If you’re trying to break into medical device sales and feel like your resume is the biggest thing holding you back, this one’s for you.

Every week, I get messages from people saying, “I’ve been trying for months—it's my resume.” Many even pay hundreds, sometimes thousands to professional resume writers and still struggle to land interviews.

Let me be real with you:
It’s not your resume.

The Resume Isn’t the Golden Ticket

Sure, a strong resume helps. But most of you think it’s the make-or-break piece. It’s not. Why?

• We’ve helped thousands break in, and many didn’t even submit a resume until late in the interview process.
  
  
• Most hiring managers glance at a resume for 30 seconds. They find one or two highlights to ask about and move on.
  
  
• You could have a Harvard degree and $10M in career sales and still bomb the interview if you can’t speak confidently about your experience.
  
  

So What Should Be on Your Resume?

1. Percentages & Growth Metrics

Numbers stand out. Every rep, manager, and recruiter wants to see results.

Don’t write:

“Grew client base as a personal trainer.”

Do write:

“Grew client sales by 38% in Q1 of 2023 as a personal trainer.”

I once wrote on my resume that I grew a soccer academy’s email list by 225% in three months. It was small but it was measurable. That number sparked questions in interviews.

Don’t overthink it. Think:

• How did I help a business grow?
  
  
• How did I improve efficiency or productivity?
  
  
• What can I measure?
  
  

2. Make Anything You’ve Done Sound Like Sales

Here’s the trick:
You’ve probably sold before you just didn’t call it “sales.”

Examples:

• Nurses build trust and persuade doctors and patients every day.
  
  
• Servers upsell menu items or improve guest experiences.
  
  
• Personal trainers “sell” people on doing hard things—every session.
  
  

What was your average upsell rate?
Did you improve client retention?
Did your rehab patients recover faster than others?

That’s data. That’s sales.

3. Keep It Short and Sharp

No one is reading a 3-page resume. Be concise.

➡️ 2–4 bullet points per role max.
➡️ Use clean formatting.
➡️ Focus on achievements, not responsibilities.

4. Tailor It to the Role You Want

Clinical folks:
If you’re applying for clinical specialist roles, it’s okay to include more patient-facing wins and fewer sales metrics. These roles usually don’t carry a quota.

But if you’re going for a sales role (associate sales rep, business development, etc.) you need to show growth and a track record of winning.

The Hard Truth: Your Resume Is NOT the Problem

You’re using your resume as an excuse.
You’ve been “working on it” for 3, 5, even 9 weeks hoping it’s the golden key.

It’s not.

✅ If you’re really that great, start networking.
✅ Reach out to people in the industry.
✅ Nail your story and practice your interview skills.

The resume gets you the meeting. It doesn’t close the deal.

Final Thoughts

A solid, clean resume matters. But if you’re not getting hired, it’s probably not the resume it’s your approach.

Start focusing on:

• Clear, number-based achievements
  
  
• Selling your story (even if it’s not traditional sales)
  
  
• Building real relationships

Want More Details?

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Ready to break into Medical Device Sales? 

If you’re serious about breaking into Medical Device Sales, our program is designed to help you break into the industry where our average person is breaking into Medical Device Sales in just 8.5 weeks at $105,502.

Click here to learn more and kickstart your journey to success.

All the best,

Jacob McLaughlin

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