5 Things That Make a Sales CV Go Straight in the Bin

I’m going to save you some time here, because this happens every single day.

A CV lands. You open it. Within about 10 seconds, you already know it’s not going anywhere.

Not because the person can’t do the job… but because they’ve made it impossible to tell if they can.

And most of it comes down to the same few things.

First one. No numbers.

If you work in sales and your CV doesn’t include numbers, what are we even doing?

“Exceeded targets” means nothing. By how much? Consistently or once on a good month? What was the target in the first place?

Without numbers, it’s just noise.

Second. Responsibilities instead of results.

“Responsible for generating new business.”
“Managed client relationships.”

Great. So… what happened?

This is like someone going to the gym and saying “I lifted weights” without ever telling you if they got stronger. The action doesn’t matter without the outcome.

Third. Overcomplicating it.

Some CVs read like someone swallowed a thesaurus and panicked.

Simple wins. Clear wins. Especially in sales. If someone can’t communicate clearly on paper, it raises questions about how they communicate with clients.

Fourth. Job hopping with no explanation.

Moving roles isn’t always a problem. But if it’s every 6–12 months with no context, people are going to assume the worst.

You don’t need a life story, but a bit of clarity goes a long way.

And finally… fluff.

“Dynamic.”
“Results-driven.”
“Highly motivated.”

Every sales CV in the country says that. It’s white noise.

Show it. Don’t say it.

The funny thing is, a strong sales CV isn’t complicated. It’s actually quite simple.

Clear structure. Real numbers. Evidence of performance.

That’s it.

If you’re hiring, push for that level of detail. If you’re not getting it, you’re guessing.

And if you’re guessing, don’t be surprised when the outcome is hit and miss.