Selling products online is one thing. But selling yourself is a whole other feat. It’s why writing a solid eCommerce resume has so many prospective new hires in a total tizzy.
We’ve broken down the art of writing an eCommerce resume into seven easy steps. If you follow these, you’ll have a better chance of being seen and nabbing a new gig. You might impress your future boss so much, your resume might end up on display as the new gold standard.
Let’s dive in!
1. Market Yourself Like You Would on Tindr
People are always overly cautious about what they put on a dating profile and agonize about how to sound witty, intelligent and dateable. You should take that same approach with your resume.
When you fill out an online dating profile, you want to sound modest, but you also want to flaunt your best features.
For example, you can call yourself a “great storyteller” on your resume, but you need to make it qualitative. Instead, say “Crafted an abandon cart series that resulted in a 25% increase in click through rates.”
You’re a financially fiscal employee? Prove it!
Lead contact in securing over a dozen new vendors, saving the company over $7,000 in freight charges year over year.
You’re a customer service powerhouse? Well, what’s that mean?
Organized the company’s first focus group which resulted in a 15% increase in quarterly sales.
If you are going to use an adjective to describe yourself on your resume, have some hard data to back it up. It’s how you’ll ultimately end up seeming very dateable hireable.
2. Take The Two-Pronged Approach
Not every resume will work for every job you apply for. If you’re applying for two or three similar style jobs, say a Marketing Manager or a Social Media Manager, have resumes that play up specific experiences for each. If you nailed a Facebook campaign for a client, you’ll want to prioritize that on your social media resume.
Keep two things in mind every time you make an edit to your resume: relevancy and chronological events.
Relevancy is far and away the most important thing to prioritize. If you have experiences that are directly related to the job you’re applying for, make sure those jobs stand out.
If you’re applying for web developer jobs, there’s no need to include the internship you had at an art gallery. It isn’t relevant.
eCommerce Developer Resume Via Canva
Keep two things in mind every time you make an edit to your resume: relevancy and chronological events.
Chronology also comes into play here. If you haven’t worked as a warehouse manager in the past six years, you don’t want to include it in the top spot listed on your resume, but you should absolutely include it, even if it was over five years ago for a similar job. The hard and fast rule used to be that you shouldn’t include any work experience older than five years on a resume. Instead, look at the entire span of your career and find the best jobs that are relevant to the job you’re seeking.
You can always use your summary (see step four) and your cover letter to explain what you’ve been up to in recent years.
3. What Does This Employer Want?
Read that job posting with a fine tooth comb. Read it several times over. Read it when you go to bed and then read it again in the morning.
Once you’ve done that, jot down the traits you’re seeing over and over again in the listing.
Have your keywords? Great. Make sure your eCommerce resume directly reflects what this hiring manager wants. This doesn’t mean you should pepper your eCommerce Director resume with the term “methodical” six times just because the listing wants someone who is. Instead, use it once but explain why you are worthy of this description.
Many companies use Applicant Tracking Systems to vet resumes as they come in. These will often run a search for keywords that match designated ones from the job posting, which is another reason why you want to make sure some of those buzzwords are on your resume.
But it’s not all about using the right search terms. This exercise might require some self-reflection on your part. Think through what the employer really needs and look at your past experience and accolades that would be an additional asset to them. Think about what you can bring to the table that might give you the upper leg on the other resumes that hit their desk.
Here’s a quick exercise on how to do just that. Search similar job postings for the job you’re applying for by job title. Read through similar eCommerce jobs and pull out assets or experiences they are looking for that are apropos. Try to include some of these as well. Your future employer might realize you listed things they didn’t even know they wanted.
4. Tell An eCommerce Story in the Summary
Summary. Profile. eCommerce Resume Objective. About Me. It doesn’t matter what you call it, this is where you’ll sum yourself up in one to two sentences.
It’s daunting.
So how do you know if you need one? Muse writer Lily Zhang explains it like this: “Summary statements are usually best for more experienced professionals with years of experiences to tie together with a common theme (read: brand). Or, alternatively, they can be used to tie together disparate experiences with a set of key transferable skills.”
If you’re hoping to land that dream eCommerce job, this is a great place to really stand out among the growing pile of eCommerce resumes piling up in an inbox. According to The Ladders, an average recruiter will only spend six seconds looking at a resume. Make those six seconds count.
Here are some summaries worth stealing.
Instead of writing:
Highly qualified executive assistant seeks administrative role where I can learn and develop my skills.
Try writing:
I bring over eight years of experience serving as an executive assistant to top VPs and CEOs in Fortune 500 Companies. I pride myself on diligence, discretion and exemplary written and verbal skills.
You don’t always need to play up what you’re looking for in a position, since the job you’re applying for probably fits the bill. Instead, focus on what you think a recruiter would like to read.
Instead of writing:
I flourish in high-stress environments.
Try writing:
My former employees nicknamed me “Grace” because that’s exactly how I operate under pressure.
Don’t be afraid to have a little fun and write a line that employers will remember.
You don’t always need to play up what you’re looking for in a position, since the job you’re applying for probably fits the bill. Instead, focus on what you think a recruiter would like to read.
5. Make It Visually Appealing
Out, out, Word docs! There’s no excuse to send out a resume that looks like it was composed back in 2002. Especially if you’re applying for an eCommerce job.
There are free tools and template out there to make your resume looks like it was professionally designed. We love using the resume templates on Canva, with options ranging from free to just a few dollars. They even offer specialized templates you can use for everything from eCommerce customer service resumes to eCommerce project manager resume samples.
If you do choose to keep it minimal by using Word, just make sure you always send it out as an eCommerce resume PDF. It’s still the most universally accepted format across all devices.
6. Edit Out The Irrelevant Stuff (Unless You Can Make It Relevant)
You only a page to sell yourself to a potential employer, so don’t waste any space on the following things:
Hobbies
Yes it’s cute that you collect cat figurines, but your future boss doesn’t need to know that.
College Awards
Unless you’ve got an eCommerce specific one that will impress, leave these out. However, if you’re new to the workforce and don’t have a ton of work experience under your belt yet, feel free to list the ones you’re most proud of.
Irrelevant jobs
The great thing about building your resume is that you can decide what you leave on. If you’re tailoring an eCommerce specialist resume, include only jobs that are relevant to the industry.
Short-Term Gigs
A job that you had for only a short time (i.e. less than four months) can be left off.
A Job You Disliked
If you had a job that you didn’t enjoy and would have trouble being able to speak candidly about in the interview seat, feel free to leave it off.
Roles and Responsibilities You Dislike
If your last marketing role involved managing media spend, but it’s a role you hated, don’t mention it. If you do, you’ll have a bigger chance of continuing to do it in your next position.
It’s important to really scrutinize any non-eCommerce experience that could still be relevant to a future employer. Read our post about entry-level eCommerce jobs right here to learn more about how even a non-eCommerce background can be changed to be advantageous to an employer.
7. Prove You Know The Industry
You want your resume to prove you’re knowledgeable about the eCommerce industry. There are several ways you can elevate your resume by dropping some major eCommerce knowledge.
Use The Right “Slang”
You don’t need to write out terms like “Return on Investment” or “Search Engine Optimization” because these don’t need clarifying when you’re speaking directly to other professionals in the industry. Instead, keep these terms casual, i.e. ROI and SEO, as if you were talking to an industry peer.
Name Drop
If you’ve worked for some top eCommerce companies in the past, don’t miss out on mentioning them on your resume. Additionally, if you spearheaded an initiative that was inspired by another brand, feel free to include that. For example, “Created new customer service SOPs inspired by the Zappos knowledge docs”. This shows you keep your pulse on what’s new and innovative.
Make a Bezos Joke
What do all eCommerce employees love to talk about? Jeff Bezos. If you have a chance to mention him on your resume, you’ll be sure to get a chuckle out of the HR personnel.
You are now officially well-equipped to take that resume of yours and reinvent it to really stand out. Time to search for your next big gig? Check out dozens of compelling eCommerce job opportunities right from entry-level to director gigs.
And if you have a killer eCommerce resume you’re willing to share with the world, we want to see it! Email us at jobs@ecommercefuel.com and include “Epic Resume” in the subject line. It might just end up in an upcoming post!
Post by Andrew Youderian
