14 Business Development Resume Examples for 2024

Stephen Greet
Stephen Greet March 16, 2024
14 Business Development Resume Examples for 2024

If a business isn’t growing, it’s stalling. Business development is the foundation upon which company growth is built. To succeed in business development, you need to be creative, a great communicator, and a great salesman (or saleswoman).

You know you’ve got the right skillset for your next job, so you shouldn’t have to be an expert at resume and cover letter writing, too. That’s where we come in!

We’ve analyzed numerous business development resumes and documented what works and what doesn’t to increase your chances of getting an interview. Then, we made these 14 business development resume samples to help you land your next role in 2023. And on top of that, we’ll share our expert resume tips; we’re here to help you put your best foot forward!


Business Development Manager Resume

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Business development example with 8 years of experience

Why this resume works

  • Your business development manager resume should achieve one goal: to convince the hiring manager you deserve an interview. You can accomplish this by conveying your info in a neat, clean way.
    • Once you have several years of experience, use a reverse-chronological format. That way, hiring managers can see your most recent experience first.
    • You can make your resume easier to read by using numbers. Luckily, as a biz dev professional, you can point to a whole host of different metrics to demonstrate your impact (sales, up-sells, conversion rate, and retention).
  • The skills you list on your resume should be comprehensive but not exhaustive. Strive for six to 10 skills for an optimal skills section.
    • We’d also recommend striking a balance between hard skills (Salesforce, Excel, LinkedIn) and soft skills (strategic planning, negotiation, communication).

Business Development Intern Resume

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Business development Intern resume example with Business Insight project experience

Why this resume works

  • Can you recount a business seminar or trade fair you attended, much like the “Business Insight” seminar in Mason’s business development intern resume? If so, it could be the energy shot your piece needs to leapfrog the competition.
    • What does it tell the potential employer, you ask? It could point to a proactive candidate who strives for continuous learning and is able to immerse themselves in the sector to understand intricate market trends—all invaluable skills that can stir up a storm in business development.

Entry-Level Business Development Resume

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Entry-level business development resume example

Why this resume works

  • If you’re new to business development, you may not be sure if you have enough work experience to fill your entry-level business development resume.
    • Typically we recommend including three to six bullet points per work experience (with two to four total work experiences listed). Still, it’s okay to use eight to ten bullet points when you have only one job or internship. 
  • Projects are a great opportunity to highlight your experience if you haven’t had many jobs. If you haven’t done any projects, though, include interests and hobbies on your resume instead!
    • You can title this section “hobbies” or “activities,” and be sure to include things that will impress the hiring manager. For example, if you founded a club or played a sport for many years, that will indicate dedication and good collaboration abilities.

Senior Business Development Manager Resume

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Senior business development manager resume example with 12 years of experience

Why this resume works

  • When you have many years of experience as a senior business development manager, you may need to showcase more than three jobs.
    • If you want to include four or more work experience entries, make sure you’re concentrating the bulk of your bullet points on your most recent/relevant jobs. 
    • You can also try using a different resume template; you’d be surprised at the difference a template can make when it comes to fitting content on your page. 
  • We recommend keeping your senior business development manager resume points concise, but you have to include a lot of information. So, how long is too long?
    • Try to make each bullet point no more than 200 characters.  If you go over the character count, consider breaking it down into multiple points. 

VP Business Development Resume

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VP business development resume example with 9 years of experience

Why this resume works

  • For a VP Business development resume, make no mistake—the recruiter must feel your passion and ability to foster sales growth. You want your piece to serve as a testament to your knack for cultivating key business relationships, planning strategically, and breaking into new markets. After all, which company wouldn’t readily hire a proven revenue generator?
    • Take note of how Stella lights up her piece with anecdotes of boosting sales by $1.2m at AWeber by penetrating three international markets and driving a total of $870K in new business at Wawa Inc., thanks to her prospecting prowess.

Business Development Assistant Resume

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Business development assistant resume example with 1 year of experience

Why this resume works

  • Work experience that at first glance may appear unrelated to your target position can turn out to be an asset. Instead of discounting a role you’ve held in the service industry, use it to boost your business development assistant resume.
    • In this case, working as a coffee barista ties in nicely with the hospitality industry for which you’re applying. Make the connection for recruiters in a career objective statement at the top of your resume.

Business Development Analyst Resume

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Business development analyst resume example with 9 years of experience

Why this resume works

  • Even if you don’t have a strong track record of relevant work experience, you can still take your business development analyst resume up a notch by noting a professional certification.
    • Highlighting that you’re a Certified Business Development Professional (CBDP) can be the qualification that bumps your name over the edge to land an interview.

Director of Business Development Resume

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Director of business development resume example with 10 years of experience

Why this resume works

  • When you’re applying for a senior management role, you need to demonstrate a clear increase in the level of responsibility you’ve taken on throughout your career.
    • How exactly do you do that? By formatting your resume in reverse-chronological format! It shows your career journey, starting with your most recent experience, and showcases how you’ve taken on more responsibilities in your recent years.
  • As a director, you’re going to be a people manager. Make sure you talk about your past management experience regarding the number of direct reports and your management style.
    • Again, numbers speak louder than words here. Did your team improve their performance as a result of coaching? Did your team allow for expansion into new territories? Try to quantify this impact on your director of business development resume.

Business Development Representative Resume

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Business development representative resume example with 5 years of experience

Why this resume works

  • If you have less than two years in the industry, you can consider adding a resume objective. Objectives quickly summarize your top one to two skills for the role to which you’re applying and your interest in the position.
    • Objectives are only two to three sentences long, so you might need some practice making yours concise. We’d recommend looking at objective examples to help
  • If your work history isn’t perfectly relevant to the role you want, that’s okay! Just try to think of common skillsets between these positions.
    • For example, if you worked in retail, you’ve likely had to help customers find the best product for their needs. This is directly applicable to business development, so include it somehow on your business development representative resume.

Business Development Associate Resume

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Business development associate resume example with 6 years of experience

Why this resume works

  • Quantitative metrics (aka numbers) aren’t just essential for fast communication; they also sell your work performance more than words can. So, include metrics to quickly convey your work history, achievements, and skills on your resume!
    • Try including numbers like your ROI, reviews, client base, client retention, reduction of client attrition, and other KPI metrics. 
  • When hiring managers review your resume, they spend an average of six seconds to decide whether it’s worth it to give you an interview.
    • So, before you hit submit, put yourself in their shoes: set a six-second timer and scan your business development associate resume.
    • Take a moment and analyze what stood out to you. Was there anything you’d do differently to get their attention? Take this time to make last-minute changes; you’ll be glad you did!

Business Development Strategist Resume

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Business development strategist resume example with 6 years of experience

Why this resume works

  • It may seem frivolous, but trust us when we say you should add some visual interest to your business development strategist resume.
    • Adding some style and creative flair will actually ease readability, provided you don’t go overboard.
    • Use at least two contrasting fonts for your headers and body text, and don’t be afraid to experiment with a little bit of color at the top of your page.
  • Before you submit your application, always check your resume to ensure there aren’t any typos.
    • We recommend taking a day or two away from your resume so you can come back with fresh eyes. A cup of coffee before your final review couldn’t hurt, either!

Digital Coordinator Business Development Resume

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Digital coordinator business development resume example with 4 years of experience

Why this resume works

  • When writing your digital coordinator business developer resume, you’ll want to make sure you’re highlighting what’s most important. The easiest way to ensure you’re doing that is by formatting your resume correctly.
    • We’d recommend using reverse-chronological order to put your most recent experience at the top of the page. That way, hiring managers immediately see what’s important!
  • Got some extra room? Consider including a section just for activities, which showcases your hobbies and interests on your resume.
    • Including an activity like a foreign language demonstrates your drive and dedication to self-improvement. Mentorship activities highlight your interpersonal skills, leadership, and team-building skills. 

Business Development Executive Resume

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Business development executive resume example with 16 years of experience

Why this resume works

  • Whether you have an impressive work history or a killer summary, your formatting should take center stage in your business development executive resume!
    • The layout of your resume can make or break the flow of your recruiter’s reading experience. So when you’re formatting your resume, try out a variety of resume templates until you find one that spotlights your greatest selling points.
  • If you’ve had plenty of experience working in a high-tier business development role, then don’t be afraid to (tastefully!) brag a big about the grand scale of your contributions and success.
    • Include impressive numerical metrics such as team headcounts, portfolio sizes, and client lead generation percentages whenever possible.

International Business Development Manager Resume

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International business development manager resume example with 19 years of experience

Why this resume works

  • For an international business development manager resume, achievements are especially crucial. Recruiters will skim your resume, so prioritize wisely!
    • In addition to having metrics in your work experience, let your talents shine in the skills section of your resume. Include mostly technical skills to really ‘wow’ the recruiter or hiring manager.
  • Dig through your work history to find numbers that reflect your growth and let your ambitious personality sparkle.
    • For example, how many accounts did you manage? How many new customers did you bring on within a certain time frame? Did you win any awards? Your achievements are likely more numerous and impressive than you think!

Writing Your Business Development Resume

Job seeker stands with hands in air, questioning how to fill out job materials

Formatting your business development resume correctly is more important than you might think. Good formatting ensures your resume is readable, logical, and complete. When your resume isn’t formatted well, it can be difficult for hiring managers to read, hard for ATS to understand, and just not visually appealing. Let’s start by reviewing the key elements of resume formatting, including: 

  • Your resume formatting options
  • Your contact header information
  • How to ensure the ATS and recruiters read your resume

Your resume format options

Applicants’ preferences for formatting change over time. in 2024, the most popular resume formats are reverse-chronological, functional, and combination/hybrid.  

Specific pros and cons for each type of format:

  • Reverse-chronological format: This format highlights your career growth by placing your most recent work experience at the top, leaving your oldest work experience (and likely, least relevant) at the bottom.
  • Functional format: This format is all about highlighting your skills. It’s typically chosen by applicants with employment history gaps.
  • Combination/Hybrid format: This format includes a reverse-chronological structure with equal weight between work experience and skills. 

For business development resumes, we always recommend the use of reverse-chronological formatting. Although the combination format might seem like the best choice, it’s not common, so it can become confusing. Reverse-chronological is the preferred format for hiring managers due to its popularity, readability, and logical flow. 

Your contact header information

You should list your name at the top of your resume in the header. Make sure to center it, and use the largest font (around 24-point). Right below your header, include the job title you’re seeking in a slightly smaller font (around 20-point font). Your header is also a great place to have some color, whether it’s for your font or as a pretty background. 

On the right or left side of your resume, somewhere just below the header, you’ll want to include the following in a list using standard font size: 

  • Email
  • Phone number
  • City/state (optional)
  • Professional links, such as LinkedIn (optional)

It can be hard to visualize what this will look like on your resume, so check out the visual below, or check out other resume examples for inspiration on achieving a professional yet visually appealing header. 

Business Developer resume contact info

How to ensure the ATS and recruiters read your resume

It’s not uncommon for a single business developer job posting to receive more than 200 applicants. Hiring teams couldn’t possibly give each applicant careful consideration, so they use ATS, aka applicant tracking systems. This software was created to help hiring teams during the explosion of online job applications.

Hiring managers use ATS to track keywords in your resume and match them to pre-selected words that the hiring team is seeking. If ATS doesn’t think an applicant is a good fit for the job, their resume can be thrown out before any person has a chance to read it.  

Use the following techniques to ensure both ATS and recruiters can read your resume:

  • Margins: Use standard one-half to one-inch margins. 
  • Fonts: Keep to the basic professional fonts; no cursive or hard-to-read script! 
  • Font size: Use about 24-point font for your name, 20-point font for your job title, and 10-12 point font everywhere else on your resume. 
  • Header names: Keep your font size the same for section headers and body text, but use bold lettering to make your headers stand out. You can also try using all caps to make your section headers easier to see. 
  • Skills: Ensure your skills are highly specialized to the business development job you’re seeking. Always check the business development job description to ensure you’ll have enough matching keywords (but never plagiarize). 
  • Logical order: Use reverse-chronological order because it’s the format ATS operates best with, and hiring managers tend to prefer it. 
  • One page: Ensure your resume is exactly one page.

Make the changes above while you’re building your resume to help you format your resume correctly for the ATS!

How to Write an Effective Business Developer Resume

We know that writing an effective resume can feel like a daunting task. However, it’s not that bad if you go section by section, which is what we’ll help you with in this guide.

We’d recommend having this article open in one tab and your resume in another, so you can go back and forth while making revisions. Now, let’s get into the bulk of actually writing your resume: 

  • Using a resume objective or summary statement
  • How to include your work experience
  • Choosing the right skills
  • Education and certificates 
  • Customizations
  • Proofreading your resume

Clearing the confusion: an objective or summary?

Many prospective business developers are rightfully confused by the resume objective and summary. What are they, why are they important, and when should you use one?

This section will answer all of those questions and give you some examples of both resume objectives and summary statements. 

An objective is essentially an opening paragraph for your resume. It includes the job title you’re seeking, your years of experience, specific skills that make you a good candidate, and which company you’re applying for. Although objectives aren’t required, it’s a good idea to include an objective if you have limited work experience or are going through a significant career change. 

On the other hand, a summary is a short synopsis of your work experience. The summary emphasizes your skills and how they were used at previous jobs successfully (using metrics). A summary is best-suited for applicants with at least 10+ years of experience in business development. 

Let’s review a few examples of both strong and weak objectives and summaries:

  • Bad objective example: Driven applicant with 2 years of experience. Seeking a job where my business skills will help the company thrive. 
    • Analysis: This objective does include years of experience, which is good, but it’s entirely too vague. Make sure you mention a specific job title, several particular skills, and the company’s name. 
  • Good objective example: Data-driven business developer with 3+ years of experience getting results for 2 start-ups turned Forbes Businesses to Watch. Seeking employment with GearStarter, where my expertise in CRM and process optimization can contribute to exponential company growth. 
    • Analysis: This objective is pretty good! It contains a specific job title, years of experience, job-specific skills, and a company name. Hiring managers would be instantly intrigued by this job candidate. 
  • Bad summary example: I have many years of experience in restaurant work and office roles, and with my good speaking and writing abilities, I am sure I will be a good fit at your company.
    • Analysis: If your summary is this vague, leave it out entirely and add more work experience instead. 
  • Good summary example: Analytical business developer with 11+ years of experience collaborating with medium and large businesses, including 2 Fortune 500 companies. From CRM use, data analysis, lead generation, strategic planning, and more, I am confident that my skills in utilizing data-driven techniques and relationship building would boost the ROI for GoodFuel. 
    • Analysis: This summary is specific and demonstrates the applicant’s value through relevant metrics and skills. 

How to include your work experience

Focus on including two to four job experiences on your business developer resume. We know it can be tempting to include every work experience you’ve ever had. Still, including irrelevant jobs from your teenage years isn’t useful when you have many years of relevant work experience. When you’ve held several job titles, be choosy about which two to four you include on your resume

How to write your work experience descriptions

Make your work experience examples professional, interesting, and impressive. Use action verbs such as “spearheaded,” “orchestrated,” or “developed” to start each of your bullet points, and use active voice throughout (rather than passive). This will ensure that you take ownership of your resume and display confidence. 

You also want to avoid personal pronouns, such as “me” or “I,” in your work experience. The hiring manager knows you’re writing about yourself, so avoid taking up the extra space and dooming your resume to the “unprofessional” pile. You’ll also need to decide on punctuation. You can either end all of your bullet points with periods or leave them off. It’s up to you; just be consistent. Finally, pay special attention to using consistent verb tenses. All of your past experience needs to be in the past tense, and you can choose whether you want to include your current experience in the past or present tense. 

Here are some examples of good business developer resume bullet points that incorporate all of the above advice: 

  • Prospected and qualified potential customers with targeted advertising, improving conversion rate by over 20%
  • Conducted multi-channel outreach to prospects by leveraging 3 forms of CRM management tools
  • Developed marketing campaign featuring educational business material, resulting in $200K net profit

How to quantify your impact as a business developer

One of the most important things you include on your business development resume is metrics. Numbers showcase your job impact in a way that words alone cannot.

Aim to have metrics on at least 50 percent of your bullet points, but don’t be afraid to add more if you can. Here are some of the best ways to leverage metrics when you’re discussing your previous business development roles: 

  • Increased revenue: Arguably, increased revenue is the most important job of a business developer. Highlight how much you’ve increased gross company revenue during your tenure. 
  • Conversion rates: Have customer conversion rates gone up as you’ve adopted new systems for reaching customers? Did you use targeted advertising, answer questions within minutes or hours, or did you use multi-channel outreach to increase conversion rates? 
  • Leads: It’s not just important to tell hiring managers that you increased revenue. Tell them how you did it. Perhaps you reached 25 percent more leads through the CRM processes you’ve developed? Maybe you initiated a successful referral program? Or perhaps you’ve collaborated on building social media campaigns? 
  • Data analysis: It’s important to discuss how you’ve utilized data from CRM and related software to get results. Make sure you don’t neglect to mention how your data analysis has improved the ROI for acquisition at your company. 

Using these types of metrics, we created work experience bullet points that could fit any strong business development resume: 

  • Crafted a holistic paid acquisition strategy, leading to a 38% ROI for every dollar spent 
  • Initiated data analysis processes that enabled a deeper understanding of consumer trends, contributing to the creation of 3 unique metrics to track consumer habits 
  • Launched Requests for Proposals (RFPs), collaborating with 19 contractors while meeting 97% of profitability targets and ROIs

How to choose skills for your business developer resume

You must choose the right skills on your resume if you want it to be seen by a hiring manager. A successful business development skills section provides insight into your areas of expertise and ensures ATS can find matching keywords on your resume. 

Here are some of the best skills to include on your business development resume:

  • ROI and Data Analysis 
  • Lead Conversion
  • Sales Pitches
  • Presentations
  • Lead Qualification
  • Relationship Building
  • Tactful Communication
  • Campaigns 
  • CRM Salesforce
  • Leadership

We’d recommend mostly including hard skills, like “CRM” and “Sales Pitches,” because they’re job-specific, easy to quantify, and focus more on learned abilities. These are the types of skills that demonstrate a clear understanding of the job, and hiring managers actively seek these applicants. These resume skills are some of the best, most sought-after in the business development industry.

Soft skills, such as “time management,” “organization,” and “collaboration,” can play a supporting role in your skills section. They’re important, but harder to quantify and demonstrate, so you should include a few (but not too many) soft skills on your business development resume.

What to know about education, certs, and more

In the field of business development, there are no standardized job qualifications. However, many hiring managers will expect you to have a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, such as business, management, or marketing. Some jobs may require applicants to hold an MBA or other graduate degrees, but that’s not the norm. 

On the other hand, certifications are incredible inclusions on your resume. Though they’re often not required, Certified Marketing Professional, Blockchain and Digital Marketing Professional, Digital Marketing Specialist, and other credentials as shown in the example below can give you an extra edge with hiring managers. 

Business development resume certifications

We typically don’t advise business developers to include interests and hobbies on their resumes, but there are some times when it may be appropriate.

A few pointers for when interests and hobbies may be appropriate for your resume:

  • Consider including this section if you have minimal work experience. Interests, hobbies, and projects can stand in for work experience! 
  • Include unique interests and hobbies if your potential employer values individuality. (For example, a creative company like Nintendo would value knowing you like to sketch in your free time.
  • Think about whether your interests, hobbies, or activities demonstrate a high level of commitment and focus. For example, hobbies such as Olympic Powerlifting prove that you’re a results-driven, focused, and dedicated person. 

This candidate hints at soft skills with spot-on activities.

Business development resume activities

Make your business development resume unique to the job

Remember to tailor your business development resume for every job to which you apply. It will help ATS recognize keywords and show the employer that you’re genuinely interested in the job. Pay special attention to customizing your resume objective or summary with a specific job title and company name.

Your skills section should also be customized, which you can do by carefully reading the job description. Finally, every bullet point you include should be carefully edited to highlight the most important skills and job duties listed in the job posting. Hopefully, you won’t have to make too many edits, but even if that is the case, this step is essential!

Edit and proofread your resume

You may be tempted to submit your business development resume the second you finish writing it, but stop for a second!

Give yourself a day or two to rest your eyes and brain so that you can proofread your resume with fresh eyes. Send it off to friends and family for edits before checking your resume for one final time. You may be surprised to realize you misspelled a few words or used inconsistent punctuation! 

Well on Your Way to Your Next Business Development Job

You should be proud of yourself for reading through this entire resume guide! The hardest part of working on your resume is getting started, and now you’re ready to put in the work and get your dream business development job in 2024. Use our resume checker to upload your completed resume and check it against our AI-powered tips. On the other hand, if you haven’t started on your resume or want to begin from scratch, use our resume builder, which has built-in AI-powered tips and proper formatting to help set you in the right direction.