If you were part of a layoff, acquisition, or shutdown, note it briefly right under your title.
Reason for Leaving: role eliminated in company wide Series A layoffs
Otherwise, short stints may look like job hopping and hurt your chances of being called, especially if it happens more than once.
6) Formatting Tips That Matter
Use a clean font, Lato, Calibri, Arial
Avoid logos, colors, or dense blocks of text
Do not include a photo of you on the resume, save that for your LinkedIn profile
And make sure your profile picture is visible to everyone
Bold your numbers and metrics, for example $1.2M ARR
Keep bullet points short, 1 to 2 lines max, and start with an action word, Led, Delivered, Accomplished, etc.
Use consistent formatting throughout
7) Tailor Your Resume by Sales Motion
Emphasize:
SMB or PLG | High volume, responsiveness, deal count, speed
Mid Market | Pipeline ownership, multithreading, average ACV
Enterprise | Long sales cycles, cross functional selling, ABM, executive buyers
You want the hiring manager to read your resume and think: they have done something very close to what we are doing and sold to the same buyers, which means ramp time and performance will be accelerated.
8) Skills Section, at the Bottom
Include:
Tools: Salesforce, Outreach, Apollo, Gong, HubSpot
Methodologies: MEDDICC, Challenger, SPIN
CRM and tech tools specific to your segment
Keep this section skimmable. It is there for screeners and recruiters who run keyword searches.
Final Thought
Hiring managers are not reading resumes carefully, they are skimming for signals. If your resume speaks clearly to the sales motion, ICP, and metrics that matter to the company you are applying to, you will earn the next conversation.
About ClosedWon Talent
ClosedWon Talent is a specialized sales recruiting firm that helps growth-focused companies hire top GTM talent. We partner with founders, revenue leaders, and investors to build high-performing sales teams across SaaS and beyond.
What sets us apart is the ClosedWon Method: a proven recruiting framework built on speed, precision, and transparency. We combine deep industry expertise with a curated candidate network to deliver shortlists of qualified, motivated sales professionals...fast. Our team does not just fill roles, we act as embedded partners who understand how to assess selling style, territory experience, and growth potential based on each client’s specific needs.
