As a national account manager, effectively showcasing your ability to manage large client portfolios and drive sales across regions can be challenging on your resume. Our guide provides targeted strategies to help you articulate your achievements and strategic approach, ensuring your key competencies stand out to potential employers.
- Which sections do you need to include in your resume to meet recruiters' requirements;
- How to write your national account manager resume experience section - even if you have don't have little to no work experience;
- Real-life professional examples to guide you how to write the most important national account manager resume sections;
- Adding even more sections so your national account manager resume stands out with professionalism and your personality.
We've also selected some of the best (and most relevant) resume guides for the national account manager role you're applying for:
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How to style your national account manager resume: layout and format
When creating your national account manager resume, have you ever wondered how long it should be? Experts point out that it should be between one and two pages. Choose the longer format, if you happen to have over a decade of relevant experience. What is more, resume formats play a crucial role in presenting your experience. Use the:- Reverse-chronological resume format to highlight your experience;
- Functional skill-based resume format if you have less experience and want to focus on skills;
- Hybrid resume format to guide recruiters through both your experience and skills.
- Make sure your headline is simple and includes the job you're applying for or your current role, an abbreviation of a certificate you have, or even your professional area of interest;
- Always tailor your national account manager resume to the role you're applying for by matching job requirements to your experience via different resume sections;
- Once you've created your resume, download it in PDF (unless otherwise specified). This is to ensure readability and that the layout remains fixed.
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PRO TIP
List your educational qualifications and certifications in reverse chronological order.
Traditional sections, appreciated by recruiters, for your national account manager resume:
- Clear and concise header with relevant links and contact details
- Summary or objective with precise snapshot of our career highlights and why you're a suitable candidate for the national account manager role
- Experience that goes into the nuts and bolts of your professional qualifications and success
- Skills section(-s) for more in-depth talent-alignment between job keywords and your own profile
- Education and certifications sections to further show your commitment for growth in the specific niche
What recruiters want to see on your resume:
- Proven track record of achieving or exceeding sales targets and expanding client accounts at a national level.
- Strong relationship-building skills to maintain and grow partnerships with key national accounts and stakeholders.
- Experience in creating and executing strategic account plans geared towards national market needs.
- Demonstratable ability to analyze national market trends and translate them into actionable business strategies.
- Expertise in negotiating national contracts and an understanding of complex sales cycles specific to large-scale accounts.
Essential tips for crafting your national account manager resume experience section
The experience section is indeed the core of your national account manager resume. It's where you present your past and current job roles. But how should you approach this crucial part?
A common error is treating the experience section as merely a list of job duties. Many candidates fall into the trap of detailing what they did without illustrating the impact of their actions.
To effectively write your national account manager resume experience section, consider these guidelines:
- Emphasize your achievements, supported by concrete metrics such as percentages, revenue increases, or customer satisfaction rates;
- Avoid using generic buzzwords like communication, hard work, or leadership. Instead, demonstrate how these skills added value in your previous roles;
- Begin each bullet point with a strong action verb, followed by a skill, and then the result of your actions;
- Tailor your resume for each job application by selecting the most relevant experiences, responsibilities, and successes.
We have an array of resume examples that illustrate how to optimally curate your national account manager resume experience section.
- Orchestrated the national rollout of a new product line across major retailers, which increased the company's market share by 15% within the first year.
- Developed and maintained relationships with key accounts, resulting in a 25% increase in annual revenue from these partners.
- Implemented a data-driven sales strategy that focused on customer insights and analytics to identify potential growth areas, contributing to a 10% overall sales increase.
- Managed a portfolio of national accounts valued at over $100 million, consistently hitting targets and achieving a 98% customer retention rate.
- Led a cross-functional team to develop custom marketing campaigns for key clients, enhancing brand visibility and consumer engagement.
- Negotiated multi-year contracts with top accounts, securing favorable terms that led to a sustained 20% profit margin increase for the company.
- Pioneered the adoption of an innovative supply chain solution for major accounts, improving product availability by 30% and reducing downtime.
- Collaborated with product development teams to align offerings with key account needs, resulting in two industry awards for innovation.
- Drove a strategic shift within the company to focus on long-term partnerships rather than transactional sales, sustaining a growth in account value by 35% over 5 years.
- Managed and expanded a portfolio of national accounts generating over $250 million in annual revenue, securing a leading position in the market.
- Expertly navigated market trends to anticipate account needs, delivering tailored solutions that aligned with their long-term strategic plans.
- Established a benchmarking process for account management best practices that were adopted company-wide, improving overall operational efficiency.
- Instrumental in driving a 40% year-over-year growth for three consecutive years by effectively leveraging market data to make informed sales and marketing decisions.
- Spearheaded a successful partnership with a major national account that led to a collaborative product development project, enhancing the product portfolio.
- Improved account satisfaction scores by 20% through a targeted initiative focused on personalized service and proactive problem-solving.
- Established and grew a new technology product line within the national market, penetrating 45% of the target market within the first two years.
- Fostered and cemented agreements with key channel partners that led to the direct growth of key account contributions by 30%.
- Initiated an account advocacy program that improved client engagement and directly led to increased repeat business and upsell opportunities.
- Oversaw a strategic sales initiative that positioned the company as the primary vendor for three of the top five national accounts in our segment.
- Developed and executed a comprehensive training program for junior account managers that improved team performance by 25% within one year.
- Drove the growth of environmentally sustainable product offerings, which accounted for 20% of total sales from national accounts in the past fiscal year.
- Revitalized underperforming national accounts by implementing a strategic account planning process that resulted in a turnaround to profitable growth within 18 months.
- Leveraged advanced CRM tools to track and analyze account performance metrics, enabling more personalized and effective sales approaches.
- Facilitated a partnership with a leading logistics company to streamline distribution, improving on-time delivery rates to national accounts by 22%.
- Successfully negotiated and renewed a long-term contract with the largest national account, which represented over $50M of the annual revenue stream.
- Championed the use of advanced analytics to identify upselling opportunities within national accounts, which led to a 15% uptick in average account size.
- Directed a client retention campaign that reduced churn by 10% year-on-year among our top national accounts.
- Negotiated complex service agreements with multiple national accounts, including Fortune 500 companies, contributing to a significant 12% reduction in churn rate.
- Led a customer success initiative focusing on national accounts, which enhanced customer engagement through quarterly business reviews and strategic planning sessions.
- Collaborated with the marketing team to develop account-specific promotional materials that were instrumental in winning a $30 million annual contract.
Quantifying impact on your resume
- Include the number of key accounts managed and the total revenue generated from them to demonstrate sales proficiency and client management skills.
- Specify the percentage increase in account revenue year-over-year to highlight growth achievements.
- Document the dollar value of contracts negotiated to showcase negotiation skills and financial impact.
- Mention the number of strategic partnerships developed to illustrate networking capabilities and market expansion.
- Quantify cost savings achieved through effective account management to demonstrate fiscal responsibility.
- Detail the size of the teams led and the results driven to underline leadership and team-building strengths.
- State the number of new product launches or initiatives led to emphasize project management and innovation.
- Present customer retention rates to show the ability to maintain and grow a loyal client base.
Action verbs for your national account manager resume
How to shift the focus from your national account manager resume experience section to your professional profile
If you're at the start of your career journey or transitioning industries, you might be concerned about the lack of professional experience while crafting your national account manager resume.
How can you effectively present your national account manager resume experience section under these circumstances?
Rather than a traditional, extensive experience section, demonstrate your expertise through:
- Emphasizing your education. Your academic background might impress recruiters, especially if it includes recent, industry-relevant knowledge;
- Creating a compelling objective statement. The first few sentences of your resume should map out your motivations and career aspirations, offering insight into your goals;
- Highlighting your transferable skills. For example, if you've honed communication skills through volunteering, illustrate on your national account manager resume how these can benefit a potential employer;
- Detailing your technical background in certifications and skills sections. As a recent graduate, your technological foundations might be particularly attractive to employers looking to develop these skills further.
It's important to remember that employers sometimes prefer candidates with less experience but who are a better cultural fit for their organization.
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PRO TIP
If you failed to obtain one of the certificates, as listed in the requirements, but decide to include it on your resume, make sure to include a note somewhere that you have the "relevant training, but are planning to re-take the exams". Support this statement with the actual date you're planning to be re-examined. Always be honest on your resume.
National Account Manager resume skills: the essential hard skills and soft skills checklist
Ultimately, your National Account Manager resume should hint to recruiters that you possess an array of talents that are indispensable to the role.
For example, listing the technologies and software you're apt at using (or your hard skills) and how you apply them in your day-to-day responsibilities would ensure you meet the technical requirements of the role.
But is this enough to ensure that you make a good impression on recruiters?
Go a step further by detailing the soft skills or personality traits you've attained thanks to your work and life experience.
The best way to balance hard skills and soft skills on your National Account Manager resume is by:
- Highlighting up to three of your most noteworthy career accomplishments in a separate section.
- Listing at least one hard skill and one soft skill you've used to solve a particular challenge or problem.
- Feature niche skills and technologies that would help you stand out amongst candidates.
- Think back on the social impact your efforts have had towards improving the work environment - were you able to always maintain a professional ethic, while enhancing the team culture? Write about your contribution to the role, department, or organization itself as a metric of success.
The skills section of your resume provides you with plenty of opportunities to detail your technical and personal traits.
All you have to do is select the talents that best fit your application and expertise. Make note of some of the most prominent hard and soft skills across the industry from our list:
Top skills for your national account manager resume:
Sales Strategy Development
Account Management
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Market Analysis
Negotiation
Contract Management
Revenue Growth
Data Analysis
Product Knowledge
Financial Acumen
Communication
Leadership
Strategic Thinking
Problem Solving
Time Management
Collaboration
Adaptability
Networking
Persuasion
Project Management
PRO TIP
Listing your relevant degrees or certificates on your national account manager resume is a win-win situation. Not only does it hint at your technical capabilities in the industry, but an array of soft skills, like perseverance, adaptability, and motivation.
Maximizing your national account manager resume: education and certification sections
To effectively showcase your industry knowledge in your national account manager resume, it's important to properly list your education and certifications.
For the education section, ensure you include:
- Higher education degrees pertinent to the industry or those at a postgraduate level;
- The start and end dates of your education, along with the name of the institution you graduated from;
- Your GPA and relevant coursework, but only if they are impressive and applicable to the role.
Additionally, create a separate certifications section to spotlight your most notable recognitions. Another excellent place to feature a leading industry certificate is in your resume header, right after your name.
Below is a list of key industry certifications that are often sought after by recruiters
The top 5 certifications for your national account manager resume:
- Certified Professional Sales Person (CPSP) - The National Association of Sales Professionals (NASP)
- Certified Sales Leadership Professional (CSLP) - The Sales Management Association (SMA)
- Strategic Account Management Certification (SAMA) - Strategic Account Management Association
- Certified Sales Executive (CSE) - Sales and Marketing Executives International (SMEI)
- Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) - American Marketing Association (AMA)
PRO TIP
List all your relevant higher education degrees within your resume in reverse chronological order (starting with the latest). There are cases when your PhD in a particular field could help you stand apart from other candidates.
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Writing the national account manager resume summary or objective: achievements, keywords, dreams, and more
Deciding on whether to include a resume summary or resume objective should entirely depend on your career situation.
If you have:
- Plenty of relevant achievements you'd like to bring recruiters' focus to, make use of the resume summary. Ensure each of your achievements is quantified with concrete proof (e.g. % of cases solved).
- Less applicable experience, utilize the resume objective. Within the objective include a few noteworthy, past successes, followed up by your professional dreams.
As a bonus, you could define in either your national account manager resume summary or objective what makes you the perfect candidate for the role.
Think about your unique hard and soft skills that would make your expertise even more important to the job.
These national account manager professionals have completely covered the formula for the ideal resume introduction:
Resume summaries for a national account manager job
- Seasoned National Account Manager with over a decade of progressive experience in managing multimillion-dollar accounts in the competitive tech sector. Known for driving revenue growth of 60% over three years. Expert in strategic planning and cross-functional team leadership, adept at leveraging deep product knowledge to expand market share.
- Dynamic professional with 8 years of flourishing sales experience in the pharmaceutical industry, keen to transition to a National Account Manager role in the consumer goods sector. Recognized for surpassing sales targets by 150% in Q4 2021 and adept at cultivating high-value client relationships, equipped with robust market research skills.
- Meticulous financial analyst with a strong 5-year background in data analytics, seeking to apply analytical acumen and forecasting proficiency as a National Account Manager in the technology industry. Proficient in extracting business insights from complex datasets and eager to transfer these abilities to drive competitive advantage and customer satisfaction.
- High-achieving sales leader with 15 years of experience, specializing in the FMCG industry, aiming to bring expertise in account acquisition and retention to a new challenge in the tech sector. Awarded Salesperson of the Year for four consecutive years through innovative supplier negotiation tactics and customized client solutions.
- As an ambitious professional with substantial expertise in project management and a drive for sales excellence, I aim to secure a position as a National Account Manager. My goal is to leverage a strategic mindset and a keen understanding of customer engagement to foster enduring partnerships and boost revenue streams.
- With a fresh Bachelor’s in Business Administration and a passion for relationship-building, my objective is to succeed as a National Account Manager. Eager to deploy my educational background, knack for trend analysis and determination to contribute to client growth and company success in a highly competitive environment.
More relevant sections for your national account manager resume
Perhaps you feel that your current resume could make use of a few more details that could put your expertise and personality in the spotlight.
We recommend you add some of these sections for a memorable first impression on recruiters:
- Projects - you could also feature noteworthy ones you've done in your free time;
- Awards - showcasing the impact and recognition your work has across the industry;
- Volunteering - the social causes you care the most about and the soft skills they've helped you sustain and grow;
- Personality resume section - hobbies, interests, favorite quote/books, etc. could help recruiters gain an even better understanding of who you are.
Key takeaways
- The logic of your resume presentation should follow your career highlights and alignment with the role;
- Curate information within different sections (e.g. summary, experience, etc.) that helps highlight your strengths;
- Exclude from your resume irrelevant experience items - that way you'd ensure it stays no longer than two pages and is easy to read;
- Dedicate space within the summary, experience, and/or achievements to highlight precisely why you're the best candidate for the role via your previous success;
- Both your technical and people capabilities should also play a crucial role in building up your national account manager application. Prove your skill set in various resume sections.
