business development director biography

END OF MONTH SPECIAL: 10% off writing packages using promo code MAY10 (expires May 31)

Standout Professional Bio Examples (And Why You Need One)

• Compelling examples of bios in multiple contexts

The difference between a resume and a professional bio

Who needs a professional bio.

A professional bio is one of the most important pieces of writing you have in your toolkit.

What career and business opportunities will yours open up?

Effective examples of bios in multiple contexts

When crafting a professional bio, be intentional about the content you include and tailor it according to your objectives.

You want to adjust it accordingly based on where it appears and what type of organization and industry you work for.

The purpose of a professional bio is generally to:

• State who you are and what you do
• Provide examples of your work experience that bolster your credibility
• Tell your story

How you go about accomplishing these three goals, however, will vary.

We compiled a variety of professional biographies and explain why they are effective to give you an idea of how to structure yours.

Company Website

If you are a senior executive, you may have a professional bio on your company’s website: this is the most common request we receive.

John Hartman | Equifax

John Hartman put together a classic example of an executive bio for the Equifax website.

His writing is clear, concise, and follows the standard structure for an effective bio by providing:

• Name and current role at Equifax
• Previous experience at Equifax
• Early career history
• Education summary

If you’re looking for a conventional executive bio, you’ll want to follow this format.

It’s perfectly acceptable to use the bio you have on your company’s website for LinkedIn.

However, don’t forget that LinkedIn is still a social media platform, so it’s okay to infuse a bit more personality into it !

Jay Shetty | Personal Brand

Jay Shetty's profile headline and introduction quickly grab the reader's attention: “Meet the former monk who is making wisdom go viral.”

He further builds his credibility by explaining that he has 200 million views on social media, over one million followers, and was selected for Forbes 30 Under 30.

His bio also includes information about his education and career history while infusing elements of his story (we’ll forgive him for grammar errors and focus on content – because it is quite strong).

At the end, he also provides a preferred method of contact.

You should consider including your email address or a link to your LinkedIn profile as well – especially if your bio doubles as a marketing tool.

Need help crafting a compelling executive bio? Learn more  about our professional bio writing service!

Personal Website

We’re increasingly seeing freelancers and even professionals in the corporate sector building personal websites that serve as an online resume, so to speak.

If you are a freelancer or run your own business, think carefully about your copy and what kind of message you are sending to your readers.

• What kind of impression will they have of you and your business after reading your bio?
• Does your bio leave them inspired and wanting to talk to you further?
• What is the image you are trying to convey? Do you want to come off as polished and professional, engaging, fun, or simply vanilla? 

Melanie Everett | melanieeverettco.com

Melanie Everett runs an independent real estate firm in Chicago.

Coming from a journalism background, she has leveraged her writing skills to drive her real estate business. She currently ranks in the top 1% of real estate agents in Chicago.

Conference or Event Pamphlet

If you are speaking on a panel or delivering a keynote speech, you may have the opportunity to provide a bio to be featured in the event’s print materials.

For these types of communications, you’ll want your bio to be shorter than what you might include on a company page or LinkedIn summary.

These executive bios build credibility for you and your company while positioning you as an expert on the topic you will be speaking about.

Vera Manoukian | Hilton

Hilton’s Vera Manoukian provided this bio when she spoke on a panel titled “The Rebirth of Full-Service Hotels,” effectively demonstrating her leadership experience in the hospitality sector.

Nonprofit Bio

Executive bios for nonprofit organizations often employ a storytelling approach to introduce readers to the organization’s mission and impact.

Ben Justus | EGBOK Mission

In his bio, Ben explains why he started EGBOK, the work his organization does, and how it has grown.

When you contribute to an industry blog, you may have the opportunity to include additional information that showcases why you are an authority on the topic.

In this context, your bio can also serve as publicity for your company.

Arianna Huffington | THRIVE Global

Brian X. Chen | The New York Times

Other times, you may have very limited space to work with, making it especially important to consider how each word is adding value.

A resume and professional bio are both personal marketing documents, but they are used in different contexts.

Resumes are generally used to apply for a job. They are written in third person, follow a conventional structure, and are predominantly based on facts and achievements .

Professional bios , on the other hand, provide a more informal narrative that serves as a compelling elevator pitch.

Professionals of all experience levels can benefit from a bio.

As an executive, you should have a long and short version of a professional bio to use on:

• Corporate or personal websites
• Company marketing brochures
• Conference materials

If you are a student , you can use yours as a LinkedIn summary or on the webpage of a campus organization you are a part of. You never know who might come across it!

We hope these examples have given you inspiration and an understanding of what to include in your bio.

When writing yours, remember to keep the following in mind:

The best bios are written thoughtfully and intentionally, so it’s not something you want to leave to the last minute!

Need a compelling executive bio? You can order our professional bio writing service here !

About resume pilots.

Resume Pilots is an award-winning executive resume writing firm and a proud member of the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches. Our previous clients include CEOs and senior executives at the world's leading companies.

As a professional services firm, we take your reputation seriously. We are committed to delivering writing excellence and superior service while operating with integrity and discretion. Recruitment firms we partner with also trust us to consistently deliver quality documents for their clients.

Our writers have studied in the Ivy League and other top-tier universities and have strong writing backgrounds coupled with industry experience.

Here's how we can help you:

Resume, Cover Letter, and LinkedIn Writing Services : If you are looking for end-to-end support, hire one of our professional resume writers to rewrite your documents from the ground up.

Executive Resume Template Downloads : If you plan to prepare your own resume, consider using one of our classic, ATS-friendly resume templates for Microsoft Word.

To learn more about our services, book an introductory call with our founder here or email [email protected] .

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Google
• Share on Pinterest

About the Author Matt Glodz

Matt Glodz is the Founder and Managing Partner of Resume Pilots and a Certified Professional Resume Writer. After studying business communication at Cornell University, Matt worked within Fortune 500 companies, where he noted that qualified candidates were frequently denied interview opportunities due to poorly written documents. At Resume Pilots, Matt combines his business and writing background - which includes prior work for a Chicago Tribune publication - to craft resumes that give his clients the best chance of landing interviews. He works with clients ranging from CEOs to recent graduates and has been writing resumes for over 10 years. He has been quoted on numerous business and career-related topics in outlets including Business Insider, CNBC, Fortune, Glassdoor, The Ladders, and Thrive Global.

Related Articles

Resume formatting and design tips for react js consultants, top 5 tips for getting a job with no experience, how to use the pomodoro technique for an effective job search.

•  Guest Posts

30 Professional Bio Examples and Templates to Showcase Your Expertise

30 professional bio examples and templates to help you craft a compelling and impactful bio that showcases your expertise and personal brand

Table of Contents

Your professional bio is more than just a few lines of text on a website or social media profile. It's your chance to make a strong first impression and tell your unique story to the world. Whether you're a job seeker, an entrepreneur, a freelancer, or a professional in any field, a well-crafted bio can make a significant impact on your personal brand.

But how to write a professional bio that stands out and accurately represents who you are and what you've accomplished? That's exactly what we'll explore in this blog post. We'll provide you with valuable tips and practical examples of professional bio to help you in writing a professional bio that captures attention, highlights your expertise, and leaves a lasting impression.

Let's get started.

How to write a professional bio

Writing a professional bio can be a valuable tool for various purposes, such as a website, social media profiles, speaking engagements, or professional networking. It provides a concise and compelling summary of your background, expertise, achievements, and aspirations.

Here are tips for writing a professional bio

1. Identify your purpose

Determine the specific purpose and target audience for your bio. Are you writing for a professional website, LinkedIn profile, or conference brochure? Understanding your audience and their expectations will shape the tone and content of your bio.

2. Start with a strong opening

Begin your bio with a captivating and attention-grabbing statement. This can be a notable achievement, an intriguing personal detail, or a unique selling point that sets you apart. It should quickly engage the reader and make them want to learn more.

3. Provide relevant background information

Offer a concise overview of your professional background and expertise. Highlight your educational qualifications, relevant work experience, and any specialized training or certifications you possess. Focus on the aspects most relevant to your target audience.

4. Highlight key achievements

Showcase your significant accomplishments and milestones. These could include notable projects, awards, publications, successful campaigns, or any other achievements that demonstrate your skills and expertise. Use quantifiable data whenever possible to provide tangible evidence of your success.

5. Showcase your skills and expertise

Discuss your areas of specialization, core skills, and unique abilities that make you stand out in your field. Emphasize how these skills align with the needs and interests of your target audience. Use specific examples or testimonials to illustrate your capabilities.

6. Demonstrate your value proposition

Clearly articulate the value you bring to your audience. Explain how your expertise, experience, or products/services can solve their problems, meet their needs, or provide valuable solutions. Focus on the benefits you offer rather than just listing features.

7. Incorporate personal elements

While your bio should primarily focus on your professional accomplishments, including some personal details can help humanize your profile. Mentioning relevant hobbies, interests, or volunteer work can create a connection with your audience and showcase your well-rounded personality.

8. Keep it concise and focused

Aim for a bio length of around 150-300 words, depending on the platform and purpose. Use clear and concise language, avoiding jargon or technical terms that might be unfamiliar to your audience. Make every sentence count and ensure that each piece of information is relevant and impactful.

9. Edit and proofread

After writing your bio, review it carefully for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Ensure that it flows smoothly and is easy to read. Consider seeking feedback from trusted colleagues, mentors, or friends to get a fresh perspective and make improvements if needed.

10. Update regularly

Your professional bio should be a living document that evolves as you progress in your career. Keep it up to date by revisiting and revising it periodically to reflect your latest achievements, skills, and goals.

19 Professional bio examples

Here are five professional bio examples for different fields and purposes

1. Business professional bio example

John Smith is an experienced business strategist and consultant with over 10 years of experience in helping companies drive growth and maximize profitability. As the founder and CEO of XYZ Consulting, John has advised numerous Fortune 500 companies on strategic planning, market expansion, and organizational development. His expertise lies in leveraging data-driven insights to identify opportunities, streamline operations, and deliver sustainable results.

John holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and is a sought-after speaker at industry conferences. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, playing the piano, and volunteering with local business mentoring programs.

2. Creative professional bio example of graphic designer

Sarah Thompson is a passionate graphic designer and visual storyteller known for her innovative and captivating designs. With a keen eye for aesthetics and a deep understanding of branding, Sarah has worked with leading global brands, creating impactful visual identities and marketing campaigns. Her work has been featured in several design publications and has earned her multiple awards, including the prestigious AIGA Design Excellence Award.

Sarah holds a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design from the Rhode Island School of Design. When she's not immersed in design projects, she can be found exploring art galleries, experimenting with new art techniques, or traveling to gain inspiration from different cultures.

3. Medical professional bio example

Dr. Emily Davis is a board-certified cardiologist with a specialization in interventional cardiology. With over 15 years of clinical experience, Dr. Davis is dedicated to providing compassionate and personalized care to her patients. She is recognized for her expertise in complex coronary interventions and has performed hundreds of successful procedures, saving countless lives.

Dr. Davis completed her medical degree at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and pursued her fellowship training at the renowned Cleveland Clinic. She actively participates in medical research and has authored numerous publications in esteemed cardiology journals. Outside of her practice, Dr. Davis enjoys spending time with her family, practicing yoga, and advocating for heart health awareness.

4. Tech professional bio example

Alex Johnson is a seasoned software engineer and technology leader with a passion for innovation and problem-solving. With over 12 years of experience in the tech industry, Alex has led cross-functional teams in developing cutting-edge software solutions for global enterprises. His expertise spans full-stack development, cloud architecture, and machine learning.

Alex holds a Master's degree in Computer Science from Stanford University and has been granted several patents for his groundbreaking work. He frequently shares his knowledge as a guest lecturer at tech conferences and mentors aspiring developers through coding bootcamps. In his free time, Alex enjoys hiking, playing guitar, and experimenting with new coding languages.

5. Academic professional bio example

Dr. Jessica Rodriguez is a renowned professor of sociology and social justice advocate. With a Ph.D. in Sociology from Yale University, Dr. Rodriguez has dedicated her career to advancing research on inequality, race relations, and social change. Her scholarly work has been published in leading academic journals and has been influential in shaping public policy.

Dr. Rodriguez is a sought-after speaker at conferences and has delivered TEDx talks on issues of social justice and equity. She is deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of scholars and serves as a faculty advisor for various student organizations. Outside of academia, Dr. Rodriguez enjoys exploring new cuisines, volunteering at local community centers, and practicing mindfulness meditation.

6. Legal professional bio example

Elizabeth Davis is a highly accomplished attorney specializing in intellectual property law. With a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School, Elizabeth has successfully represented clients in high-profile copyright and trademark infringement cases. Her expertise also extends to licensing agreements and intellectual property portfolio management.

Elizabeth is a partner at ABC Law Firm, where she heads the Intellectual Property Practice Group. She is a frequent speaker at legal conferences and serves as a mentor to young lawyers. In her free time, Elizabeth enjoys hiking, playing tennis, and volunteering with organizations that promote access to justice.

7. Marketing professional bio example

Jennifer Lee is a results-driven marketing strategist with a track record of driving revenue growth through innovative digital campaigns. With a deep understanding of consumer behavior and market trends, Jennifer has helped numerous companies expand their online presence and optimize their marketing efforts. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Marketing from New York University and is certified in Google Analytics and Facebook Ads.

Jennifer is a regular contributor to marketing publications and is often invited as a guest speaker at industry events. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, practicing yoga, and exploring new cuisines.

8. Education professional bio example

Dr. Michael Thompson is a dedicated educator and thought leader in the field of educational psychology. With a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership, Dr. Thompson has served as a professor at prestigious universities, where he specializes in child development, motivation, and educational policy. He is the author of several influential books on parenting and education, which have been featured on The New York Times Bestseller list.

Dr. Thompson is a sought-after keynote speaker at education conferences and has appeared as a guest expert on national television programs. In his spare time, he enjoys playing the guitar, hiking with his family, and volunteering with local literacy programs.

9. Finance professional bio example

Sarah Johnson is a seasoned financial advisor with over 15 years of experience in wealth management. As the founder and CEO of XYZ Financial Services, Sarah has helped countless individuals and families navigate complex financial landscapes and achieve their long-term financial goals. She holds an MBA in Finance from Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®).

Sarah is a regular contributor to financial publications and has been featured in Forbes and The Wall Street Journal. Outside of work, she enjoys playing golf, practicing yoga, and serving as a board member for local nonprofits.

10. Journalism professional bio example

Emily Wilson is an award-winning investigative journalist with a passion for uncovering the truth and holding those in power accountable. With a Master's degree in Journalism from Columbia University, Emily has worked for leading news organizations, where she has covered a wide range of topics, including politics, social justice, and environmental issues.

Her in-depth reporting has led to significant policy changes and has earned her recognition from the Society of Professional Journalists. Emily is a regular contributor to national newspapers and frequently appears as a guest commentator on news programs. In her downtime, she enjoys hiking, reading non-fiction, and mentoring aspiring journalists.

11. Human Resources professional bio example

Michael Anderson is a seasoned human resources executive with a proven track record in talent acquisition and organizational development. With over 20 years of experience in the field, Michael has led HR teams at global companies, developing effective recruitment strategies and fostering a positive work culture.

He holds a Master's degree in Human Resources Management and is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). Michael is a frequent speaker at HR conferences and is passionate about promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Outside of work, he enjoys playing golf, cooking, and volunteering with local career development organizations.

12. Healthcare professional bio example

Dr. Sarah Mitchell is a dedicated pediatrician committed to providing comprehensive and compassionate care to children of all ages. With a medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Dr. Mitchell has extensive experience in diagnosing and treating a wide range of pediatric conditions. She is known for her warm bedside manner and ability to establish strong relationships with her young patients and their families.

Dr. Mitchell is actively involved in medical research and has published articles in renowned pediatric journals. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, playing the violin, and volunteering at children's hospitals.

13. Sales professional bio example

David Turner is a dynamic sales executive with a proven record of exceeding targets and driving revenue growth. With a background in business development and relationship management, David has successfully built strategic partnerships and closed multi-million dollar deals for global corporations. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Sales and Marketing and is certified in advanced sales techniques.

David is a sought-after speaker at sales conferences and has developed training programs to help sales teams improve their performance. Outside of work, he enjoys playing basketball, attending live music events, and mentoring young professionals interested in pursuing a career in sales.

14. Nonprofit professional bio example

Rebecca Nguyen is a passionate advocate for social change and the executive director of a prominent nonprofit organization focused on community development. With a Master's degree in Nonprofit Management, Rebecca has dedicated her career to addressing issues of poverty, education, and affordable housing. She has successfully led initiatives that have transformed the lives of vulnerable populations and empowered communities.

Rebecca is a sought-after speaker at nonprofit conferences and serves on the boards of several community-based organizations. In her spare time, she enjoys practicing mindfulness meditation, exploring nature trails, and supporting local artists.

15. Entrepreneur professional bio example

Mark Thompson is a visionary entrepreneur and the founder of a successful tech startup that specializes in artificial intelligence solutions. With a strong background in computer science and a passion for innovation, Mark has developed groundbreaking AI algorithms that have revolutionized industries such as healthcare and finance. His entrepreneurial journey has been recognized with prestigious awards, including the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.

Mark is an active mentor for aspiring entrepreneurs and frequently speaks at technology conferences. In his free time, he enjoys playing chess, attending hackathons, and supporting STEM education initiatives.

16. Real Estate professional bio example

Laura Johnson is a trusted real estate agent with extensive knowledge of the local market and a reputation for delivering exceptional service. With over a decade of experience in residential and commercial real estate, Laura has helped numerous clients navigate complex transactions and achieve their property goals. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Real Estate Management and is a certified Realtor®.

Laura's commitment to excellence has earned her recognition as a top producer in her agency. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, painting, and volunteering with organizations that promote affordable housing.

17. Fitness professional bio example

Daniel Ramirez is a dedicated fitness coach and personal trainer, committed to helping clients achieve their health and wellness goals. With a background in exercise science and multiple certifications in fitness training, Daniel has guided individuals of all fitness levels to success. He specializes in weight management, strength training, and functional fitness.

Daniel's personalized and motivating approach has garnered him a loyal following and positive testimonials. He regularly conducts fitness workshops and contributes articles to health and wellness publications. In his spare time, Daniel enjoys practicing yoga, hiking with his dog, and experimenting with new healthy recipes.

18. Public Relations professional bio example

Rachel Anderson is a seasoned public relations strategist with a passion for building strong brands and fostering positive media relationships. With a Master's degree in Strategic Communication, Rachel has led successful PR campaigns for global corporations and high-profile individuals. Her expertise lies in crafting compelling narratives, crisis management, and influencer partnerships.

Rachel's strategic approach and attention to detail have earned her recognition in the industry. She frequently shares her insights as a guest lecturer at communications conferences and mentors aspiring PR professionals. Outside of work, Rachel enjoys attending cultural events, exploring art museums, and volunteering with nonprofit organizations.

19. Culinary professional bio example

Chef Alex Torres is a highly acclaimed chef with a talent for creating culinary experiences that blend innovation and tradition. With formal training at prestigious culinary institutes and experience working in Michelin-starred restaurants, Chef Torres has elevated the dining scene with his exquisite dishes. He has been featured in prominent food publications and has received numerous accolades for his culinary prowess.

Chef Torres is dedicated to using locally sourced ingredients and promoting sustainable cooking practices. In addition to his culinary pursuits, he enjoys traveling, foraging for unique ingredients, and mentoring aspiring chefs.

Ensure to customize these examples to align with your own professional background, accomplishments, and aspirations. A professional bio should reflect your individuality and showcase your expertise and impact in your chosen field.

6 Short Professional Bio templates for experienced professionals

Here are 6 short professional bio example templates for experience professionals.

Professional bio template 1

With over 10 years of experience in the field, I am a seasoned marketing professional specializing in digital strategy and brand management. I have successfully executed numerous integrated marketing campaigns for both local and international clients, driving significant growth and revenue. I am highly skilled in market research, data analysis, and customer segmentation, enabling me to develop tailored marketing strategies that resonate with target audiences. Known for my creative thinking, strong leadership abilities, and excellent communication skills, I thrive in fast-paced environments and deliver results that exceed expectations.

Professional bio template 2

As a dedicated software engineer, I have a solid background in developing innovative solutions for complex business challenges. With expertise in multiple programming languages and frameworks, I have successfully delivered robust software applications for diverse industries, including finance, healthcare, and e-commerce. I am passionate about writing clean, efficient code and staying updated with the latest industry trends. With strong problem-solving skills and a keen eye for detail, I consistently deliver high-quality projects on time and within budget, earning the trust and satisfaction of clients and stakeholders.

Professional bio template 3

With a background in finance and accounting, I am a highly skilled professional with a proven track record in financial analysis and risk management. Over the years, I have successfully guided organizations through complex financial landscapes, analyzing market trends, and identifying opportunities for growth. My expertise lies in financial modeling, budgeting, and forecasting, as well as in implementing robust internal controls. With a strong attention to detail and exceptional analytical abilities, I provide strategic insights that drive sound decision-making and contribute to long-term business success.

Professional bio template 4

With a background in human resources and talent management, I am a results-oriented professional specializing in recruitment and employee development. I have successfully sourced and placed top-tier candidates across various industries, utilizing innovative sourcing strategies and conducting comprehensive interviews. Additionally, I have designed and implemented training programs that enhance employee performance and engagement. Known for my strong interpersonal skills and ability to build rapport, I excel at fostering a positive and productive work environment.

Professional bio template 5

As a skilled project manager, I have a proven track record of delivering complex projects on time and within budget. I possess a strong understanding of project management methodologies and tools, allowing me to effectively plan, execute, and monitor projects from initiation to closure. With excellent communication and leadership abilities, I thrive in cross-functional teams, coordinating resources and ensuring seamless collaboration. Known for my problem-solving skills and ability to mitigate risks, I consistently drive successful project outcomes.

Professional bio template 6

With a background in sales and business development, I am a dynamic professional experienced in driving revenue growth and building strategic partnerships. I possess a deep understanding of market dynamics and customer needs, enabling me to identify new business opportunities and develop tailored sales strategies. I excel at building and maintaining long-term relationships with clients, utilizing strong negotiation and closing skills. With a passion for achieving sales targets and a proactive approach, I consistently exceed expectations and contribute to overall business success.

5 Short professional bio examples for freshers

Here are 5 short professional bio examples for freshers.

A results-oriented and enthusiastic entry-level professional seeking a challenging position in [industry/field]. With a strong educational background in [relevant degree/program], I possess a solid foundation in [key skills/competencies]. Eager to contribute my knowledge and learn from experienced professionals, I am a quick learner with excellent problem-solving abilities. I am committed to delivering high-quality work and thrive in collaborative environments that foster growth and innovation.

A proactive and detail-oriented recent graduate with a degree in [relevant field]. I am passionate about starting my career in [industry/field] and utilizing my strong analytical and communication skills to contribute to organizational success. With a keen eye for detail and a dedication to continuous improvement, I am eager to learn from experienced professionals and adapt to new technologies. Seeking an entry-level position that provides opportunities for growth and development.

A highly motivated and adaptable professional with a degree in [relevant field] seeking an entry-level position in [industry/field]. Equipped with strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills, I am eager to apply my knowledge and contribute to a dynamic organization. With a passion for innovation and a willingness to learn, I am committed to delivering results and exceeding expectations. I thrive in fast-paced environments and possess excellent teamwork and communication abilities.

A dedicated and proactive recent graduate with a degree in [relevant field]. I am eager to kickstart my career in [industry/field] and make a positive impact. With strong problem-solving abilities and a keen eye for detail, I am committed to delivering exceptional work. Seeking an entry-level position where I can contribute my skills in [specific area] and learn from experienced professionals in order to grow and excel in my field.

A detail-oriented and ambitious graduate with a strong academic background in [relevant field]. Equipped with a solid foundation in [key skills/competencies], I am ready to embark on a successful career in [industry/field]. With a proactive and result-driven approach, I am eager to contribute my abilities in [specific area] to an organization that values innovation and growth. Seeking an entry-level position where I can apply my knowledge, learn from experienced professionals, and make a meaningful contribution.

A professional bio is a powerful tool for showcasing your skills, experience, and unique personality. By following the tips and examples we've provided in this blog post, you can create a compelling bio that leaves a lasting impression on your audience.

Remember to keep your bio concise and focused, highlighting your most relevant achievements and qualifications. Use a professional tone and tailor your bio to suit your target audience. Don't be afraid to inject a bit of personality and showcase your passions and interests.

Lastly, don't forget to update your bio regularly as your career progresses and new accomplishments come your way. A well-maintained and thoughtfully written professional bio can open doors, create opportunities, and help you stand out in a competitive professional landscape.

So, take the time to craft a bio that truly represents who you are and what you bring to the table. Invest in your personal brand and watch as your professional bio becomes a powerful tool in your journey to success.

Trending Articles

Farewell Messages for your Employees Thank You Messages for Boss Employee Feedback for Managers Personal Resignation Letter Employee Recognition Award Titles Effective Self Appraisal Comments Thank You Messages for Colleagues Resignation letter subject line

How to Write a Condolence Email to Coworker (+10 Samples)

World malala day to celebrate and honor remarkable bravery, unlock the biggest secret of engagement to retain your top performers., -->guest contributor -->.

We often come across some fantastic writers who prefer to publish their writings on our blogs but prefer to stay anonymous. We dedicate this section to all superheroes who go the extra mile for us.

Let's begin this new year with an engaged workforce!

Empuls is the employee engagement platform for small and mid-sized businesses to help engage employees and improve company culture.

Quick Links

employee engagement survey software | employee engagement software | employee experience platform | employee recognition software

hr retention software | employee feedback software | employee benefits software | employee survey software | employee rewards platform | internal communication software | employee communication software | reward system for employees | employee retention software | digital employee experience platform | employee health software | employee perks platform | employee rewards and recognition platform | social intranet software | workforce communications platform | company culture software | employee collaboration software | employee appreciation software | social recognition platform | virtual employee engagement platform | peer recognition software | retail employee engagement | employee communication and engagement platform | gamification software for employee engagement | corporate communication software | digital tools for employee engagement | employee satisfaction survey software | all in one communication platform | employee benefits communication software | employee discount platform | employee engagement assessment tool | employee engagement software for aged care | employee engagement software for event management | employee engagement software for healthcare | employee engagement software for small business | employee engagement software uk | employee incentive platform | employee recognition software for global companies | global employee rewards software | internal communication software for business | online employee recognition platform | remote employee engagement software | workforce engagement software | voluntary benefits software | employee engagement software for hospitality | employee engagement software for logistics | employee engagement software for manufacturing | employee feedback survey software | employee internal communication platform | employee learning engagement platform | employee awards platform | employee communication software for hospitality | employee communication software for leisure | employee communication software for retail | employee engagement pulse survey software | employee experience software for aged care | employee experience software for child care | employee experience software for healthcare | employee experience software for logistics | employee experience software for manufacturing | employee experience software for mining | employee experience software for retail | employee experience software for transportation | restaurant employee communication software | employee payout platform | culture analytics platform

Benefits of employee rewards | Freelancer rewards | Me time | Experience rewards

Employee experience platform | Rules of employee engagement | Pillars of employee experience | Why is employee experience important | Employee communication | Pillars of effective communication in the work place | Build strong employee loyalty

Building Culture Garden | Redefining the Intranet for Your Organization | Employee Perks and Discounts Guide

Employee Benefits | Getting Employee Recognition Right | Integrates with Slack | Interpreting Empuls Engagement Survey Dashboard | Building Culture of Feedback | Remote Working Guide 2021 | Engagement Survey Guide for Work Environment Hygiene Factors | Integrates with Microsoft Teams | Engagement Survey Guide for Organizational Relationships and Culture | Ultimate Guide to Employee Engagement | The Employee Experience Revolution | Xoxoday Empuls: The Employee Engagement Solution for Global Teams | Employee Experience Revolution | Elastic Digital Workplace | Engagement Survey Guide for Employee Recognition and Career Growth | Engagement Survey Guide for Organizational Strategic Connect | The Only Remote Working Guide You'll Need in 2021 | Employee Experience Guide | Effective Communication | Working in the Times of COVID-19 | Implementing Reward Recognition Program | Recognition-Rich Culture | Remote Working Guide | Ultimate Guide to Workplace Surveys | HR Digital Transformation | Guide to Managing Team | Connect with Employees

Total Rewards | Employee Background Verification | Quit Quitting | Job Description | Employee of the Month Award

Extrinsic Rewards | 360-Degree Feedback | Employee Self-Service | Cost to Company (CTC) | Peer-to-Peer Recognition | Tangible Rewards | Team Building | Floating Holiday | Employee Surveys | Employee Wellbeing | Employee Lifecycle | Social Security Wages | Employee Grievance | Salaried Employee | Performance Improvement Plan | Baby Boomers | Human Resources | Work-Life Balance | Compensation and Benefits | Employee Satisfaction | Service Awards | Gross-Up | Workplace Communication | Hiring Freeze | Employee Recognition | Positive Work Environment | Performance Management | Organizational Culture | Employee Turnover | Employee Feedback | Loud Quitting | Employee Onboarding | Informal Communication | Intrinsic Rewards | Talent Acquisition | Employer Branding | Employee Orientation | Social Intranet | Disgruntled Employee | Seasonal Employment | Employee Discounts | Employee Burnout | Employee Empowerment | Paid Holiday | Employee Retention | Employee Branding | Payroll | Employee Appraisal | Exit Interview | Millennials | Staff Appraisal | Retro-Pay | Organizational Development | Restricted Holidays | Talent Management Process | Hourly Employee | Monetary Rewards | Employee Training Program | Employee Termination | Employee Strength | Milestone Awards | Induction | Performance Review | Contingent Worker | Layoffs | Job Enlargement | Employee Referral Rewards | Compensatory Off | Performance Evaluation | Employee Assistance Programs | Garden Leave | Resignation Letter | Human Resource Law | Resignation Acceptance Letter | Spot Awards | Generation X | SMART Goals | Employee Perks | Generation Y | Generation Z | Employee Training Development | Non-Monetary Rewards | Biweekly Pay | Employee Appreciation | Variable Compensation | Minimum Wage | Remuneration | Performance-Based Rewards | Hourly to Yearly | Employee Rewards | Paid Time Off | Recruitment | Relieving Letter | People Analytics | Employee Experience | Employee Retention | Employee Satisfaction | Employee Turnover | Intrinsic Rewards | People Analytics | Employee Feedback | Employee of the Month Award | Extrinsic Rewards | Employee Surveys | Employee Experience | Total Rewards | Performance-Based Rewards | Employee Referral Rewards | Employee Lifecycle | Social Intranet | Tangible Rewards | Service Awards | Milestone Awards | Peer-to-Peer Recognition | Employee Turnover

17 Best LinkedIn Summary & Bio Examples [+ How to Write Your Own]

Published: November 30, 2023

Writing a LinkedIn summary is one of those tasks that sounds easy until you try to do it. Should you recount your prior roles? List your accomplishments? Should it be written in first person? Or in third?

Or, should you forge ahead using the cookie-cutter bio LinkedIn wrote for you? (The answer to that question is no, but not to worry: You’ll soon have a LinkedIn summary you’ll be proud to publish.)

In this blog post, we'll dig into what to include in your LinkedIn about section to make it stand out, as well as some examples to give you inspiration. Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

What is a LinkedIn summary?

Why a Good LinkedIn Summary is Important

How to write a linkedin summary, what (not) to put in a linkedin summary, linkedin summary examples.

LinkedIn Summary Template

LinkedIn Summary

The LinkedIn summary, also referred to as the LinkedIn bio or LinkedIn about section, is a few paragraphs of text that appears right before a LinkedIn user’s list of current and prior roles. LinkedIn gives a limit of up to 2,000 words, but only the first three lines are visible before a visitor has to click ‘See More.’

If you're a marketing or sales professional like myself, writing a LinkedIn summary is especially hard. You're not targeting recruiters and hiring managers; you're appealing to potential clients and buyers. To catch their attention, you need to be a little more flashy with your expertise.

When I first crafted my summary almost a decade ago, I simply regurgitated key points in my background — I went to [X] college, then joined [X] company, and so on. Looking back, I was missing a clear narrative pulling it all together.

I also realized that potential clients aren’t just looking for someone with a shiny, perfect track record; they’re looking for a bigger story, a solution to their problem, and a relationship they can trust.

80+ Professional Bio Templates & Examples

Create a compelling professional narrative for a proper, attention-grabbing introduction.

• LinkedIn Summaries
• Speaker Intros
• Website Bios
• Professional Profile

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

Free LinkedIn Summary Templates

Access 80+ professional bio templates and examples for linkedin, speaker bios, and more..

Whether you’re a job seeker starting your search on LinkedIn or a tenured professional, your summary should speak to your skills, experience, and professional interests — think of it as your digital elevator pitch .

Writing a LinkedIn summary may feel like an unnecessary step — especially if you keep your profile up to date. You might also see it as unnecessary if you don’t spend a lot of time on the platform or aren’t looking for a job.

But, from my experience, a good LinkedIn summary is crucial for career success. For salespeople, it can be a handy tool for social selling ; for other professionals, it could be the gateway to a new career opportunity.

Let’s go over the reasons you should most definitely write a LinkedIn summary.

1. You get to introduce yourself in your own words.

While your prior roles may be notable, they’re not the only things people should know about you. A LinkedIn summary will allow you to make a personable first impression and highlight your accomplishments and expertise in a succinct way.

2. You get to show your personality.

I love LinkedIn summaries that aren't afraid to show some personality. They tend to be more "sticky," staying in mind long after I close LinkedIn.

Consider adding a little flair and humor, or keep it super professional. Either way, your LinkedIn summary will give recruiters and other users a taste of what they can expect if they reach out to you. It can also help recruiters gauge culture fit and help prospects and potential clients get a sense of whether they’d like to work with you.

Need more help building a LinkedIn profile that showcases everything you have to offer? This tutorial can help.

3. You can rank higher in LinkedIn search results.

LinkedIn uses the about section in its algorithm, as well as your LinkedIn headline , current title, and other factors. By writing a keyword-rich LinkedIn summary, you can become more visible to potential prospects and recruiters in search results. If you include keywords such as “content,” “management,” and “analysis” in your bio, you may attract more views.

Ready to get started writing your LinkedIn summary?

• Create a quick outline prior to writing your about section.
• Hook readers with a strong opener.
• Tell the reader why you do what you do.
• Speak to your industry expertise.
• Call out your specialties and skills.
• Provide data to back up your results and prove your expertise.
• Mention if your team is currently hiring and invite people to apply.
• Highlight your professional interests.
• Include a call-to-action with your contact information.
• Tip: Break up large blocks of text.

1. Create a quick outline prior to writing your About section.

While you do get 2,000 characters of space for your LinkedIn summary, the last thing your audience needs is long, rambling paragraphs with no clear progression from sentence to sentence.

Sticking to a predetermined structure will help you communicate clearly and concisely.

Consider following a format similar to this:

• Hook : A sentence that makes the reader want to keep reading. Remember: only the first 3 lines are visible when a user enters your profile. With a hook, you ensure they click ‘See more.’
• Mission : Tell the reader why you do what you do.
• Expertise and Skills : Tell the reader what you’re good at.
• Accomplishments: Show the reader how your expertise delivered results in the past.
• Call to Action : Tell the reader what you want them to do after they’re done reading your summary.

Also keep in mind that people tend to scan, not read. I recommend keeping your sentences short and concise, and consider breaking longer paragraphs into bullet points. 

If you’re not sure how to get started, use our free professional bio templates, which you can use to write your LinkedIn bio.

Featured Resource: Free Professional Bio Templates

Use HubSpot's free professional bio templates to write a standout LinkedIn summary for your profile.

2. Hook readers with a strong opener.

When I think of a good hook, it's something that disrupts you. Not annoys you, or frustrates you. But it makes you stop in your tracks, jolting you out of routine.

A good example is from Ryan Gunn , Director of Demand Gen at Aptitude 8 (and my go-to resource for all things CRM solutions). If you aren't familiar with Gunn, his summary does a fantastic job of grabbing your attention:

I like how he hooks us by describing a common problem — leading readers to think, "Yeah, this guy gets it ." It also sets the stage for Gunn to introduce himself as a solution, conveying himself as a passionate problem-solver and master of the HubSpot platform.

Ultimately, the goal of the first sentence of your LinkedIn summary is to get your audience to continue reading, and Gunn does this well.

There are many ways to hook readers with your LinkedIn summary. For instance, you can open a loop that can only be closed with further explanation or make a claim so outlandish that it needs further justification.

Hook Example

"It took me more than X sales demos to learn the secret about Y, but since then, something unexpected has happened."

3. Tell the reader why you do what you do.

In my experience, people connect with stories and values more than the straightforward "what you do.'' While the "what" is important, consider also including the "why."

Understand what has attracted you to your profession and what your mission is in your role. These will make your LinkedIn profile more emotionally resonant.

Mission Example

"I grew up on the Mississippi River and watched it get clearer over time as manufacturing standards improved. Since then, I knew I wanted to spread the word about sustainability in business environments."

4. Speak to your industry expertise.

Next, it’s time to bolster your mission with your industry expertise. Describe your background and qualifications in two-to-three sentences.

For example, are you a salesperson using LinkedIn to connect with prospects? Your summary should speak to your expertise in your industry, and your interest in helping people achieve results. Maybe you're a customer success manager using LinkedIn to connect with customers. Your summary should speak to your expertise in your industry and your availability for consulting.

Industry Expertise Example

"I have 7+ years of sales experience in both SDR and account manager roles."

5. Call out your specialties and skills.

After highlighting your expertise, tell us what you focus on in 1-2 sentences. For instance, if you’re a digital marketer, do you focus on SEO or social media?

If you recently graduated from college, did you study something specifically within your field?

Calling out your specialties is especially critical in sales. There are many types of sales jobs out there in a vast number of industries with an infinite number of buyer personas and markets. Whether your goal is to appeal to employers or prospects, be sure to call out the things you do well to attract the opportunities best aligned with your goals.

Specialties and Skills Example

"I’m a mid-market sales executive with experience in direct sales and SAAS product demonstrations."

6. Provide data to back up your results and prove your expertise.

It’s time to prove that you’re actually an expert by sharing important data points. No need to give prospective employers a laundry list of your accomplishments — that's what the section below is for — but it can be impactful to weave a few of your most impressive data points into your summary paragraph.

Proof Example

"Over the past five years, I've made it into the President's Club three times and my closed-won business has seen less than 10% churn during the first 12 months."

7. Mention if your team is currently hiring and invite people to apply.

This is optional, but it will serve you in several ways. First, it will show that you’re a team player, and second, it will show that you’re committed to both your professional growth and your current company’s growth.

It’s a must-have if you’re in the business of recruiting, as this can serve as an excellent recruiting tool. For example, are you a team manager using LinkedIn to recruit for job openings? Your summary should speak to the fact that you have openings, the type of work you do, and why a candidate would want to work at your company.

Team is Hiring Example

"We're currently hiring account managers for our Pacific Northwest territory. The ideal candidate has 5+ years of sales experience and a demonstrated familiarity with the region. We're a fast-growing team with no cap on commission. Click here to learn more and apply."

8. Highlight your professional interests.

Next, it’s time to highlight your professional interests. What do you help others do? What’s your goal in doing so? This is different from your skills in that it’s not necessarily as quantifiable or fact-driven. Because these are your interests, you don’t have to provide data to prove them.

Show that you’re committed to pursuing them and be sure to sound passionate about them.

Professional Interests Example

“I'm a sales coach that’s interested in assisting small teams (five-10 people) optimize their time and workflows so businesses can grow without adding more headcount and reps can advance their careers.”

9. Include a call-to-action with your contact information.

Last but certainly not least, include a call-to-action and potentially share your contact information. Are you a freelance or contract worker hoping to find more work on LinkedIn? Your summary should end with how to get in contact with you. If you want to seal the deal, include a list of your most impressive clients.

CTA Example

"Reach me at [email protected] or book time on my calendar here: [Calendar link]. Previous clients include [Your most impressive client], [Your second most impressive client], and [Your third most impressive client]."

If you’re not looking for more work, you can also simply end with, “Feel free to message me — I’d love to chat.”

10. Tip: Break up large blocks of text.

If you find your summary is on the longer side (which isn’t a problem as long as it’s compelling), try breaking up large blocks of text to make it easier to read. When initially viewing a profile, many people are scanning for high-level context. If you are posting long paragraphs, some of your notable highlights can get lost.

Try keeping your text blocks to two or three sentences max, making your summary easier to read and digest.

What to Put in a LinkedIn Summary

Depending on the goal of your LinkedIn profile, your LinkedIn summary should include 3-5 sentences that describe: your years of experience in your industry, your area of expertise, the types of organizations you've worked with, your skills, and what you're most known for professionally.

Think of your LinkedIn summary as your digital elevator pitch: In just a few sentences, it should give the reader a clear idea of who you are, what sets you apart, and what you're looking for from the viewer.

Here’s an example:

"I'm a sales rep dedicated to helping local Oklahoma City services businesses grow their customer base and decrease customer churn. I have 6 years of experience in local sales and I've consistently met and exceeded my quota throughout my career. Within the last year, I've topped our leaderboard six out of 10 months. On average, I close business 10% faster than my peers."

Now, let's discuss what to avoid when crafting your LinkedIn summary.

Your Resume

Avoid copying and pasting points from your resume to your LinkedIn summary. Not only is it redundant because your work history should be up-to-date on your profile, but recruiters and potential connections are looking for a brief introduction to who you are, not a regurgitation of your resume.

Cheesy or Cliché Terminology

Your profile should be free of terms such as "guru" or "master." These terms are highly subjective, and don’t speak to your actual skills or abilities. Instead of trying to be a self-proclaimed “guru,” share a tangible piece of work you’ve done that demonstrates your expertise, or describe a specific initiative where your work drove business results.

Spelling or Grammatical Errors

We’re all human, and spelling mistakes happen. Before publishing your profile, make sure you review it a few times to catch any misspellings or grammatical errors. Having typos on your profile can challenge your credibility, and can be a distraction from your positive attributes.

Your Full Life Story

LinkedIn summaries are not the place to publish your autobiography (though I’m sure your autobiography is lovely). If users are scanning your profile looking for relevant information pertaining to a role or opportunity, you want those points to be front and center.

When you update your LinkedIn summary, aim to include information that’s relevant to the jobs and opportunities you’re open to, and keep things clear and concise.

LinkedIn Summary Templates

Below are several templates you can use to customize with your own details for a succinct and effective LinkedIn summary. Make sure to add personal details to make it memorable for readers.

Feel free to download the entire kit of LinkedIn bio templates first, then follow along as I review a selection of my favorites.

Free Download: LinkedIn Summary Sample Templates

1. friendly linkedin summary template.

Download and customize the full version of this LinkedIn bio for free .

With its friendly greeting (feel free to drop the emoji if it doesn’t fit your personality or industry), this LinkedIn bio template right away captures the reader’s attention, showcases your enthusiasm and expertise, and establishes a personal connection.

When I was filling it out, I highlighted my role as a marketing manager at HubSpot and emphasized a specific accomplishment: preventing millions of organic traffic losses on maturing blog posts.

You can do the same — I recommend focusing on your most salient accomplishment, or the accomplishment that encapsulates what you’d like to do in a future role. That way, you attract connections who could help you live up to your career aspirations.

2. Recent Graduate LinkedIn Summary Template

Out of most LinkedIn users, recent graduates need a bio the most. Since graduates don’t have a lot of experience, they must communicate their skills and experiences in another way.

This LinkedIn bio template is a great example for recent graduates to follow. It effectively introduces someone who is seeking an entry-level role in the tech industry (which you can customize).

It also gives you space to provide essential information about your educational background. By mentioning specific courses, for instance, you can demonstrate your passion for a topic or an industry even if you haven’t secured an internship yet.

This template allows you to easily position yourself as a well-rounded candidate who brings a unique blend of skills to the table. Customizing the bio with additional details about your specific interests, projects, or internships will make it even more impactful and tailored to your desired role.

3. Sales LinkedIn Summary Template

I’m not a salesperson, so when I was customizing this LinkedIn bio template, I used my content marketing role at HubSpot to fill in the blanks. But I can see this being a great template for a salesperson.

Why? Because it effectively positions you as a valuable resource who’s committed to customers’ success and emphasizes your dedication to helping people do something (for me, it’s helping them learn more about marketing and sales). For a salesperson promoting a product, that could be any number of things: Drive leads, improve a process, or streamline operations using the product they sell.

The full version of this bio template includes space for a call-to-action, prompting readers to shoot you a message.

You can also customize it with additional details about your specific sales experience and achievements, showcasing your ability to drive results for clients and positioning you as a knowledgeable and customer-focused sales rep.

4. Job-Seeker LinkedIn Summary Template

If you’re a job-seeker, it’s essential to optimize your LinkedIn bio with keywords. That way, recruiters and companies can find you via LinkedIn search.

This bio template is perfect for that. It effectively conveys the experience and expertise you’ve built during your career, but also gives you space for keyword optimization (I used “SEO content marketing,” “content SEO,” and “SEO content writer”).

It mentions right away that you’re actively searching for your next role — a piece of information you shouldn’t feel shy to share. The most important part? The template gives you space to describe the results you’ve achieved for previous employers. That creates a clear professional identity, showcases your abilities, and increases your chances of securing relevant job opportunities.

5. Catchy LinkedIn Summary Template

This LinkedIn bio template right away highlights the individual's roles as an educator, blogger, and SEO, but you can also be humorous with that first line. For instance, you might write:

I’m a self-proclaimed foodie. I’m a so-so weight-lifter. But most importantly, I’m a marketer at HubSpot, where I drive hundreds of monthly leads and sign-ups via content optimization.

If you want to showcase your expertise in a catchy way, this template is the way to go. Despite being so short, the bio effectively positions you as an authoritative figure in the industry. It also provides a space to include a link to your personal website or another social media profile, allowing interested readers to learn more about you and your work.

6. Simple LinkedIn Summary Template

I love this LinkedIn bio template because it’s simple and to-the-point, yet it showcases my (and your, if you end up using it) career trajectory and notable accomplishments. You can easily establish your credibility and expertise across different organizations with that second paragraph.

Plus, the bio's focus on specific outcomes — I put information about gaining backlinks, driving organic visits, and achieving high search engine rankings — allows you to underscore your ability to drive tangible results for a business.

I recommend using this template to showcase your track record of success. By sharing specific achievements and mentioning the companies you’ve worked with, you can right away create a sense of trust and expertise, which is essential for a LinkedIn summary.

If you need some inspiration, good news. These LinkedIn summary examples will help you find the right words.

1. This salesperson effectively demonstrates his passions and top competencies in the field.

This sales professional draws potential customers in by describing his enthusiasm for "building thriving organizations in the education ecosystem" — a goal he clearly cares highly about, too.

His next line tells prospects he's interested in learning their needs, not just selling them. Then he establishes his expertise.

Our Favorite Lines

• “I have leveraged technology and innovative pedagogy to improve literacy in K-12 education.” Why we love it: This line shows his experience in the field without fluff or unneeded material.
• “This marriage allows us to curate the largest library of audio and video for education in the world, deepening impact for learners globally.” Why we love it: We leave the bio with a deeper of understanding the product he sells and its potential benefits.

Why This Summary Works

This LinkedIn user effectively but succinctly cites a personal experience to show his reasons for supporting others who are going through the challenges he’s gone through. He also shows the breadth of his expertise and research by building upon why his product is needed in the industry.

Try It Yourself

Describe the most rewarding aspect of your job, whether that's helping small businesses go mobile or making corporations more efficient. Next, highlight why you're qualified. How many people or companies have you worked with? What are their average results? Which high-level problems are you well-equipped to solve?

2. This digital marketing expert speaks to his prospect's pain and showcases his strong copywriting skills.

When actively connecting with prospects on LinkedIn, speak directly to them with your LinkedIn profile, but do so in a way that says you understand their struggles.

In essence, position yourself as a solution provider rather than a product seller.

This digital marketing and sales expert does this well for his marketing agency by calling out the problem. He does this before introducing himself or his solution.

• “If you're tired of wasting money on digital marketing only to end up frustrated with little to no results, perhaps I and my team can help.” Why we love it: This is a strong opener that’s bound to get qualified leads’ attention.
• “My team and I help growth-driven service providers, entrepreneurs, and experts add their next $1M-$10M/yr in revenue predictably and profitably.” Why we love it: Not only does this line directly identify who prospects are, but also speaks to who they want to become (“successful,” “add their next $1-$10M/yr in revenue”).

This summary effectively hooks readers, walks them through whom the LinkedIn profile owner is, and shows them how they can benefit from reaching out to the bio owner. The writer effectively shows the ROI of working with his firm while showcasing his copywriting skills.

Write a whole introductory paragraph appealing to your customer's pains and emotions without mentioning yourself. You can offer a piece of advice or ask a question.

3. This HubSpot employee uses humor to show his fun personality.

This HubSpot inbound marketing specialist shows his personality in his summary. The detail about his previous life as a standup comedian is intriguing, and the line about "realizing his children didn't like starving" is funny and relatable.

Sally gets more serious in the second section, highlighting his impressive track record at HubSpot.

• “Spent 8 years pursuing a career in stand up comedy, appearing on Comedy Central and in the Boston Comedy Festival, before realizing my children liked seeing their father and not starving.” Why we love it: Maybe he should have stayed in standup, because this is a hilarious opening line. It’s guaranteed to get a chuckle from the reader and keep them engaged.
• “10+ years experience in SaaS Sales with an average of over 125% of goal in my 10+ years at HubSpot.” Why we love it: With this line, the writer effectively demonstrates that he can use humor when needed but also get to business.

This short but hilarious summary showcases the writer’s personality and top accomplishments without winding on for a long while. It exemplifies what a LinkedIn bio should achieve and how to do it using the minimum amount of words.

Begin your summary with an unexpected, interesting fact about yourself. In your next paragraph, tie it into your sales career.

For example, you might write, "I was the third runner-up of the National Spelling Bee in 1997. (You better believe the spelling of ‘euonym' is now etched into my memory.) These days, I use my innate desire to learn to help customers."

4. This career consultant indicates to prospects that they’re in the right place.

By calling out the audience you're targeting, you can get them to self-identify with your message. Specifying who you're talking to indicates to the audience that they're in the right place.

This sales consultant and career coach does this in her first sentence when she says, "[I] love being an early stage employee at fast growing and innovative companies where I can make an impact." If readers relate, they’re bound to keep reading all the way to her call-to-action at the end.

• “I love change management, turnarounds, and strategically fixing problems and fueling growth.” Why we love it: This line effectively highlights the writer’s problem-solving mindset, which makes her a desirable candidate to work with.
• “I can play a CRO role or a VP of Sales role. I have extensive experience with creating aggressive finance strategy, managing cashflow, and optimizing pricing, costs and revenues.” Why we love it: While these are technically two lines, they work well together to demonstrate the range of skills she offers her potential employers.

This summary takes us through the various roles the consultant has taken on, all the way to her career coaching role now. Most notably, she ends with a prompt to book time on her calendar and includes a link right then and there.

Identify your buyer persona and then include a description of them in your summary. Don’t be afraid of expressing the types of roles you could play at a company, and be clear with what you want readers to do once they reach the end of the bio.

5. This salesperson uses his hobbies to look more personable and approachable.

Although it might be a bit untraditional to mention your personal hobbies on your LinkedIn profile, it's a good way to make yourself more human off the bat. A prospect reading this summary might think, "Oh, I also love to travel." They'll immediately feel more connected to you.

• “A city dweller who love to travel and find new adventures along the way.” Why we love it: In this line, the writer summarizes who they are outside of work, reeling in the reader.
• “I have found that nothing satisfies me more than meeting new people, developing new relationships, solving problems, and contributing to the growth of businesses.” Why we love it: It shows the LinkedIn user’s passions at work while hinting at how he can help a potential employer or client.

This LinkedIn summary keeps it short while incorporating the key parts of a bio: the writer’s personality, professional experience, and most desirable attributes.

List a few of the things you like to do in your free time (steering clear of anything controversial, of course). Then explain why you chose your current role and how your customers derive value.

6. This sales leader demonstrates vulnerability and communicates her passion for her mission.

It's worth re-mentioning that stories resonate with people. While your LinkedIn profile includes where you've worked and the skills you have, your summary is prime real estate for revealing the real you behind your job history.

This leader in the B2B sales and marketing space does this by sharing her difficulty being a Black woman in sales. Being told this short story about her, we get to know her mission and values as a professional.

• “In a sales career that spans more than a decade, I’ve been the only Black woman on the team 99% of the time.” Why we love it: What a fantastic hook — one that’s bound to make you sit straighter in your seat and want to keep reading about her experience in sales.
• “I’d started publishing content and building communities around the deeply held belief that attracting, supporting, and retaining diverse talent is a professional and personal imperative.” Why we love it: We get to see her personal mission in a succinct and effective way, made all the more impactful by her opening line.

The writer opens with one of the challenges she faces while working in sales, setting the stage for why she does what she does, then takes us all the way down to her mission. She closes with a call-to-action that’s impactful and welcoming.

Be vulnerable. Isolate a single moment that encapsulates you as a professional or embodies your values. Then briefly write it as if you were telling this story verbally.

7. This sales executive keeps it short and engages prospects.

This LinkedIn bio opens with his mission: Enabling businesses to become more personable using video. His next two sentences help you get to know him on a personal level.

The summary is short enough that readers are guaranteed to finish it — but he makes every line count. He makes you interested in learning more about him.

• “Helping businesses make their marketing & sales more human with video.” Why we love it: This line gets to the point quickly, showing the author’s mission, professional expertise, and experience.
• “Always grilling.” Why we love it: We love hobbies in LinkedIn bios — this is one excellent example that’s witty and flavorful.

It’s brief, personable, and professional — all while showing the LinkedIn user’s personality. Plus, the mention of his parents is a unique touch, showing his background without much elaboration or fanfare.

In the simplest words possible, state how your company makes its customers' lives easier, better, more enjoyable, etc. Then reveal something about your background ("I was born in Spain and raised in Texas," "I've lived in Chicago my entire life," "My hometown boasts the largest Beanie Babies museum in the world") and end with "Always," "Constantly," or "Frequently" followed by your favorite thing to do ("Always reading," "Constantly cracking dad jokes," "Frequently juggling.").

8. This retired professional intrigues readers with his work history.

This LinkedIn user uses the same formula as the previous — but in reverse. He begins with his former jobs, which immediately tells you he's (already) had an interesting career. He then tells you what he's currently up to.

• “Ex-corporate lawyer, ex-non-profit founder, ex-round-the-world cyclist, ex-SaaS sales leader, ex-Nigerian federal gov’t employee.” Why we love it: This opener shows how interesting the author’s career has been up until this point, making you wonder what he might be doing now (a question he answers in the last line).

This LinkedIn bio flips expectations and delights with its one-line run-through of the author’s work history. The variety of the roles demonstrates that he can thrive at any employer if he were to ever come out of retirement. We love that he ends with his current status.

List your former jobs. If you've always been in sales, get creative. Did you ever have a lemonade stand as a child? Were you a camp counselor as a teenager? What was your college gig?

For example, you might write, "Ex-lemonade stand CEO, CMO, and COO; ex-juggler; ex-college tour guide. Currently helping prospective homeowners in Arizona find their next dream place to live. (And still juggling when asked nicely.)"

9. This sales leader gives a 360-degree view of her, her role, and her company.

This LinkedIn summary showcases the user’s passion and enthusiasm for the role. She highlights her main responsibilities and values, tells the reader why she's proud to work at The Muse and what sets the business apart, and lists some fun facts about herself.

• “My Muse team is brilliant, driven, and obsessed with what we are building.” Why we love it: Aside from describing herself and her role, the author gives a nod to her team — something we don’t see often in LinkedIn bios.
• “I love the challenge of being told ‘no’ and turning it to a ‘yes’.” Why we love it: In this line, the author showcases one of the most desirable features of her personality.

This LinkedIn bio provides an in-depth look at the author’s current professional endeavors and her reasons for loving what she does. It ends on a personal note by describing her hobbies and her personality.

Explain why you're so fired up about coming into work each day. What excites you? Why do you love your company? What makes your product, culture, and/or team different from your competitors? Conclude with four or five personal tidbits about yourself.

10. This MBA graduate creates immediate credibility and lists her specialties.

This user earns instant credibility with her LinkedIn summary.

She starts with a bold statement: "I like to solve problems." She proves it with multiple examples from her career, then spotlights her specialties. Finally, she describes a few of her interests.

• “Whether it’s finding a perfect song for a film or finding a rare product for a rocket, I’ve been able to quickly uncover a customer’s pain point and identify a strategic solution.” Why we love it: This line shows her diversity of skills, high level of professionality, and key strengths.
• “I have since taken everything I’ve learned and started my own business in the cottage food industry, selling decorated sugar cookies.” Why we love it: The author demonstrates what she’s doing now and how her experiences led to her current endeavor.

We love the bulleted list of specialties, but especially love how the author demonstrates how she’s using those skills now at her startup. She also remains personable by closing with her hobbies and an invitation to reach out to her.

Use a short, impactful one-liner to highlight why you're successful or what you're best at. Give two to four examples of how this skill or desire has manifested itself throughout your life. Discuss your areas of expertise, then wrap it up with your favorite topics of discussion.

11. This leadership consultant highlights her passions and shares how it fuels her work.

This Boise-based consultant and business owner displays her sources of expertise. She concisely shares what inspired her work, and gives potential clients a preview of the benefits they can expect from working with her.

• “I believe that the strongest organizations are those in which employees feel connected — to each other and their work.” Why we love it: We get to see the core belief that drives the author’s current work in a succinct and clear way.
• “Along with my consulting work, I’m the founder of The Management Essentials, a comprehensive leadership development program for new managers.” Why we love it: While readers could potentially look at her work history to see her founder role, we love seeing it in her own words.

The summary is connected to the author’s mission from top to bottom — you never feel like her points are disjointed or disconnected. She then leads into her current work as a founder and instructor, and ends with a list of specialties for readers to scan.

Do you have an origin story related to your career path? Share a brief description of what has inspired your work, and what makes you want to do the work you do.

12. This career consultant speaks directly to who she wants to serve.

For consultants, business owners, and sales reps, speaking directly to who you want to serve in your LinkedIn summary is a smart approach to take. This career strategist and author does this masterfully in the first few sentences of her LinkedIn summary. By immediately calling in who she aims to serve, she can hook the right readers, increasing her chances of connecting with the right people.

• “I am on a mission to get all women of color–and people of color– the money, power, and respect we deserve in the workplace.” Why we love it: The natural response to a line such as this is ‘Sign me up,’ encouraging visitors to continue reading and reach out to the author.
• “I regularly partner with organizations to support BIPOC employees and leaders to success – through coaching, consulting, and workshops.” Why we love it: This line effectively summarizes what the author can do for organizations that work with her.

The author opens with an effective and visionary hook, then describes her mission and how she works to fulfill that mission every day. She then describes what organizations and clients stand to gain from working with her.

In the first few sentences of your summary, try writing a hook that would appeal to your ideal customer or client and keep their attention.

13. This business development professional highlights her wins.

Have you received any notable awards, or had exciting features highlighting your work? Include them in your summary to build credibility. This Senior Business Development Manager shares relevant awards and accolades in her LinkedIn summary to provide valuable context around her skills and abilities.

• “In 2018, I was selected by Jeff Bezos and his leadership team to be a recipient of Amazon’s Just Do It Award.” Why we love it: We love how this user explicitly shares her major accolades, and how she opens with the most impressive one.
• “It is important for me to serve my community through non-profit work, community organizing, mentoring, and planning events.” Why we love it: Not only does this line showcase the author’s key strengths, it shows the roles an organization could hire her for.

Your LinkedIn bio isn’t the space to be shy — and this summary exemplifies that down to the last sentence. It showcases the author’s key accomplishments without sounding arrogant, and mentions her non-profit work at length.

Highlight accolades and wins specifically related to roles you would like to be considered for.

14. This SEO professional demonstrates her friendly personality while showcasing her strong content writing skills.

You don’t have to be rigid and cold in your LinkedIn summary, and this bio is proof. It’s professional, succinct, and well-written — not to mention friendly, which is a breath of fresh air on a platform like LinkedIn. She effectively shares her expertise and invites users to engage with an attention-grabbing call-to-action.

• “How many content writing, video producing, graphic designing, SEO white hats who can’t whistle do you know? No guesses?” Why we love it: This is a fantastic opener that lists the author’s key areas of expertise while showcasing her sense of humor.
• “Tell me your least favorite through a private message.” Why we love it: One of the most creative calls-to-action we’ve seen, this line effectively asks users to engage with an icebreaker built in.

This LinkedIn bio effectively subverts expectations, engages readers, and describes the author’s specialties in content creation. The bio remains professional while still communicating a high level of openness and friendliness.

Strike a different sort of tone in your LinkedIn bio that shows the fun side of your personality, while still communicating your value proposition and what you can offer potential employers and clients.

15. This healthcare professional describes her educational background and key specialties.

For more formal fields such as healthcare, using third-person may be warranted, and this family physician takes advantage of that opportunity. She first describes her education, which is critical in medical fields, and then ends with her key mission. Still, she shows her personality by sharing her passion for her alma mater and her nickname (“The Community Doctor”).

• “Dr. Mooreland received her Doctorate from The Ohio State University (Go Bucks!) where she was inducted into the Gold Humanist Honor Society and selected as a National Health Service Corp Scholar.” Why we love it: In this line, the author effectively shares her educational background, her personality, and her key accolades.
• “Dubbed the ‘The Community Doctor,’ Dr. Mooreland founded Life Cycle DPC to be fully committed to serving well, free from meaningless boundaries and unrelenting paperwork, to engage and be fully present in the community with you and your family.” Why we love it: This line shows Dr. Mooreland’s pivotal role in her community and addresses the reader directly.

This formal LinkedIn bio front-loads the author’s educational background, which is key in industries such as healthcare, and adds a personal touch by emphasizing the importance of her work in the community.

Play with the structure of your LinkedIn bio, depending on your industry. If you’re an entrepreneur, you might start with your most recent startup; if you’re a lawyer, you might begin with your most important practice areas and your case record.

16. This t alent acquisition professional harnesses the power of storytelling .

As you write your LinkedIn summary, consider how your past experiences have led you to your current position. For instance, maybe your summer job as a teenager sparked a passion for sales, or your degree in Film informs how you shoot social media marketing videos.

• "One of my first memories is going to a parent-teacher conference in kindergarten and having my teacher tell my parents, “Desiree is definitely my most talkative, no matter where I move her in class she communicates with everyone!" Why we love it: We're not sure where the story is going at this point, but the hook is intriguing enough to continue reading.
• "I have developed a passion for not only being a voice of those that cannot communicate themselves, but also teaching people to communicate effectively." Why we love it: She weaves a common theme throughout her bio: effective communication. This ties the entire bio together.

This bio is far from cold or stuffy. The writer adds warmth by presenting personal tales that explain her journey to present day. Further, the same theme echos throughout the entire story (the importance of communication).

Weave a common thread through your academic and professional experiences (if one exists). Leverage the power of storytelling to bring your bio to life and add a touch of warmth.

17. This sales leader intrigues readers with her local know-how.

Katie does a great job underscoring her knowledge of Cape Cod with a compelling story about her community. She positions herself as the "go to" person for recommendations in the area, from oysters to suits. It's her passion and enthusiasm that lets real estate buyers and sellers know she's deeply connected to the local area.

• "When I want the freshest oysters, I don''t go to the fish counter at the grocery store; I go to John, the East Dennis oyster guy." Why we love it: From the first sentence, the author is flexing her local knowledge, which is important in real estate. We also love this intriguing hook.
• "A Cope Codder since I was a kid, I can find you the right house, bank, builder, school, auto mechanic, and yes, even the right oyster guy." Why we love it: Sometimes it's uncomfortable to tout our expertise. This author uses storytelling to boast her authority without it being the main focus.

Let's face it: it's hard to write about yourself and your accomplishments. The author hits the right note by folding her local expertise and know-how into a delightful story about her community in Cape Cod.

If you're in real estate, it's important to flex your knowledge about the area. After all, real estate is a local game. Make sure to identify yourself as an expert and enthusiastic fan of where you live and work.

Stand Out with an Exceptional LinkedIn Summary

With these LinkedIn summaries to draw on, you should have plenty of ideas and inspiration for your own description. Make it personal, unique, and engaging — and prospects and potential employers will feel like they know you already.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in August 2017 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Don't forget to share this post!

Related articles.

How to Write a Professional LinkedIn Headline [+ 20 Inspiring Examples]

76 Social Selling Statistics You Need to Know in 2024

LinkedIn’s Social Selling Index — Everything You Need to Know

8 Social Selling Mistakes Your Team Should Avoid

The Best Social Media Channels for Prospecting, According to 500 Sales Professionals

LinkedIn Voice Messages: How & Why to Send Them

11 Highly Effective LinkedIn Summary Templates for Sales Reps

How to Write InMail Messages to Recruiters on LinkedIn [Samples + Templates]

22 LinkedIn Sales Navigator Secrets All the Best Prospectors Know

9 Little-Known Ways to Find New Prospects on LinkedIn

Create a compelling professional narrative for your summary, bio, or introduction.

Powerful and easy-to-use sales software that drives productivity, enables customer connection, and supports growing sales orgs

Business Development Manager Resume Example for 2024

Creating a resume is hard.

Creating a compelling resume that’s going to land you your dream business development manager job is even harder.

But worry not - in this guide, we’ll teach you everything you need to know to create a compelling business development manager resume!

Here’s what we’re going to cover:

• Job-Winning Business Development Resume Example
• Step-By-Step Guide on How to Create a Compelling Business Development Resume
• Formula for Listing Work Experience the Right Way

Let’s dive right in. 

Business Development Manager Resume Example

The above business development manager resume example does everything right, including:

• Picking the right resume format . The reverse-chronological resume format is the most popular format for recruiters worldwide, and as such, is always a safe choice.
• Listing the relevant contact information. The resume includes typical details like phone number and email, as well as a LinkedIn profile (optional, but relevant for a business development role).
• Capturing the recruiter’s attention with a compelling resume summary. The resume summary briefly describes the candidate’s work history and gives the recruiter a reason to dig deeper into the resume.
• Using bullet points to concisely convey information. The recruiter doesn’t have all day. Unless they can scan your resume in a matter of minutes, they’re simply going to skip over you as a candidate. By including bullets in your resume, the hiring manager can read your resume more easily.
• Keeping the education section minimalistic. Unless you’re a recent graduate, there’s no need to go too in-depth with your education section. Simply listing the degree, university, and dates attended is enough.
• Lists the right skills. The above business development manager resume example skips over general and irrelevant skills, focusing solely on the ones that are relevant for the role.
• Takes advantage of the optional resume sections. The resume example above includes “Honors” and “Certifications,” which help the applicant further stand out from the competition.

How to Write a Business Development Manager Resume - 8 Simple Steps

Inspired by the resume example above, but still not sure how to start your own business development manager resume?

We’ve got your back! Just follow these 8 steps and you’ll be good to go, starting with:

#1. Pick the Right Business Development Resume Format

As we previously mentioned, the best resume format for a business development manager is the reverse-chronological one , which looks like this:

While there are other formats out there (namely functional and combination ), they’re nowhere near as popular as the reverse-chronological one and are more likely to harm your chances of getting a job than anything else.

Once you pick the format, then you have to start working on your resume layout, which includes:

• Keeping your resume under 1 page. Unless you have 20+ years of work experience, most recruiters expect you to keep your resume under one page. Chances are if it’s more than a single page, you’re including information that’s not super relevant for your role. If Elon Musk can keep his resume under 1 page , so can you!
• Creating distinctive section headings to ensure that the different sections in your resume are easily identifiable.
• Picking the right font size and style. The norm is 11-12 pt for standard text and 13-14 pt for section headings. Pick a professional (but distinct) font like Ubuntu, Roboto or Overpass.
• Save your resume as a PDF (unless requested otherwise). 

Or Use a Tried-and-Tested Business Development Manager Resume Template

Let’s face it: as a business development manager, you have much better things to do than spend hours formatting your resume.

You have to pick the right font size, structure the resume layout, make sure the format works with applicant tracking systems , and so on…

Want to skip over all that AND create a well-designed, compelling resume in minutes?

Use one of our free resume templates !

All you have to do is hit the link above, pick a template, and you’ll be set with a job-winning resume in less than an hour.

And the best part? Our resume templates look much, much better than the conventional text-editor resumes :

#2. Add Your Contact Information (Avoid Typos!)

Once you’re done with your business development manager resume layout and formatting, it’s time to start filling in the contents…

And the first section you’ll have to tackle is contact information . This section consists of:

• Your name and surname.
• Your professional title.
• Your phone number.
• Your email.
• Your location (City, state, and country. No need for an address)

If LinkedIn is important to your role (e.g. if you use it to reach out to potential biz dev partners), you should also include your LinkedIn profile URL in the contact information section.

Here’s what a business development manager contact information section would look like on a resume:

Business Development Manager

123-123-1234

[email protected]

linkedin.com/in/johndoe21

#3. Write an Eye-Catching Business Development Resume Summary

When a recruiter lays their eyes on your resume, you have around 6 seconds to convince them that you’re a relevant candidate and that they should read your resume more in-depth.

If you fail to do so, they’ll simply skip over to the next candidate.

So, how can you make sure that the recruiter sees value in your business development manager resume straight away?

The answer is simple: you need to create a compelling resume summary.

A resume summary is a short, 2-4 sentence “summary” of your work history. It gives the recruiter a snapshot of:

• Your role and years of experience
• Your 1-2 top achievements
• Your most important skill(s) as a business development manager

Simply by scanning this resume section , the recruiter can instantly tell that you’re a qualified candidate for the role.

Here’s what a convincing business development manager resume summary would look like:

Self-starting business development manager with 6+ years of experience seeking to help Company X enter the German market. Experience at Company Y includes finding, negotiating with, and establishing partnerships with software installation partners in Berlin. Over $500,000 in revenue was generated for Company Y through such partnerships in 2020.

#4. Create a Compelling Work Experience Section

Your work experience is the #1 most important selling point for you as a candidate.

After all, work experiences are what differentiate an A-player business development manager from the rest.

So - how can you create a work experience section that stands out ?

First, let’s start with the formatting. When listing your work history, do this:

• Start with your current or most recent role and go backward in time from there.
• Don’t list jobs you’ve worked 15+ years ago or jobs that aren’t too relevant for the role you’re applying for. E.g. the hiring manager doesn’t need to know that you used to work as a part-time shop assistant 8 years back.
• Begin each entry with your job title. Add the company name underneath that, the dates worked, and 3-5 of your top achievements or responsibilities in bullet points.

Simply listing your work experience, though, is not enough. Sure, it’s going to get your foot in the door, but it might not convince the recruiter to pick you over other business development manager candidates.

So, what can you do to take your resume one step further?

Here’s what we recommend:

• When possible, focus on achievements over responsibilities. The recruiter has seen dozens of resumes for your profession, they know what your responsibilities are. Focusing on achievements helps you stand out better from other candidates.
• When listing your achievements, quantity them. Instead of saying “Increased sales to a record high number,” say “Increased sales by 20% in 2021 by changing up the software demo process.” 
• The best way to quantify your achievements is to include the achievement (increased sales), the number (by 20%), timeframe (2021), and the actions you took (changing up the software demo process).

Sounds simple enough, right? Now let’s see what achievements look like on a convincing business development manager resume example:

Pear Inc.  

05/2016 - Current

• Helped drive over $500,000 in sales during my 2nd year at the company.
• Hired 3 other business development specialists that reported directly to me.
• Established SOPs and guidelines for partner outreach, sales negotiations, and more.

#5. List Your Education Concisely

As a business development manager, your educational background is not nearly as important as your work history.

That said, it’s still important that you get this right.

When working on your educational history, do this:

First things first - add a section header saying “Education.”

Then, add your latest degree first . List the degree title and major (B.A. in Business Administration), university name (Chicago University), and years attended (2012 - 2016).

If you have more than a single relevant degree, you can include both (E.g. Masters and B.A.). You can completely skip on your high school degree, though, if you have any sort of higher education.

Here’s what the education section would look like on a business development manager resume:

B.A. in Business Administration

Boston University, Boston, M.A.

08/2012 - 05/2016

#6. Include the Right Skills

On to the next section!

After education, you need to include a skills section in your business development manager resume.

The key here, though, isn’t to list every skill under the sun, Instead, you should specifically include the ones that are going to help you excel at the role you’re applying for.

At the end of the day, not every business development job is the same. One hiring manager, for example, might be looking for a biz dev manager with more marketing skills, while another might be seeking someone with good knowledge of sales.

So, the best thing you can do here is to scan the job ad and look for the essential skills the role requires, and plug them in your skills section (as long as you actually possess these skills, that is).

Now in case the job ad doesn’t mention a lot of skills, here are some that are essential for business development managers in 2024:

13 Essential Business Development Manager Skills

• Negotiation Skills
• Sales Skills
• Salesforce CRM
• Pipedrive CRM
• Google Analytics
• Customer Acquisition
• Digital Marketing
• Time Management
• Lead Generation
• Communication skills
• Active listening
• Interpersonal skills

#7. Got Some Space Left? Include Additional Sections

At this point, your resume should already be one-page long . If that’s the case, you can simply skip over to the next section.

If you still have some space, though, you can use some of these optional resume sections to add some more substance to your business development manager resume.

These sections aren’t going to win you the job on their own, but they can help convince the recruiter to pick you over a candidate with a similar skill-set and work experience.

Here are the optional resume sections for a business development manager:

• Certifications. Got a certification to prove your prowess with Salesforce CRM ? Or maybe you just have that fancy CBDM certification ? Any of these should go on your resume.
• Honors & Awards. Have you won any industry-related awards? Add them to your business development manager resume!
• Languages. Language skills come in handy in any client-facing role. You can use them to communicate with a prospect whose English is not as good or to simply build up a rapport.
• Hobbies & Interests. While they’re not going to win you the job on their own, hobbies can still have a space on your resume. Specifically, they help show the recruiter what you’re all about in your free time and can sometimes serve as common ground with your interviewer.

Here’s how these optional sections would look like in your business development manager resume:

Certifications 

• CBDM Certified Business Development Manager, June 2018.
• Salesforce Sales Consultant Certification, October 2016
• Spanish (Advanced)
• Italian (Intermediate) 
• Creative Writing

#8. Attach a Matching Cover Letter

Just like any other profession, business development managers are required to submit a cover letter alongside their resume within their application.

Here are some tips to ensure that your cover letter shines as bright as your resume:

• Start by addressing the cover letter by the recruiter’s name, last name, or professional title. Writing “Dear Sir or Madam” and “To Whom It May Concern” just means that you didn’t do much research on where you’re applying.
• Write an attention-grabbing introduction . Here, you mention your job title, years of experience, and 1-2 key achievements.
• The bulk of your cover letter should elaborate on your key achievements and skills. If you want to go the extra mile, you can include information on why you’re passionate about working for that exact company.
• Conclude your cover letter with a call to action.
• Finally, go through our guides to cover letter tips and mistakes to make sure that your cover letter is nothing short of perfect!

Key Takeaways

And that’s a wrap! 

By now, you should have all the information you need to create a compelling business development manager resume.

Before you go, let’s do a quick summary of our main learning points:

• Use the reverse-chronological resume format, as it’s the most popular one out there.
• In your work experience section, focus more on achievements instead of responsibilities.
• List essential business development manager skills like sales, lead generation, and more.
• If you have extra space on your resume, include some of the optional sections like hobbies, certifications, and others.
• Finally, work on your cover letter to make sure that it’s as good as your resume.

To provide a safer experience, the best content and great communication, we use cookies. Learn how we use them for non-authenticated users.

• • Generated $30M in new sales revenue by identifying and securing strategic partnerships within the biotechnology sector.
• • Increased client portfolio by 40% through targeted outreach and networking efforts, introducing 25+ new pharmaceutical products to the company's catalog.
• • Led cross-functional teams to develop highly effective marketing strategies resulting in a 15% increase in year-over-year revenue.
• • Designed and executed innovative customer retention programs that boosted long-term contracts by 30% and improved overall client satisfaction rates.
• • Surpassed sales goals by 20% for two consecutive years, growing the regional sales revenue to $50M.
• • Developed and maintained a high-performance sales team, achieving a 15% increase in productivity through targeted training and development.
• • Successfully launched three blockbuster drugs in the regional market, capturing a 10% market share within the first six months of launch.
• • Implemented a CRM system that enhanced customer tracking and sales force efficiency by 25%.
• • Negotiated key contracts with hospital networks, contributing to a 20% expansion of the company's market penetration.
• • Managed the growth of strategic accounts, resulting in a 35% increase in annual revenue from top-tier clients.
• • Orchestrated the successful entry of Pfizer's portfolio into new therapeutic areas, growing the account base by 20%.
• • Cemented Pfizer's market presence by brokering pivotal alliances with industry leaders, amplifying pipeline development opportunities.
• • Achieved a 95% client retention rate through skillful relationship management and consistent delivery of customer-centric solutions.

5 Director of Business Development Resume Examples & Guide for 2024

As a director of business development, highlight your track record of increasing revenue. Demonstrate your adeptness at identifying and securing new business opportunities. Showcase your expertise in strategic planning and market analysis. Illustrate your exceptional negotiation and relationship-building skills.

All resume examples in this guide

Traditional

Resume Guide

Resume Format Tips

Resume Experience

Skills on Resume

Education & Certifications

Resume Summary Tips

Additional Resume Sections

Key Takeaways

As a Director of Business Development, articulating your diverse experience in a coherent story that captures your strategic vision and leadership skills is a common resume challenge. Our guide provides expert tips and techniques to help you weave your achievements into a compelling narrative, enhancing your resume's impact and setting you up for your next career leap.

• The most effective director of business development resume samples, reflecting on experience and skills.
• +10 simple, yet impactful methods to tailor your director of business development resume to the job advert.
• Using your professional achievements as the North Star to your unique value as a director of business development candidate.
• 'No one cares about your education nowadays …' Let's prove this statement wrong with the best-kept industry secrets to your education and certifications.

If the director of business development resume isn't the right one for you, take a look at other related guides we have:

• Strategic Planning Manager Resume Example
• Proposal Manager Resume Example
• Warehouse Operations Manager Resume Example
• IT Business Analyst Resume Example
• Service Delivery Manager Resume Example
• SAP Business Analyst Resume Example
• Commodity Manager Resume Example
• Venue Manager Resume Example
• Healthcare Business Analyst Resume Example
• Business Director Resume Example

Tips and tricks for your director of business development resume format

Before you start writing your resume, you must first consider its look-and-feel - or resume format . Your professional presentation hence should:

• Follow the reverse-chronological resume format , which incroporates the simple logic of listing your latest experience items first. The reverse-chronological format is the perfect choice for candidates who have plenty of relevant (and recent) experience.
• State your intention from the get-go with a clear and concise headline - making it easy for recruiters to allocate your contact details, check out your portfolio, or discover your latest job title.
• Be precise and simple - your resume should be no more than two pages long, representing your experience and skills that are applicable to the director of business development job.
• Ensure your layout is intact by submitting it as a PDF. Thus, your resume sections would stay in place, even when assessed by the Applicant Tracker System (ATS).

Upload & Check Your Resume

Drop your resume here or choose a file . PDF & DOCX only. Max 2MB file size.

The more trusted the organization you've attained your certificate (or degree) from, the more credible your skill set would be.

The five (plus) definite sections your resume for a director of business development job should include are:

• Header with your headline, contact details, and/or a preview of your work
• Summary (or objective) to pinpoint how your success aligns with the role
• Experience with bullets of your most relevant achievements in the field
• Skills to integrate vital job requirements (both technical and personal)
• Your further dedication to the field, showcased via relevant higher education and/or certifications

What recruiters want to see on your resume:

• Demonstrated ability to identify and develop new business opportunities in relevant markets
• Proven track record of achieving or exceeding sales targets and driving revenue growth
• Strong strategic planning and analysis skills for market penetration and expansion
• Experience in negotiating and closing high-value deals with key clients
• Effective leadership and management skills to mentor and grow business development teams

The director of business development resume experience section: a roadmap to your expertise

The resume experience section provides you with an opportunity to tell your professional narrative.

Recruiters, reading between the lines of your resume, use the experience section to better understand your unique skill set, accomplishments, and what unique value you bring about.

Discover five quick steps on how to write your experience section:

• Curate only relevant experience items to the role and include the company, description, and dates; all followed by up to six bullets per experience item;
• Each experience item should feature tangible results of your actions - if you can include a number or percent, this will further highlight your aptitude;
• If you've received any managerial or customer feedback, use short excerpts of it as further social proof of your technical or people skills;
• Make sure you're using the appropriate verb tense when listing your responsibilities;
• Within the description for each role, you could summarize your most noteworthy and relevant achievements.

Now, take note of how a real-world director of business development professional received opportunities at industry leaders with these resume experience sections:

• Spearheaded the expansion of strategic partnerships with Fortune 500 companies, increasing channel revenue by 35% within the first year.
• Implemented a new CRM system that enhanced customer relationship management and increased repeat business by 20%.
• Led a cross-functional team in the launch of a new SaaS product that captured 15% market share within its category in the first six months post-launch.
• Orchestrated the company's entry into three new international markets, which contributed to a 25% growth in overall company revenue.
• Negotiated and secured four major partnerships with international distributors, enhancing the brand's global presence.
• Developed a comprehensive business development strategy that realigned the company's focus towards high-growth sectors, leading to a portfolio growth of 40%.
• Led the strategic shift towards a consultative sales approach that increased average deal size by 50% within two years.
• Drove the adoption of a data-driven sales strategy that improved lead conversion rates by 30%.
• Played a pivotal role in product diversification that resulted in the launch of two new product lines, capturing additional 10% of the market share.
• Expanded the enterprise client base by 25% through targeted networking and industry events.
• Served as the lead negotiator on a multimillion-dollar deal with a key retail partner, effectively doubling the product's in-store presence.
• Initiated a company-wide training program on sales best practices, catalyzing a 15% increase in cross-departmental upselling.
• Collaborated with the R&D department to guide the concept to a launch of a revolutionary new analytics platform, which secured a dominant positioning in a niche market.
• Leveraged market analysis to redirect sales efforts towards underserved sectors, realizing a 40% increase in sales to those sectors in the first year.
• Introduced a strategic client acquisition plan that successfully attracted and retained 30+ high-value accounts contributing significantly to the firm's market cap growth.
• Successfully managed and improved relationships with the top 10 corporate accounts, resulting in extended contracts and a 20% increase in annual revenue from key clients.
• Implemented an aggressive B2B sales initiative that grew the customer base by 200% over a four-year period.
• Directed the company-wide shift towards a customer-centric sales approach, which reduced churn by 15% and improved client satisfaction scores by 25%.
• Masterminded a strategic alliance with industry leaders, which increased the service delivery network and company valuation by 30%.
• Spearheaded a market intelligence initiative that transformed how the company responded to emerging trends, solidifying a top-three position in the industry.
• Overhauled the corporate branding strategy, aligning with evolving market expectations and resulting in a 50% increase in brand recognition.
• Devised and executed a new market penetration strategy that led to a 45% increase in total revenue within two years.
• Developed a comprehensive client onboarding process that decreased time-to-value by 50% and improved client retention rates.
• Piloted a client referral program that accounted for 30% of new business within the first year of implementation.

Quantifying impact on your resume

• Highlight revenue growth achieved in previous roles to demonstrate your ability to drive business expansion.
• Specify the percentage increase in market share you have contributed to, showcasing your competitive edge.
• Detail the numerical reduction in costs or expenses you have implemented, proving your efficiency and financial acumen.
• Enumerate the number of new strategic partnerships formed, illustrating your networking and negotiation skills.
• Present the quantifiable results of marketing campaigns or sales strategies you've developed, indicating your hands-on effectiveness.
• Report the scale of teams or projects managed, highlighting your leadership and project management capabilities.
• Mention customer or client retention rates improved under your direction, reflecting your commitment to long-term business relationships.
• Illustrate the amount of funding or investment you have secured for projects or ventures, revealing your persuasive and capital-raising abilities.

Action verbs for your director of business development resume

Experience section for candidates with zero-to-none experience

While you may have less professional experience in the field, that doesn't mean you should leave this section of your resume empty or blank.

Consider these four strategies on how to substitute the lack of experience with:

• Volunteer roles - as part of the community, you've probably gained valuable people (and sometimes even technological capabilities) that could answer the job requirements
• Research projects - while in your university days, you may have been part of some cutting-edge project to benefit the field. Curate this within your experience section as a substitute for real-world experience
• Internships - while you may consider that that summer internship in New York was solely mandatory to your degree, make sure to include it as part of your experience, if it's relevant to the role
• Irrelevant previous jobs - instead of detailing the technologies you've learned, think about the transferable skills you've gained.

Recommended reads:

• Perfecting the Education Section on Your Resume
• When You Should (And Not) Add Dean's List On Your Resume

If you happen to have plenty of certificates, select the ones that are most applicable and sought-after across the industry. Organize them by relevance to the role you're applying for.

Creating your director of business development resume skills section: balancing hard skills and soft skills

Recruiters hiring for director of business development roles are always keen on hiring candidates with relevant technical and people talents. Hard skills or technical ones are quite beneficial for the industry - as they refer to your competency with particular software and technologies. Meanwhile, your soft (or people) skills are quite crucial to yours and the company's professional growth as they detail how you'd cooperate and interact in your potential environment. Here's how to describe your hard and soft skill set in your director of business development resume:

• Consider what the key job requirements are and list those towards the top of your skills section.
• Think of individual, specific skills that help you stand out amongst competitors, and detail how they've helped you succeed in the past.
• Look to the future of the industry and list all software/technologies which are forward-facing.
• Create a separate, technical skills section to supplement your experience and further align with the director of business development job advert.

Top skills for your director of business development resume:

Strategic planning

Market analysis

Sales management

Lead generation

Financial modeling

Contract negotiation

CRM software proficiency

Proposal writing

Product development

Data analysis

Communication

Negotiation

Problem-solving

Adaptability

Decision-making

Time management

If you're in the process of obtaining your certificate or degree, list the expected date you're supposed to graduate or be certified.

Your academic background: should you include your education and certifications on your director of business development resume?

Adding relevant education and certifications to your director of business development resume is beneficial, whether you're an experienced candidate or just starting in the field.

Featuring your higher education degree that aligns with the role demonstrates your commitment to the industry. On your director of business development resume, include the start and graduation dates, followed by the name of the institution that awarded your degree.

Regarding certifications, it's wise to list those most relevant to the role or that have contributed to your array of crucial technical or personal traits. Be sure to include the name of the certificate and the awarding institution .

If uncertain about which certifications to feature prominently on your director of business development resume, refer to our compiled list of the most in-demand ones for guidance.

The top 5 certifications for your director of business development resume:

• Certified Business Development Professional (CBDP) - International Business Training Association (IBTA)
• Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) - American Marketing Association (AMA)
• Certified Sales Executive (CSE) - Sales and Marketing Executives International (SMEI)
• Strategic Business Development Certification (SBDC) - Management and Strategy Institute (MSI)
• Global Business Development Professional (GBDP) - Global Academy of Finance and Management (GAFM)

Highlight any significant extracurricular activities that demonstrate valuable skills or leadership.

• Should You Include Eagle Scout On Your Resume?

Practical guide to your director of business development resume summary or objective

First off, should you include a summary or objective on your director of business development resume?

We definitely recommend you choose the:

• Resume summary to match job requirements with most noteworthy accomplishments.
• Resume objective as a snapshot of career dreams

Both the resume summary and objective should set expectations for recruiters as to what your career highlights are.

These introductory paragraphs (that are no more than five sentences long) should help you answer why you're the best candidate for the job.

Industry-wide best practices pinpoint that the director of business development resume summaries and objectives follow the structures of these samples:

Resume summaries for a director of business development job

• Seasoned Business Development Director with over 15 years in the tech industry, expert in spearheading market expansion strategies leading to a 300% increase in regional sales for a leading SaaS company. Proven ability in nurturing key partnerships, analyzing market trends, and driving team excellence with robust leadership skills.
• Dynamic professional with a 12-year track record in the pharmaceutical sector, recognized for surpassing targets by 50% through strategic alliance-building. Transitioning to Business Development with a focus on leveraging deep industry knowledge and a strong network to deliver exceptional revenue growth.
• Accomplished Educator with a decade of experience fostering academic excellence, seeking to pivot talents into Business Development. Eager to apply comprehensive understanding of the competitive education landscape and adept relationship-building abilities to generate innovative partnership opportunities.
• Expert in international trade with over 20 years of experience, including a highlight of expanding Asian market penetration by 250% for a manufacturing firm. Now aiming to apply a wealth of global business knowledge and cultural acumen to a challenging new avenue in business development.
• Aspiring Business Developer with a strong academic background in Marketing, eager to apply fresh knowledge and youthful exuberance to foster strategic partnerships and drive market growth. Objective: to rapidly learn and contribute by identifying untapped opportunities and building meaningful industry connections.
• Recent MBA graduate with a specialization in Strategic Management, passionate about transitioning into Business Development. Objective: to deploy cutting-edge analytical and strategic planning skills to uncover new avenues for growth and to form a symbiotic bridge between product innovation and market needs.

Four more sections for your director of business development resume

Your director of business development resume can be supplemented with other sections to highlight both your personality and efforts in the industry. Use the ones you deem most relevant to your experience (and the role):

• Awards - to celebrate your success;
• Interests - to detail what you're passionate about outside of work (e.g. music, literature, etc.);
• Publications - to show your footprint in the wider community;
• Projects - to pinpoint noteworthy achievements, potentially even outside of work.

Key takeaways

• The format and layout of your director of business development resume should reflect on both your career and what matters most to the job you're applying for;
• Use the resume summary and objective to hint at your most prominent accomplishments;
• Always be specific about your experience and consider what value each bullet you curate adds to your director of business development application;
• Consider how your academic background and technical capabilities could further showcase your alignment to the role;
• Your soft skills should contribute to your overall director of business development profile - aligning your personality with skills and results.

Looking to build your own Director of Business Development resume?

• Resume Examples

Matthew, the writer of nearly 500 resumes

How to create a general cover letter (with examples and tips), what i learned from creating donald trump's resume, how to write a linkedin recommendation request message [sample templates included], interview question: why do you want this job (+ answers), a guide to leaving your job on your terms.

• Create Resume
• Terms of Service
• Privacy Policy
• Cookie Preferences
• Resume Templates
• AI Resume Builder
• Resume Summary Generator
• Resume Formats
• Resume Checker
• Resume Skills
• How to Write a Resume
• Modern Resume Templates
• Simple Resume Templates
• Cover Letter Builder
• Cover Letter Examples
• Cover Letter Templates
• Cover Letter Formats
• How to Write a Cover Letter
• Resume Guides
• Cover Letter Guides
• Job Interview Guides
• Job Interview Questions
• Career Resources
• Meet our customers
• Career resources
• English (UK)
• French (FR)
• German (DE)
• Spanish (ES)
• Swedish (SE)

© 2024 . All rights reserved.

Made with love by people who care.

Director of Business Development: Job Description, Skills & Salary

If you have high-level sales experience, an MBA with a management or marketing specialization, and are looking for a step up in your career, the Business Development Director job could be the opportunity to target.

Virtually every company in every industry is looking to expand its footprint and grow its sales, so there are plenty of job openings out there for the Business Development Director job.

Does that sound like the direction you would want your career to grow in? If yes, this article is for you. After reading, you will know:

• The business development director job description,
• The roles and responsibilities of the business development director,
• The qualifications needed for the business development director job,
• How much you can earn as a director of business development.

Let’s get started.

Business Development Director Job Description

The business development director oversees the creation and implementation of the business development strategy . This includes identifying new business opportunities, developing relationships with potential partners, and overseeing the development and execution of business plans. 

The business development director also works closely with other members of the executive team to ensure that the company’s overall strategy is aligned with its business development goals.

As a senior sales executive, the director of business development helps companies stay ahead of their competition by seeking out new partnerships and opportunities. They work closely with upper management to ensure that the company is meeting its goals.

What Does a Business Development Director Do On a Daily Basis?

The director of business development identifies, creates, and implements profitable business opportunities within an organization. 

They lead a cross-functional team that identifies new markets, develops marketing plans, and analyzes lead generation opportunities, among other business development goals.

As the director of business development, it is important to be aware of the company’s initiatives for growth in different markets and how these changes will affect target customers.

Additionally, you must be able to identify potential areas where the company can improve its offerings to better meet customer needs.

As a director of business development, an important part of your job is to develop proposals in response to requests for proposals (RFPs). This involves working with other department heads, sales development reps, production engineers, and sales managers to coordinate account startup and transition service or product delivery.

It is your job as the business development director to study and understand the business environment and review emerging trends so you can exploit new opportunities ahead of the competition.

Once a new business has been secured, the director of business development will work with other department heads and staff to ensure a smooth transition and delivery of services or products. This includes coordinating account startup as well as any necessary staff training.

The Director of Business Development may be asked to deliver presentations and conduct seminars and meetings for clients , vendors, and advisers.

Job Outlook for the Business Development Director Position

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the career path of business operations will grow by 8% from 2014 to 2024, which is much faster than the average.

The job market for business and finance professionals is expected to grow rapidly as companies become more competitive. Those with experience and an advanced degree will have an edge over other candidates.

What qualifications do you need for business development?

Individuals who want to pursue a career in business development can improve their prospects by enrolling in an MBA program with a specialization in Management. This type of program will provide them with the skills and knowledge they need to be successful in this field.

Alternatively, they may choose to pursue a Master’s degree in Business Administration with a focus on Marketing.

Managerial economics and international management are two of the courses you’ll take as part of your coursework.

MBA grads with a concentration in management should know how to combine their knowledge of finance, marketing , and business to develop strategies for their organizations.

They should also know how to use technology and data to gain a competitive edge , and how to create an ethical and socially conscious organization.

On the experience side, the ideal candidate for the Business Development Director role has at least three years of experience successfully leading a sales initiative or project. A combination of private, public, and nonprofit sales experience is a plus.

Additionally, the candidate should have more than two years of experience in management supervision and demonstrate proficiency in Microsoft Office suites.

How Much Does A Business Development Director Make?

The Bureau of Labour Statistics does not publish a specific average salary for the position of Business Development Director.

However, numerous factors can influence potential salary ranges. These include the state of the economy, a candidate’s employment history and level of educational attainment, as well as the particular industry.

In general, business development directors can expect to earn a comfortable salary. However, earnings will vary depending on the aforementioned factors.

Business development directors in the financial services industry can expect to earn an average salary of $100,750 to $165,500 according to a 2017 report by global staffing service Robert Half.

Are You a Good Fit for the Business Development Director Job?

To succeed as a Director of Business Development, you’ll need to have excellent business, project management, and leadership skills, as well as creativity and inventiveness.

If you are self-motivated, organized, and detail-oriented, earning a Master of Business Administration degree with a management specialization will greatly increase your chances of landing the business development director job.

Finally, the ideal candidate will have exceptional verbal and written communication skills as well as excellent financial management skills.

The Business Development Director is Demanding, Yet Richly Rewarding

The business development director is responsible for overseeing the growth of a company. To succeed in the role, they need to have strong leadership and management skills, be able to think strategically and have a track record of successful sales experience. 

While richly rewarding, business development is a demanding career. So, if you’re thinking about becoming a business development director, make sure you have the qualifications and experience before taking on the role.

Need Help Automating Your Sales Prospecting Process?

LeadFuze gives you all the data you need to find ideal leads, including full contact information.

Go through a variety of filters to zero in on the leads you want to reach. This is crazy specific, but you could find all the people that match the following: 

• A company in the Financial Services or Banking industry
• Who have more than 10 employees
• That spend money on Adwords
• Who use Hubspot
• Who currently have job openings for marketing help
• With the role of HR Manager
• That has only been in this role for less than 1 year

Want to help contribute to future articles? Have data-backed and tactical advice to share? I’d love to hear from you!

We have over 60,000 monthly readers that would love to see it! Contact us and let's discuss your ideas!

About Author: Justin McGill

Read our ultimate guides on:.

• B2B Lead Generation
• Google Alerts
• Account Based Marketing
• Prospecting
• LinkedIn Sales Navigator
• Sales Strategy
• Cold Calling
• Sales Pitch

Share the Knowledge

Find fresh leads, instantly., contact data for 500m+ people and 10m+ companies, globally., leads are cleaned and verified in real-time., build lists for custom audience ad targeting, direct mail, cold email, social selling, or even cold calling campaigns..

Helping sales, marketing, and recruiting teams find new leads.

Build my resume

• Build a better resume in minutes
• Resume examples
• 2,000+ examples that work in 2024
• Resume templates
• Free templates for all levels
• Cover letters
• Cover letter generator
• It's like magic, we promise
• Cover letter examples
• Free downloads in Word & Docs

3 Director Of Business Development Resume Examples

Director Of Business Development Resume

Elegant director of business development resume, clean director of business development resume.

• Director Of Business Development Resume Writing 101

Nerves of steel help you handle even the most demanding stakeholders with composure. On top of that, you’re a strategic maestro, navigating your way through marketing campaigns and managing diverse teams with finesse. 

Your work experience is enviable, but it takes more than a long list of past roles to create a cover letter and resume that impress recruiters. 

We’ve got the resume advice to help you make yours almost as impressive as your leadership skills. Our director of business development resume templates are helping folks land six-figure jobs—here’s what you can do to score yours.

or download as PDF

Related resume examples

• Entry-level business development
• Business development associate
• Senior business development manager
• Business development executive
• Business development

What Matters Most: Your Skills & Business Development Expertise

Your skills and work experience are two of the most important sections on your resume. With your extensive business development expertise, you’ve got a lot of ground to cover.

Your skills section is highly effective when executed correctly. Ask yourself: what are the most critical aspects of your job as a director of business development? The skills that directly aid you in those things are the ones that should end up on your resume.

Being generic doesn’t help, so avoid it like the plague. Skip the obvious “project management;” instead, specify things like financial projections, risk management, and market analysis.

9 best director of business development skills

• CRM Software
• Proposal Development
• Data Analysis
• Microsoft Excel
• Sales Projections
• Market Research
• Financial Forecasting
• Stakeholder Relations
• Customer Acquisition

Sample director of business development work experience bullet points

You’ve earned bragging rights when it comes to business development. From assembling and overseeing cross-functional teams to conducting complex analyses, the company’s financial success often rests on your shoulders.

You should have no problem filling out your work experience section on your professional resume template . In the same way you rely on data to help guide your financial and marketing decisions, leverage metrics to make your resume stand out. 

Talk about your biggest wins. Mention revenue increases, surpassed sales targets, and strategic partnerships that advanced your company’s market presence.

Here’s how to do this:

• Led, developed, and executed marketing strategies to generate new business worth over $2M in revenue
• Managed cross-functional teams to streamline sales efforts across the company, improving operational efficiency by 37%
• Performed extensive market analysis to identify potential business risks, decreasing potential revenue loss by 13%
• Initiated partnership with a competing business, gaining over 20,000 new customers and increasing market share by 9%

Top 5 Tips for Your Director of Business Development Resume

• Emphasize the right skill set and experience based on the industry you’re applying to and the business development job ad . If you want to work in banking, highlight your financial acumen and regulatory compliance; for a role in e-commerce, showcase your digital marketing skills.
• You’re a natural-born leader, and that’s part of what makes you a successful director of business development. Show off the success of the teams you’ve led by talking about the way you used Lean Six Sigma to streamline operations or developed a new training program that increased client acquisition by 15%.
• After years of experience in business development, you’ve amassed an impressive list of software you’re familiar with. Drop some in your skills section and mention the rest throughout the resume. Some noteworthy tools include Salesforce, HubSpot, Tableau, QlikView, SurveyMonkey, Asana, and Google Workspace.
• The sum of your work usually comes down to this—financial gains and an increase in market influence for your company. Don’t be afraid to use specific figures as you talk about your monetary outcomes. Securing $500K in revenue will always sound impressive, and that’s what you want to achieve.
• Did you know recruiters only skim a resume for around six seconds before moving on? This is why it’s best to save your soft skills, such as negotiation techniques or client retention, for later. Select eye-catching skills for your resume and then elaborate on them in the cover letter .

In a senior management role such as this, you can extend your resume to two pages if you have enough relevant experience to fill it out. However, we still recommend sticking to one page as you’ll see in all our sample resumes .

If you’re shorter on the experience side, then stick to adjacent roles, such as a project manager, financial analyst, or sales director.

Skills, work experience, education, and certifications are all important. It’s optional to add a career summary , highlighting your greatest achievements in business development and your plans for the future with your new company.

Your education is key, with most employers looking for bachelor’s or even master’s degrees, especially with an MBA. Certifications are helpful, too: add your CBDP, PMP, CBAP, PCM, and CSLP in a dedicated section.

Resume Worded   |  Proven Resume Examples

• Resume Examples
• Sales Resumes
• Business Development Resume Guide & Examples

Director of Business Development Resume Examples: Proven To Get You Hired In 2024

Jump to a template:

• Director of Business Development
• Director Of Business Development
• Vice President Of Business Development
• Head Of Business Development

Get advice on each section of your resume:

Jump to a resource:

• Director of Business Development Resume Tips

Director of Business Development Resume Template

Download in google doc, word or pdf for free. designed to pass resume screening software in 2022., director of business development resume sample.

Ah, the Director of Business Development. A title that brings with it immense responsibility. This role is a significant one that focuses on creating long-term value for a company from customers, markets, and relationships. In recent years, the focus has shifted from traditional methods of business development to more innovative strategies. It's no longer just about sales and marketing. Now, innovation, strategizing, restructuring operations, and developing partnerships have become essential. So, when crafting your resume, it's key to highlight your ability to innovate, strategize and build relationships, on top of your sales and marketing skills. Moreover, soft skills like leadership, communication, negotiation, and strategic thinking are highly sought after in this role. Prospective employers are seeking individuals who can not only identify new business opportunities but also lead teams to leverage these opportunities. Therefore, when writing your resume, emphasize your leadership qualities and your accomplishes in relation to growing businesses and leading teams.

We're just getting the template ready for you, just a second left.

Recruiter Insight: Why this resume works in 2022

Tips to help you write your director of business development resume in 2024,    highlight your strategic initiatives.

Instead of just listing your job duties, focus on the strategic initiatives you have taken. Show how you have innovated strategies, built partnerships, and restructured operations to drive business growth.

   Show Your Leadership Skills

Show how you have built, led and grown business development teams. Include examples of your leadership during times of change, how you inspired your team, and the results you achieved together.

At the high end of business development is the director, often responsible for one or more departments dedicated to business growth. Directors require the ability to see the overview of a business and assess its place within the industry. This resume encapsulates that by including foundational positions and skills crowned by impactful, businesswide accomplishments.

   Demonstrate increasing responsibilities and promotions

Like the second resume we looked at, this resume does a great job at showing growth over time. From a starting point as an associate that generated “50+ leads a week” to most recently being responsible for “increasing lead generation by 40%” in one year, the progression of responsibility is clear. You should clearly emphasize your increasing responsibilities and promotions, especially when applying for senior roles.

   Shows broad vision and attention to detail

This applicant shows both their ability to pay attention to detail (such as by being in the top 3 percent of the company when using Salesforce to track sales) and their capacity to look at a business holistically (by completing a SWOT). You should aim to include contrasting accomplishments to indicate your versatility.

Director Of Business Development Resume Sample

Vice president of business development resume sample, head of business development resume sample.

As a hiring manager who has recruited top talent for Director of Business Development roles at companies like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Adobe, I've seen firsthand what makes a resume stand out. The following tips will help you craft a compelling resume that showcases your skills and experience in the most effective way possible.

   Quantify your sales and revenue impact

Hiring managers want to see the tangible impact you've had in your previous roles. Use specific numbers and metrics to quantify your achievements:

• Grew annual revenue from $5M to $20M over 3 years by expanding into new markets and product lines
• Closed deals totaling $10M+ with enterprise clients like Fortune 500 companies
• Increased average deal size by 50% through strategic account management and upselling

Avoid vague statements that don't provide any context or scale of your impact, such as:

• Responsible for growing revenue and closing deals
• Managed key accounts and increased sales

   Highlight your leadership and team management skills

As a Director of Business Development, you'll be leading and managing a team of sales professionals. Showcase your leadership experience and the results you achieved:

• Built and led a team of 10 sales reps, increasing team quota attainment from 60% to 95% within 1 year
• Mentored and coached 5 junior sales reps, resulting in 3 promotions to senior roles
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams like Marketing and Product to align go-to-market strategies

Don't just list your management responsibilities without providing context or outcomes:

• Managed a sales team and assigned territories
• Conducted weekly team meetings and 1:1s

   Demonstrate your industry expertise and market knowledge

Hiring managers look for candidates who deeply understand their target markets and customers. Highlight your industry expertise:

• 10+ years of experience in SaaS sales, with a focus on the marketing technology space
• Deep knowledge of the competitive landscape, key players, and market trends in the CRM industry
• Regularly spoke at industry conferences and published thought leadership content on sales best practices

Avoid generic statements that could apply to any industry or market:

• Experienced in sales and business development
• Knowledgeable about the software industry

   Showcase your ability to develop and execute sales strategies

As a Director, you'll be responsible for developing and executing strategic sales plans. Highlight your experience in this area:

• Developed and implemented a new sales methodology that increased win rates by 30%
• Created a territory expansion plan that resulted in a 50% increase in pipeline within 6 months
• Designed and launched a new partner program, generating $5M+ in revenue through channel sales

Don't just list your involvement in sales planning without specifying your role or the outcomes:

• Participated in annual sales planning and forecasting
• Worked with the team to develop sales strategies

   Emphasize your ability to build and manage partnerships

Building strategic partnerships is a key part of business development. Show how you've successfully built and managed partnerships:

• Developed a strategic partnership with a leading marketing agency, resulting in $10M+ in joint revenue
• Managed a portfolio of 20+ technology partners, driving $5M+ in annual revenue through co-selling and referrals
• Negotiated and closed a $20M multi-year partnership deal with a Fortune 500 company

Avoid vague statements about partnerships without providing specifics:

• Worked with partners to drive revenue growth
• Managed relationships with key partners and customers

   Tailor your resume to the specific company and role

Customize your resume for each job application to highlight the most relevant skills and experiences. Here's an example of a tailored resume summary:

Results-driven Director of Business Development with 10+ years of experience driving revenue growth in the SaaS industry. Proven track record of building high-performing sales teams, developing strategic partnerships, and exceeding quota targets. Deep expertise in the CRM and marketing technology space. Seeking to leverage my skills and experience to help [Company Name] achieve its ambitious growth goals.

Avoid using a generic, one-size-fits-all summary that could apply to any company or role:

Experienced sales leader with a track record of success in business development. Skilled in managing teams, closing deals, and driving revenue growth. Seeking a challenging new opportunity to make an impact.

Writing Your Director of Business Development Resume: Section By Section

  summary.

While a resume summary is optional, it can be a strategic way to provide additional context about your career goals and highlight skills that may not be immediately apparent from your work history. This is especially useful if you're making a career change or have a diverse background that doesn't perfectly align with the Director of Business Development role you're targeting.

However, avoid using an objective statement, as these are outdated and fail to provide value. Instead, craft a concise, targeted summary that complements rather than repeats the information already present in your resume. Keep it brief—no more than a paragraph—and focus on showcasing your most relevant qualifications and experiences.

To learn how to write an effective resume summary for your Director of Business Development resume, or figure out if you need one, please read Director of Business Development Resume Summary Examples , or Director of Business Development Resume Objective Examples .

1. Tailor your summary to the job description

When crafting your Director of Business Development resume summary, it's essential to align your skills and experiences with the requirements outlined in the job description. This demonstrates to the hiring manager that you've carefully considered how your qualifications match their needs.

For example, if the job description emphasizes the need for a candidate with a proven track record in identifying new business opportunities and forging strategic partnerships, your summary might look like this:

Business development executive with 8+ years of experience driving revenue growth through strategic partnerships and market expansion. Proven success in identifying untapped opportunities and negotiating high-value contracts in the SaaS industry. Seeking to leverage my expertise to help [Company Name] achieve its growth objectives as Director of Business Development.

In contrast, a generic, untailored summary might read:

Experienced business development professional looking for a challenging role in a dynamic organization. Skilled in sales, marketing, and project management. Proven track record of success.

2. Highlight key business development skills

When showcasing your business development skills in your resume summary, focus on those that are most relevant to the Director of Business Development role and avoid generic soft skills. Instead, emphasize your ability to:

• Identify and pursue new business opportunities
• Develop and execute strategic growth plans
• Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders
• Negotiate and close high-value deals

Here's an example of how you might incorporate these skills into your summary:

Strategic business development leader with a track record of identifying untapped market opportunities and driving revenue growth. Adept at building and managing relationships with C-level executives, forging strategic partnerships, and negotiating complex contracts. Proven ability to develop and execute comprehensive go-to-market strategies that deliver measurable results.

Avoid listing soft skills directly, such as:

• Hardworking
• Team player
• Strong communicator

  Experience

The work experience section is the heart of your resume. It's where you prove to potential employers that you have the skills and experience to excel as a director of business development. In this section, we'll cover what to include and how to make your work experience stand out.

1. Highlight business development accomplishments

Focus on your most impressive business development achievements in each role. Instead of listing day-to-day responsibilities, emphasize the results you delivered.

Compare these two examples:

• Responsible for identifying and pursuing new business opportunities
• Managed relationships with key clients and partners

Instead, quantify your impact like this:

• Landed 5 major client accounts totaling $3M in new revenue
• Grew strategic partnership with XYZ Corp, resulting in a 25% increase in joint sales

2. Showcase relevant business development skills

Highlight the business development skills most relevant to the jobs you're targeting. Mention specific skills you used to land clients, grow accounts, or launch new offerings.

Here are some examples:

• Leveraged strong relationship-building and negotiation skills to secure a $500K contract with ABC Inc
• Collaborated cross-functionally with product, marketing and sales teams to bring new XYZ solution to market
• Conducted in-depth market research and competitor analysis to identify untapped opportunities in the healthcare vertical

3. Use strong business development action verbs

Start each bullet point with a powerful action verb that demonstrates your business development capabilities. This helps grab the reader's attention and makes your contributions clear.

Weak, generic verbs to avoid:

• Responsible for

Strong, specific verbs to use:

• Spearheaded
• Orchestrated

Spearheaded entry into new international markets, capturing over $5M in revenue in the first year.

4. Demonstrate career growth and progression

Show how you've progressed and taken on more responsibility over the course of your career. This paints a picture of you as a high performer who is trusted to take on more.

There are a few ways to demonstrate advancement:

• Highlight promotions in your job titles, e.g. "Senior Business Development Manager (promoted from BDM)"
• Use your bullet points to show how your role or contributions expanded over time
• Mention significant increases in quota, team size, or other measures of responsibility

Director of Business Development Acme Corp, 2018-2022 Initially hired as a Business Development Manager and promoted to Director within 2 years. Scaled team from 5 to 15 reps and grew new business revenue 112% over tenure.

  Education

Your education section is a critical component of your director of business development resume. It showcases your academic background and qualifications, demonstrating your ability to excel in this high-level role. Follow these tips to create a compelling education section that highlights your relevant knowledge and skills.

1. Highlight your most relevant degree

As a director of business development, your most relevant degree is likely a Bachelor's or Master's in business, marketing, or a related field. Be sure to prominently feature this degree in your education section.

Here's an example of how to effectively list your degree:

Master of Business Administration (MBA) University of California, Berkeley Graduated: May 2015

Avoid simply listing your degree without any context, like this:

Bachelor's Degree XYZ University 2010-2014

2. Include relevant coursework and projects

If you're a recent graduate or your coursework is particularly relevant to the director of business development role, consider including a list of relevant courses or projects under your degree.

For example:

• Relevant Coursework: Strategic Management, International Business, Marketing Research
• Capstone Project: Developed a comprehensive market entry strategy for a tech startup, resulting in a successful launch and 25% market share within the first year

Avoid listing irrelevant or generic coursework, such as:

• Coursework: English 101, Intro to Psychology, Basic Math

3. Showcase your certifications

If you have earned any relevant certifications, such as a Certified Business Development Professional (CBDP) or a Professional Certified Marketer (PCM), include them in your education section.

Here's an example of how to list your certifications:

Certified Business Development Professional (CBDP) Business Development Association International Earned: June 2018

Avoid simply listing the certification acronym without explaining what it means, like this:

CBDP Certification 2018

4. Keep it concise for senior-level positions

If you are a senior-level professional with extensive work experience, your education section should be brief and to the point. Focus on your most advanced degree and any highly relevant certifications.

Here's an example of a concise education section for a senior director of business development:

Master of Business Administration (MBA) Harvard Business School

Avoid listing outdated or irrelevant degrees, like this:

Bachelor of Arts in English Literature University of XYZ Graduated: May 1985

  Skills

Your skills section is one of the most important parts of your Director of Business Development resume. It's where you showcase your expertise and qualifications that make you the perfect candidate for the job. In this section, we'll break down the key steps to crafting a compelling skills section that will catch the attention of hiring managers and help you land your dream job.

1. Tailor your skills to the job description

When crafting your skills section, it's crucial to align your skills with the requirements listed in the job description. Hiring managers use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to filter out resumes that don't contain the skills they're looking for. To ensure your resume makes it past the ATS, carefully review the job description and identify the key skills and qualifications the employer is seeking.

For example, if the job description emphasizes experience with CRM software, market research, and contract negotiation, make sure to include these skills in your resume. Here's an example of a tailored skills section:

Salesforce CRM Market research and analysis Contract negotiation Business development strategy Relationship building

2. Categorize your skills by relevance

Grouping your skills into categories can make your skills section more organized and easier to read. Consider using categories such as:

• Business Development : Market research, lead generation, sales funnel management
• Relationship Building : Client relationship management, partnership development, networking
• Strategic Planning : Business plan development, SWOT analysis, competitive analysis

By categorizing your skills, you demonstrate to hiring managers that you have a well-rounded skill set that aligns with the key aspects of the Director of Business Development role.

3. Avoid listing outdated or irrelevant skills

While it may be tempting to include every skill you possess, it's essential to be selective and focus on the most relevant and up-to-date skills for the Director of Business Development position. Avoid listing outdated or irrelevant skills, as they can make your resume appear less competitive and raise concerns about your current expertise.

For example, instead of listing generic skills like this:

Microsoft Office Cold calling Telemarketing

Focus on more specific and relevant skills:

Salesforce CRM Account-based marketing Sales performance analysis

4. Highlight your proficiency level

When listing your skills, consider indicating your proficiency level to give hiring managers a better understanding of your expertise. You can use terms like:

• Intermediate

Salesforce CRM (Expert) Market research and analysis (Advanced) Contract negotiation (Proficient) Business development strategy (Advanced) Relationship building (Expert)

By highlighting your proficiency level, you demonstrate confidence in your abilities and help hiring managers quickly identify your strongest skills.

Skills For Director of Business Development Resumes

Here are examples of popular skills from Director of Business Development job descriptions that you can include on your resume.

Skills Word Cloud For Director of Business Development Resumes

This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Director of Business Development job descriptions and resumes. The bigger the word, the more frequently it appears on job postings, and the more likely you should include it in your resume.

How to use these skills?

Similar resume templates, business analyst.

Training and Development

• Sales Coordinator Resume Guide
• Engagement Manager Resume Guide
• SaaS Resume Guide
• Sales Executive Resume Guide

Resume Guide: Detailed Insights From Recruiters

• Business Development Resume Guide & Examples for 2022

Improve your Director of Business Development resume, instantly.

Use our free resume checker to get expert feedback on your resume. You will:

•  Get a resume score compared to other Director of Business Development resumes in your industry.

•  Fix all your resume's mistakes.

•  Find the Director of Business Development skills your resume is missing.

•  Get rid of hidden red flags the hiring managers and resume screeners look for.

It's instant, free and trusted by 1+ million job seekers globally. Get a better resume, guaranteed .

Director of Business Development Resumes

• Template #1: Director of Business Development
• Template #2: Director of Business Development
• Template #3: Director Of Business Development
• Template #4: Vice President Of Business Development
• Template #5: Head Of Business Development
• Skills for Director of Business Development Resumes
• Free Director of Business Development Resume Review
• Other Sales Resumes
• Director of Business Development Interview Guide
• Director of Business Development Sample Cover Letters
• Alternative Careers to a Business Development Manager
• All Resumes
• Resume Action Verbs

Download this PDF template.

Creating an account is free and takes five seconds. you'll get access to the pdf version of this resume template., choose an option..

• Have an account? Sign in

E-mail Please enter a valid email address This email address hasn't been signed up yet, or it has already been signed up with Facebook or Google login.

Password Show Your password needs to be between 6 and 50 characters long, and must contain at least 1 letter and 1 number. It looks like your password is incorrect.

Remember me

Forgot your password?

Sign up to get access to Resume Worded's Career Coaching platform in less than 2 minutes

Name Please enter your name correctly

E-mail Remember to use a real email address that you have access to. You will need to confirm your email address before you get access to our features, so please enter it correctly. Please enter a valid email address, or another email address to sign up. We unfortunately can't accept that email domain right now. This email address has already been taken, or you've already signed up via Google or Facebook login. We currently are experiencing a very high server load so Email signup is currently disabled for the next 24 hours. Please sign up with Google or Facebook to continue! We apologize for the inconvenience!

Password Show Your password needs to be between 6 and 50 characters long, and must contain at least 1 letter and 1 number.

Receive resume templates, real resume samples, and updates monthly via email

By continuing, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy .

Lost your password? Please enter the email address you used when you signed up. We'll send you a link to create a new password.

E-mail This email address either hasn't been signed up yet, or you signed up with Facebook or Google. This email address doesn't look valid.

Back to log-in

These professional templates are optimized to beat resume screeners (i.e. the Applicant Tracking System). You can download the templates in Word, Google Docs, or PDF. For free (limited time).

   access samples from top resumes, get inspired by real bullet points that helped candidates get into top companies.,    get a resume score., find out how effective your resume really is. you'll get access to our confidential resume review tool which will tell you how recruiters see your resume..

Writing an effective resume has never been easier .

Upgrade to resume worded pro to unlock your full resume review., get this resume template (+ 14 others), plus proven bullet points., for a small one-time fee, you'll get everything you need to write a winning resume in your industry., here's what you'll get:.

• 📄 Get the editable resume template in Google Docs + Word . Plus, you'll also get all 14 other templates .
• ✍️ Get sample bullet points that worked for others in your industry . Copy proven lines and tailor them to your resume.
• 🎯 Optimized to pass all resume screeners (i.e. ATS) . All templates have been professionally designed by recruiters and 100% readable by ATS.

Buy now. Instant delivery via email.

  instant access. one-time only., what's your email address.

I had a clear uptick in responses after using your template. I got many compliments on it from senior hiring staff, and my resume scored way higher when I ran it through ATS resume scanners because it was more readable. Thank you!

Thank you for the checklist! I realized I was making so many mistakes on my resume that I've now fixed. I'm much more confident in my resume now.

Business Development Manager

• Certifications
• Related Topics

What Is a Business Development Manager? How to Become One, Salary, Skills.

Business development managers (BDMs) supervise business development representatives and generate company revenue through maintaining customer relationships. Here’s what to know about a business development manager’s needed skills, salary and how to become one.

What Is a Business Development Manager?

Business development managers solidify client leads and assist in strategic growth planning. While business development representatives may generate and transfer leads to account executives or similar professionals, business development managers often foster existing customer relationships and seek out upsell opportunities.

What Do Business Development Managers Do?

Business development managers nurture customer relationships, explore growth opportunities and manage lead generation processes.

Business Development Manager Responsibilities

• Research and plan new growth opportunities, strategies and initiatives.
• Contact potential customers, maintain current customers and increase customer value.
• Establish business development goals and ensure quotas are met.
• Oversee business development representatives and early sales cycle operations.

Business Development Managers Within a Company

Business development managers are part of a sales team within a company and may report to a director of business development.

Importance of Business Development Managers

Business development managers ensure that customer relationships are producing value for both parties, as well as help determine sales revenue and growth goals. They act as a significant resource for companies looking to maximize long-term profits.

What Skills Are Needed to Be a Business Development Manager?

Qualifications to be a business development manager.

• Two or more years of experience in business development, sales or a similar field.
• Ability to build, maintain and produce value from customer relationships.
• Ability to guide growth planning, strategies and initiatives.

Business Development Manager Prerequisites

• Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing or related field.

Business Development Manager Hard Skills

• Expertise with customer relationship management (CRM) software.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets and related analysis tools.
• Experience with sales performance analysis tools.
• Understanding of sales automation tools.
• Knowledge of presentation and data visualization tools.

Business Development Manager Soft Skills

• Customer service skills.
• Problem-solving skills.
• Management and leadership skills.
• Verbal and written communication skills.

Tools and Programs Business Development Managers Use

• ActiveCampaign
• Microsoft Excel
• Salesforce 

How to Become a Business Development Manager

Business development manager education and experience.

Business development managers tend to hold a bachelor’s degree in business, marketing or a related field.

Business development managers will need to obtain two or more years of experience in business development, sales or similar roles. Knowledge in the areas of strategy development, lead generation, customer relationship management, sales performance analysis and effective communication are recommended.

Business Development Manager Certificates and Courses

• 20 Top Sales Training Programs and Courses to Know
• Business Development & B2B Sales for Startups - Sales Valley
• Introduction to CRM with HubSpot
• The Art of Sales: Mastering the Selling Process Specialization

Business Development Manager Career Path

After gaining experience as a business development representative or related role, professionals may move into the business development manager role. From this point, professionals can progress into roles like director of business development or vice president of business development.

Business Development Manager Salary and Job Outlook

Business development managers are expected to see a job growth rate of 8 percent  by 2028, according to Zippia.

The full compensation package for a business development manager depends on a variety of factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s experience and geographic location. See below for detailed information on the average business development manager salary.

Careers Related to Business Development Manager

Related sales jobs, companies hiring business development managers, related sales careers.

Business Development Director

United States

United Kingdom

Netherlands

Business Development Director directs the execution of the business development vision, strategy, plans, and processes to drive sales, increase revenue, expand markets, and accomplish financial objectives. Identifies and evaluates new markets, partners, channels, and customers. Being a Business Development Director develops and uses contacts and relationships within the industry, business environment, and customer base to understand and respond to competition, pricing, and product demand changes. Oversees the development of proposals and contracts for new business opportunities and manages negotiations. Additionally, Business Development Director collaborates with marketing, sales, product development, and other stakeholders to support business development plans. Requires a bachelor's degree. Typically reports to top management. The Business Development Director manages a departmental sub-function within a broader departmental function. Creates functional strategies and specific objectives for the sub-function and develops budgets/policies/procedures to support the functional infrastructure. To be a Business Development Director typically requires 5+ years of managerial experience. Deep knowledge of the managed sub-function and solid knowledge of the overall departmental function.

Employers: Find Surveys For This Job

Employers: Job Description Management Tool

Employees: Get a Salary Increase

• Business Development Manager
• Community Development Manager II
• Business Development Associate I
• Business Development Manager, Sr.
• Business Application Delivery Director
• Vice President of Business Development
• Business Development Director - Biotech
• Partnership Business Development Manager
• Partnership Business Development Director
• Senior Vice President of Business Development
• Business Development Director Salaries with a Bachelor's Degree
• Business Development Director Salaries with a Master's Degree or MBA
• Business Development Director Salaries with a JD, MD, PhD or Equivalent
• Consulting Services
• Aerospace & Defense
• Biotechnology
• Business Services
• Construction
• Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
• Energy & Utilities
• Financial Services
• Hospitality & Leisure
• MFG Durable
• MFG Nondurable
• Pharmaceuticals
• Retail & Wholesale
• Software & Networking
• Transportation
• Washington, DC Business Development Director Salaries
• Boston, MA Business Development Director Salaries
• Dallas, TX Business Development Director Salaries
• Chicago, IL Business Development Director Salaries
• New York, NY Business Development Director Salaries
• Atlanta, GA Business Development Director Salaries
• San Francisco, CA Business Development Director Salaries
• Seattle, WA Business Development Director Salaries
• Los Angeles, CA Business Development Director Salaries
• San Jose, CA Business Development Director Salaries

• Job Descriptions
• Sales Job Descriptions

Director of Business Development Job Description

Also known as business development directors, directors of business development are responsible for increasing company revenue by identifying and developing new business opportunities as well as expanding brand presence. They lead cross-functional teams, manage existing partnerships, and evaluate company business goals.

Try Betterteam

Post your jobs to 100+ job boards

• Reach over 250 million candidates.
• Get candidates in hours, not days.

Director of Business Development Job Description Template

We are looking for a detail-oriented and driven director of business development to increase company revenue by identifying profitable business opportunities and developing long-term business growth strategies. The responsibilities of the director of business development include recommending ways to improve operations planning, attending meetings with clients and advisors, and notifying partners of key business developments. You should also be able to assess business risks by analyzing financial, statistical, and economic data.

To be successful as a director of business development, you should be persuasive and have strong business acumen. Ultimately, an exceptional director of business development should be adept at negotiating sound business deals as well as demonstrate excellent communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills.

Director of Business Development Responsibilities:

• Building solid relationships with customers, vendors and distributors, as well as sales and marketing teams.
• Developing in-depth knowledge of company offerings to identify profitable business opportunities.
• Directing marketing efforts by presenting market research to marketing directors and suggesting strategies to expand market research.
• Assessing marketing and sales as well as supplier and vendor operations and recommending improvements as needed.
• Preparing all documentation required for requests for proposals (RFPs).
• Researching emerging trends and recommending new company offerings to satisfy customers’ needs.
• Developing and managing strategic partnerships to grow business.
• Presenting business or marketing opportunities to company executives and management.
• Selecting automation software and software platforms that best meet company needs.

Director of Business Development Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, marketing, finance, or related field; master's degree is advantageous.
• Proven business development, sales, or marketing experience.
• Proficient in all Microsoft Office applications.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Exceptional leadership and management skills.
• Effective communication and negotiation skills.
• Strong business acumen.
• Detail-oriented and persuasive.

Related Articles:

Business development director job description, business development officer job description, business development associate job description, business development director interview questions, business development officer interview questions, business development associate interview questions.