Navigating the delicate balance between showcasing commercial acumen and maintaining an authentic personal brand poses a significant CV challenge for you as a commercial manager. Our comprehensive guide offers tailored strategies to articulate your unique value proposition, ensuring your CV resonates with potential employers and sets you apart in the competitive market.
- Answer job requirements with your commercial manager CV and experience;
- Curate your academic background and certificates, following industry-leading CV examples;
- Select from +10 niche skills to match the ideal candidate profile
- Write a more succinct experience section that consists of all the right details.
Do you need more specific insights into writing your commercial manager CV? Our guides focus on unique insights for each individual role:
Structuring and formatting your commercial manager CV for an excellent first impression
The experts' best advice regarding your CV format is to keep it simple and concise. Recruiters assessing your CV are foremost looking out for candidates who match their ideal job profile. Your white space, borders, and margins. You may still be wondering which format you need to export your CV in. We recommend using the PDF one, as, upon being uploaded, it never alters your information or CV design. Before we move on to the actual content of your commercial manager CV, we'd like to remind you about the Applicant Tracker System (or the ATS). The ATS is a software that is sometimes used to initially assess your profile. Here's what you need to keep in mind about the ATS:- All serif and sans-serif fonts (e.g. Rubik, Volkhov, Exo 2 etc.) are ATS-friendly;
- Many candidates invest in Arial and Times New Roman, so avoid these fonts if you want your application to stand out;
- Both single and double column CVs can be read by the ATS, so it's entirely up to you to select your CV design.
PRO TIP
Use font size and style strategically to create a visual hierarchy, drawing the reader's eye to the most important information first (like your name and most recent job title).
The top sections on a commercial manager CV
- Personal statement highlighting commercial acumen to show a strong understanding of market trends and business strategies.
- Key achievements in commercial roles to demonstrate measurable success in previous positions.
- Professional experience with contract negotiation details to outline the expertise in deal-making and partnerships.
- Sector-specific expertise to indicate a deep knowledge of the industry the candidate is applying within.
- Business development skills to showcase ability to identify and capitalise on new opportunities.
What recruiters value on your CV:
- Highlight your experience in developing successful commercial strategies, showcasing your ability to analyse market trends and translate them into actionable business plans.
- Emphasise your negotiation skills by detailing previous contracts you've successfully brokered, demonstrating your ability to secure favourable terms and strengthen business relationships.
- Include specific examples of sales growth or revenue increases you've driven, as this demonstrates the direct impact of your commercial acumen on business success.
- Showcase your leadership and management abilities by citing instances where you've led teams to achieve commercial objectives, stressing your role in mentoring and guiding team members.
- Detail your proficiency with commercial software and analytical tools, underlining how you've leveraged technology to improve decision-making or streamline commercial processes.
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How to present your contact details and job keywords in your commercial manager CV header
Located at the top of your commercial manager CV, the header presents recruiters with your key personal information, headline, and professional photo. When creating your CV header, include your:
- Contact details - avoid listing your work email or telephone number and, also, email addresses that sound unprofessional (e.g. koolKittyCat$3@gmail.com is definitely a big no);
- Headline - it should be relevant, concise, and specific to the role you're applying for, integrating keywords and action verbs;
- Photo - instead of including a photograph from your family reunion, select one that shows you in a more professional light. It's also good to note that in some countries (e.g. the UK and US), it's best to avoid photos on your CV as they may serve as bias.
What do other industry professionals include in their CV header? Make sure to check out the next bit of your guide to see real-life examples:
Examples of good CV headlines for commercial manager:
- Commercial Manager | Strategic Market Growth | MBA | 8+ Years in FMCG Leadership
- Senior Commercial Manager | Business Development Expert | P&L Management | 12 Years' Experience
- Assistant Commercial Manager | Sales Analytics Enthusiast | Emerging Markets Specialist | 4 Years in Retail Sector
- Commercial Manager | B2B Sales Pro | Chartered Marketer | 6 Years Driving Revenue Growth
- Lead Commercial Manager | Contract Negotiation Ace | CIPS Certified | 10+ Years Global Experience
- Commercial Strategy Manager | Brand Expansion Guru | MA International Business | 7 Years' Industry Leadership
Choosing your opening statement: a commercial manager CV summary or objective
At the top one third of your CV, you have the chance to make a more personable impression on recruiters by selecting between:
- Summary - or those three to five sentences that you use to show your greatest achievements. Use the CV summary if you happen to have plenty of relevant experience and wish to highlight your greatest successes;
- Objective - provides you with up to five sentences to state your professional aims and mission in the company you're applying for
CV summaries for a commercial manager job:
- Seasoned Commercial Manager with over 12 years of experience in boosting revenue generation and market share expansion for Fortune 500 companies. Highly proficient in strategic pricing, contract negotiation, and fostering profitable client relationships. Spearheaded a campaign that resulted in a 25% sales increase within a single fiscal quarter.
- Dynamic individual with 15 years of expertise in pharmaceutical sales management. Adept at leading high-performing sales teams to exceed targets through data-driven strategies and relationship-building. Key achievement includes launching a product line that dominated the market, capturing a 40% market share within two years.
- Ambitious finance professional eager to transfer a decade of asset management knowledge into commercial management. Excelled in investment strategy formulation and client portfolio growth, attaining a 95% client retention rate. Keen to apply analytical and financial acumen to drive commercial success in a new industry.
- Former military officer ready to channel 20 years of disciplined leadership and operational planning excellence into the commercial sector. Proven track record in resource management and strategic deployment of large-scale projects. Determined to leverage transferable skills to achieve corporate objectives and financial profitability.
- As a fresh graduate with a Bachelor's in Business Administration, I am enthusiastic about starting a career in commercial management. Possessing a deep understanding of business operations and economics, my objective is to contribute a fresh perspective and tireless work ethic to making data-informed decisions that drive revenue growth.
- Motivated professional with a strong foundation in customer service seeking an entry-level commercial management opportunity. With a track record of exceeding sales targets in retail management, my aim is to use my communication and negotiation prowess to create value for the organization through strategic client engagement and market analysis.
Narrating the details of your commercial manager CV experience section
Perhaps you've heard it time and time again, but, how you present your experience is what matters the most. Your CV experience section - that details your work history alongside your accomplishments - is the space to spotlight your unqiue expertise and talents. So, avoid solely listing your responsibilities, but instead:
- adverts' keywords and integrate those in your experience section;
- Use your CV to detail how you've been promoted in the past by including experience in the reverse chronological order.
Before you start writing your commercial manager CV experience section, dive into some industry-leading examples on how to structure your bullets.
Best practices for your CV's work experience section
- Successfully negotiated and managed contracts worth £5M+, consistently achieving a cost reduction of at least 10% through strategic vendor partnerships and robust negotiation skills.
- Implemented innovative marketing strategies that increased product awareness by 25% and contributed to a 15% sales growth in the first year of execution.
- Managed a commercial team of 10, providing leadership and development that resulted in a 30% improvement in team productivity and a 20% increase in overall sales targets achievement.
- Developed and maintained strong relationships with key clients, leading to a customer retention rate of 95% and recognition as 'Commercial Manager of the Year' for outstanding client satisfaction.
- Analysed market trends and competitor activity to inform strategic planning, facilitating the company's entry into three new international markets with a projected increase in revenue of 20%.
- Oversaw the successful launch of five new product lines, coordinating between R&D, marketing, and sales teams to ensure a coherent go-to-market strategy and a 50% faster time to market.
- Identified cost-saving opportunities that led to a 15% reduction in operational expenses without compromising on service quality, through process optimisation and efficient resource allocation.
- Collaborated with the finance department to develop accurate sales forecasts and budget plans, resulting in a forecast accuracy improvement of 98% and better alignment with corporate financial goals.
- Provided comprehensive sales training to new and existing staff, leading to an average 40% increase in sales performance within the first three months of the training programme.
- Orchestrated the commercial strategy and development of new market segments for our software solutions, increasing market share by 18% within two years.
- Negotiated and secured contracts worth over $10M with Fortune 500 companies, enhancing the company's profitability and brand recognition.
- Led a cross-departmental team to successfully deliver a transformative project that integrates AI technology, improving customer engagement by 25%.
- Implemented an innovative pricing strategy across all product lines, which resulted in a 10% increase in average revenue per user.
- Spearheaded the commercial due diligence for a high-profile merger, which subsequently expanded the organization's service offerings.
- Enhanced vendor and supplier relationships to improve terms and net 60-day payment plans, significantly impacting cash flow management.
- Developed a comprehensive commercial training program, raising the team's contract negotiation success rate by 40%.
- Successfully expanded business into three new international territories, overseeing compliance and mitigating risks associated with market entry.
- Increased annual profits by 15% through refining the sales process and optimizing product portfolio management.
- Pioneered a digital transformation initiative that increased lead generation by leveraging data analytics, boosting sales conversions by 22%.
- Managed a portfolio of customer accounts valued at $30M, maintaining a 95% retention rate over the tenure.
- Collaborated closely with the marketing team to align commercial campaigns with consumer insights, contributing to a 35% jump in brand awareness.
- Devised and executed a strategic plan for entering the mobile software market, which captured a 10% market share within the first year.
- Led negotiations for a critical $5M software licensing agreement that expanded the company's recurring revenue model.
- Managed and optimized the product lifecycle of key software suites, reducing time-to-market by 30%.
- Launched and managed a partnership program with local vendors, improving supply chain efficiencies and reducing costs by 12%.
- Implemented a customer loyalty program that saw a repeat business increase by 18%, strengthening client relationships.
- Drove cross-functional teams to achieve objectives in product development cycles, reducing go-to-market timeframes.
Lacking professional expertise: how to write your CV to highlight your best talents
Don't count on your lucky stars when you're applying for a role, where you happen to have less (or almost none) professional experience. Recruiters sometimes do hire inexperienced candidates if they're able to present their unique value from the get-go. So, instead of opting for the traditional, CV experience section:
- List any applicable expertise you happen to have - no matter if it's a part-time job, internship, or volunteer work. This would hint to recruiters that your profile is relevant;
- Focus your CV on your transferrable skills or talents you've obtained thanks to your whole life and work experience. In effect, you'll be spotlighting your value as a candidate;
- Separate more space for your applicable academic background and certificates to show you have the technical know-how;
- Ensure that within your objective, you've defined why you'll like the job and how you'll be the perfect match for it. Always ensure you've tailored your CV to individual applications.
Looking for more good examples for your first job? We'll show you how other candidates, with less professional experience, have created their job-winning CVs.
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PRO TIP
Describe how each job helped you grow or learn something new, showing a continuous development path in your career.
Hard skills and soft skills to showcase your unique skill set on your commercial manager CV
Did you know that your CV will mostly likely be assessed by recruiters based on skill alignment? And that means that the way you feature your key skills across different CV sections will play a crucial role in landing you that first interview. We recommend you add your:
- technical capabilities or hard skills in your CV experience, certificates, projects, etc. Use your past accomplishments to prove your technical capabilities. List up to a dozen different software or hardware in your dedicated skills section to match the job keywords;
- personal and communication skills or soft skills in your CV strengths, achievements, summary/ objective, etc. Soft skills are a bit more difficult to prove. How do you define your aptitude in active listening? So, instead of just listing the skill name, include a tangible metric to show your success.
On a final note, when you're in a hurry to create your profile, you may misspell a particular technology or soft skill. That's why we suggest you copy and paste the particular skill name (or keyword), directly from the job advert. This would also help you to pass any initial Applicant Tracker System (ATS) tests.
Top skills for your commercial manager CV:
Strategic Planning
Financial Analysis
Sales and Marketing Knowledge
Contract Negotiation
Market Research
Pricing Strategy
Project Management
Data Analysis
Profit and Loss Management
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Leadership
Communication
Teamwork
Negotiation
Problem-solving
Time Management
Adaptability
Decision Making
Influencing
Strategic Thinking
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If there's a noticeable gap in your skillset for the role you're applying for, mention any steps you're taking to acquire these skills, such as online courses or self-study.
CV education and certificates: your academic background as proof of your skill set
A common misconception about your commercial manager CV education is that you only need it, if you have less professional experience. That is completely false. The CV education section serves to back up your technical (and sometimes personal) capabilities, fill in gaps in your work history, and show you have the initial industry background and know-how. When creating your education section:
- List your degrees in the reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent (and relevant) ones first;
- Include your degree and university names, start and graduation dates. It's optional to also denote you received a "First-Class Honours" for diplomas that are more relevant to the role;
- Curate your relevant university coursework, projects, or thesis work if you happen to have less professional expertise and need to integrate more job keywords and skills.
Your professional qualifications don't need to stop at your academic background. It's advisable to also select up to three of your most noteworthy (and relevant) industry certificates and feature them in a dedicated section. Once more, include the certificate name, the institution that issued it out, and the date you obtained it on. You could feature both hard skills and soft skills certificates, as in the examples below:
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Focus on describing skills in the context of the outcomes they’ve helped you achieve, linking them directly to tangible results or successes in your career.
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Key takeaways
Write your professional commercial manager CV by studying and understanding what the role expectations are. You should next:
- Focus on tailoring your content to answer specific requirements by integrating advert keywords through various CV sections;
- Balance your technical know-how with your personal skills to showcase what the unique value would be of working with you;
- Ensure your CV grammar and spelling (especially of your key information and contact details) is correct;
- Write a CV summary, if your experience is relevant, and an objective, if your career ambitions are more impressive;
- Use active language by including strong, action verbs across your experience, summary/objective, achievements sections.
