Most students look for work after graduation to jumpstart their careers. We can help you find a job as a recent graduate in business with a professionally written resume. SkillHub’s resume writing experts in San Antonio are here to help business graduates, regardless of their work experience and graduation year. They will write an outstanding resume for you in no time. So if you need answers to the questions below, keep on reading.
- How do you perfect every section of your business administration resume?
- How to properly endorse your skills as a businessperson in your resume?
- How to write a summary or an objective for a business restart?
- What is the average salary of a business development manager in the United States?
What is a business resume, and why do you need it?
A business resume is a resume that is specific to business professionals. It contains important information like your employment details, past internships, and educational history. It is a compilation of all the information that paints a picture of your professional life.
You will be shortlisted if recruiters love what you have to say about your business development resume. On the other hand, you won’t be shortlisted if your resume doesn’t convey the information that a recruiter is looking for. It boils down to this:
- Your business development resume must be relevant to your industry. It should be ATS-compliant.
- Because of the growing use of ATS recruitment software, writing an ATS-compliant business developer resume is a must.
- Our goal is to help you write an ATS-compliant resume for business development.
How to write a business resume?
Many people find it too stressful to write a business administration resume. It is important to follow the correct approach when writing it. This approach can help you create a resume that is both professional and easy to read. Below is a list that outlines the three stages of resume writing you should follow.
- Stage 1: Master Business Resume
- Stage 2: The First Draft of a Business Resume
- Stage 2: Final Draft Business Resume
Master Business Resumé
The first step in resume writing is to create a master business profile.
Your only task at this stage is to collect all information. All your data should be collected and compiled in one place, whether it’s your work experience, education, internships, or volunteering experiences.
This will help you in two ways.
- In Resume Writing: The best part about a master business restart is that you don’t have to search for it explicitly. This will allow you to use your professional and personal details without confusion.
- Future Resume Update: The future utility of a master business portfolio resume is its ability to help you in your future. You won’t miss any information if you don’t look for it. This ensures that your past work experiences and activities are not overlooked. You only have one job: to find the most relevant information and to update your resume, if necessary.
First Draft of Business Resumé
At this stage, you will need to add the appropriate sections of your resume that we have provided below.
- Header
- Personal Information
- Name of your profile
- Professional Experience
- Education
- Certifications (if applicable)
- If any, Awards and Recognition
- Additional Information (if applicable)
Final Draft Business Resume
Your business development resume is now complete. This stage is where you complete your resume.
- Section Key Skills: To be placed second before the summary/objective.
- Summary/Objective Section: To be written at the end.
The key skills section should be completed before writing your business resume summary/objective. This section contains all the skills you have to write a business resume that reflects your professional abilities. After you have completed the key skills section, create a business summary. Either way, ensure that your entire resume is summarized in a paragraph of 3-5 lines.
Sections for Business Resumes
Your business development resume must be well-organized and spaced. The Resume Sections help you to categorize and systematically communicate information. Here’s a list of must-have sections for your business development resume.
- Header
- Personal Information
- Name of your profile
- Summary/Objective
- Key Skills
- Professional Experience
- Education
These sections are essential for all resumes. These sections should be used to organize your business development resume. If you need more information, the following sections can be used:
- Certifications (if applicable)
- If any, Awards and Recognition
- Additional Information (if applicable)
Business Resume: Professional Experience
Your business development resume should highlight your professional experience. This section is crucial as it provides the foundation for important work details. This information will only be helpful if you have the correct qualifications and experience. These are some tips to help you get this section to perfection.
- Frame points
- Use the STAR format
- Use Grouping & Highlighting
Framing Points
We’ll start with the importance and benefits of framing points. One-liner points can make a huge difference in the readability of your business resumes relative to paragraphs. The consensus is that paragraphs should not be used in your resume. Two business resume examples are provided below to illustrate this point:
Resume Example 1
“As a business development executive for company X, my responsibilities included studying the market and analyzing the competition to identify potential gaps in our business and provide relevant solutions. I was able, as a result, to find meaningful solutions to improve the company’s market position and to suggest changes to our products & service to meet market standards & beat the competition. In addition, working with channel partners allowed me to find solutions to sales questions and examine our sales options. To identify potential business opportunities, I also examined and assessed prospects to determine their industry position and status. “
Resume Example 2
- To improve market position, forge business relationships with key clients
- Contacted channel partners to solve sales queries and examine other sales options
- We identified gaps in our products and services and improved their functionality and effectiveness.
- To determine the next steps, we analyzed the market and competition
- We examined prospects and assessed their industry position to identify new business opportunities.
Framing points: Analysis
These are some examples of business resumes.
- Business Resume Example 1 uses a long paragraph to convey the same message as Business Resume Example 2 uses a concise one-liner point.
- Business Resume Example 1 can be difficult to understand and read, but Business Resume Example 2 is easy to comprehend.
- Business Resume Example 2 uses action verbs to start each point. These action verbs include forged, liaised, identified, & analyzed.
- This gives your resume as a business development manager a confident and professional tone, making you more appealing to recruiters looking at it.
- Our advice: Use one-liner points to communicate your roles and responsibilities.
STAR Format
Your resume will be easier to read if you use one-liner points. However, just because your resume is easy to read doesn’t necessarily mean it is efficient. A great tip for resume writing is to focus on the effectiveness of your resume. The STAR format is a great way to get the results you want and improve the effectiveness of your resume.
The STAR format is for those curious:
- S stands for the situation: The situation/backdrop/context of your contributions
- T is a task. This refers to the actual job you were assigned.
- A stands for Action: This is your strategy to complete the task.
- R stands for Result: This is the result/outcome from your actions in the form of an achievement figure.
The STAR format maximizes every point because it allows you to show the reason behind your actions and the result/outcome. You can also use numbers to attract recruiters’ attention to your professional expertise and increase your chances of being selected for a job.
Grouping & Highlighting
Next is the grouping and highlighting.
After you have made your resume easier to read, the next step is to make it more visible by using simple tricks. This is where grouping and highlighting can be helpful. Two business resume examples are provided to illustrate this point.
Resume Example 1
- I handled approximately 50 follow-up calls each day to educate customers and increase sales.
- Implemented and conceptualized sales strategies to increase growth by up to 60%.
- I collaborated with three business executives to close more than ten monthly deals.
- Assisted field executives in field visits and coordination to reach sales goals.
- To understand the market, conducted market research and launched marketing campaigns.
- I established relationships with potential clients to optimize business performance and maintained good relations with key stakeholders.
Resume Example 2
Sales & Business Development
- To boost growth by 60%, conceptualized and implemented viable sales initiatives.
- Collaboration with three business executives to close more than 10+ deals each month
- I conducted an in-depth market study to understand the market and launch of the marketing campaigns.
- I assisted field executives in field visits in reaching sales targets.
- Handled 50 follow-up calls daily to educate customers and increase sales.
Relationship Cultivation and Networking
- Social network with more than 30 potential clients, leading to a 50% increase in client acquisition.
- To optimize business performance, I established relationships with potential clients.
Grouping & Highlighting: Analysis
These business resume examples are a great way to get the following conclusion:
- Although it uses one-liner points for Business Resume Example 1, more is needed to ensure the topics are read. Business Resume Example 2 fills this gap by grouping and highlighting to organize the points.
- Grouping refers to the practice of grouping similar points under distinct subheadings. Highlighting refers to using bold letters to mark your career highlights.
- By grouping and highlighting, the recruiter can focus on the applicant’s most important responsibilities and highlights but not look for them explicitly.
- Grouping and highlighting should be used in conjunction with one-liner points to make your roles and responsibilities more visible.
Your Business Resume: Key Skills
Here are some ways to improve the key skill section in your business resume.
- Select your core business skills from the professional experiences section. This helps you identify your core competencies as a business professional and clearly communicate them in your business management resume. This section should not contain phrases like “experienced in” or “expert in.” Instead, keep it short and simple—examples: ‘Sales & Business Development, Key Account Management, and ‘Stakeholder.
- Use keywords to make this section ATS-optimized. Your business skills won’t help if you don’t have the skills that a hiring manager needs. You must optimize the section and provide recruiters with what they want. It is important to demonstrate that you are qualified for the job. This can be done by looking at the job posting keywords and then rewriting your resume with relevant ones.
What is the Business Resume Summary?
The hot debate over using a summary or an objective is raging. This summary will help you understand the concept better. Next, we’ll move on to the objective. A business summary should only be written if the following condition is met:
- Have more than three years of experience in the workplace.
We now have an idea of what to write. Let’s talk about how to optimize your resume’s summary/objective.
- A business resume summary and a business resume objective have the same goal. It should communicate your suitability for the job that you are targeting.
- No matter how much work experience you have, it is important that you clearly articulate what makes you the best candidate to fill the job.
- These sections should be written at the end to preserve objectivity.
- It also ensures you don’t overlook an important aspect of your professional and academic achievements that should be included in this section.
- Your objective or resume should not exceed five lines to maximize your effectiveness. Therefore, keeping your resume or objective to no more than five lines is best.
Business Resume Header
Many people make the mistake of writing a “CV” or “Resume” at the top of their business administration resume. It’s time to stop doing this. To give your resume that perfect touch that it deserves, follow the steps we have listed below:
- Your business administration resume’s de facto header is your full name. This should be at the top of your resume.
- It should be written in the largest font size, 16-20 font points, so recruiters can see it when reviewing your resume.
- This tells recruiters that your resume is yours. This prevents your resume from being lost in the sea of business resumes bombarding recruiters’ emails.
- If you have a middle surname, your first name should be followed by your middle initial in capital letters—next, your last name. For example, your resume header should read “Catherine M. Scott” if your name is Catherine Margaret Scott.
Personal Information: Business Resume
This section should include contact information, such as:
- Mobile number updated
- Email ID for professionals
- Current Location
This section is often the least important on your business administration resume. It is equally important. This section is the hub of your contact information. It should be well-written to ensure that no recruiter would be turned away. It can also cost you the job opportunity. Make sure you have completed all sections.
Let’s now get into each section and discuss the important points to remember when drafting it.
Mobile Number
These guidelines should be followed:
- Only one functional mobile number is required in this section.
- Your country’s ISD Code should be used as a prefix to your phone number.
- Before the ISD code, add a (+) sign.
- E.g., +1 37648 21511.
Professional Email Address
To create a well-written email ID, follow these guidelines:
- Your email should look professional.
- Avoid using childish email IDs such as ‘[email protected]‘.
Current Position
This is a list you need to follow to find the perfect spot.
- You should use the code format to indicate your location for job applications outside your country.
- It is best only to put necessary information, such as your street number or house number, as this will make it difficult for others to find you.
Personal Information Resume Template
Look at this business resume example to see what a perfect personal information section looks like.
Business Resume: Profile Title
Your job application process will be easier if you have a profile title. This information communicates to recruiters the following career-focused information:
- Your current designation, a.k.a job title.
- Your industry of functional importance (finance and tech, fashion, marketing, or sales).
- Your seniority level.
These details will help you determine if you are a good candidate for a job and what your compensation should look like if you are. In addition, your profile title should be prominently displayed due to its importance. Here are some ways to increase its visibility.
- Your profile title should be in the second largest text on your resume.
- To endorse your profile title, use a font size between 14-16 points.
Education: Business Resume
Your education section on your resume can be used to provide important information such as:
- Name of the school/university that you attended.
- Name the courses that you have taken.
- The address of your school/university.
- Enrolment and graduation dates.
Certificates for Business Resumes
What can you do as a business manager or executive to show your skills for the job?
Holding relevant certificates is the answer. If you have any relevant certifications, please list them in this section. This section should communicate the following points:
- Name of the certification course.
- Name of the affiliation institute.
- The location of the institute for affiliation.
- Enrolment and the completion date for the course in year format.
Additional information about a business resume
Are there additional communication points you would like to share that are not covered in other resume sections? For example, are you able to speak multiple languages? Have hobbies or interests that could give you an edge in your job search? If so, gather the information and include it in your professional resume’s ‘Additional Information section.
Salary for Business Development Manager
The average business developer’s salary in the United States is $72,553. There will be salary variations in different areas of the country due to the following:
- Company size
- Company’s location
- Work experience
- Educational qualifications
The Key Takeaways
It can take time and effort to create a business resume. However, everyone wants to stand out in the recruitment process. These guidelines will help you create a winning business resume.
- Use the month and year format for all dates in your business resume.
- Use the code format to highlight your location for job applications outside the country.
- To highlight your business skills, create a section called ‘key skills. This will help you stand out and distinguish your skills like fireworks on the Fourth of July.
- To highlight an exceptional achievement in a specific organization, create a “Key Achievements” group at the end of your work profile. This will show that you were a key part of the organization through your professional expertise.
- Use numbers to quantify your achievements. This will help you identify your professional contributions and the benefits they have brought to the organizations you have worked with.
- To endorse your roles and responsibilities, use one-liner points. Each point should be started with an action verb. E.g., “directed,” ‘organized,” “boosted,” “administered,” etc.
- For past profiles, use action verbs in the past tense, and for current profiles, in present continuous.
- If your work experience exceeds three years, you can only write a summary for a business resume. If your work experience is less than three years, you should write a business objective.
SkillHub’s professional resume writers offer 24/7 professional assistance for all your career and job-related questions. If you need help– reach out!
