Finding a Balance Between Jargon and Clarity on Your Resume

Are your resume writing skills up to par, or do you feel like you need resume help? If you feel like you need a little bit of resume help, you aren't alone. The sales industry has significant competition, so it's imperative that your resume stands out. You can find sales resume examples and resume writing tips online, but most of those examples and tips explain that it's important to include industry jargon on your resume without cautioning you against using too many industry-related words. Fortunately, you can determine whether your resume is well written without getting professional resume help.

According to a recent article on USNews.com, your resume should shine with accomplishments. However, using too much industry slang when you describe your accomplishments can make it hard to understand what you've actually accomplished. The bullet points on your resume need to tell the complete story, so you may need to reword a few things. Each bullet point on your resume should describe a challenge you faced and how you resolved it. For example, you shouldn't include a bullet point that states you were responsible for a 6 percent increase in sales last year—instead, you should explain how you overcame a challenge to increase sales by 6 percent. It's okay to use some industry jargon in your bullet points; however, you should keep it to a minimum so that someone who isn't familiar with the field will still understand your accomplishments.

You should also include your sales experience in your resume. Most sales resume examples show that a good way to do this is by creating a chronological resume that highlights your past sales jobs. Keep in mind that most industries are comprised of multiple fields, so if you're applying for a sales position that you don't have a lot of experience with, you need to limit the number of job-related keywords you use. This way, everyone who reads your resume understands the experience you have. If you're applying for a sales position in the same field, it's okay to use industry jargon—the person reading your resume is likely to understand it.

The career objective is one section that many people need professional resume help to write. Your objective should talk about your qualities and achievements and explain how the company would benefit by hiring you for the open sales position. When you write your objective, keep it short, simple, and concise. You don't need to include industry jargon in your objective, but your objective should be tailored to the job you're applying for.

Using industry jargon in your resume has benefits. If you're posting your resume online, using industry-specific keywords can help employers find you. However, it's important that you don't use too much jargon. Your resume should give any potential employer the impression that you're knowledgeable and professional. Professional resume help isn't necessary to write a good resume—in fact, if you concentrate on writing a resume that tells your complete story, highlights your accomplishments, and has a precise objective, you don't need professional resume help at all.

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