Business Development Associate Resume Examples & Templates

Kellie Hanna, CPRW
By Kellie Hanna, CPRW, Career Advice Expert Last Updated: December 01, 2023Reviewer: Maria Ratcliff
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Business development associates are responsible for finding and creating new business opportunities. They identify potential new customers, develop relationships with them and create strategies to capture new business. They must also be able to analyze markets and industries to help identify promising opportunities.

Advance your career with a professional business development associate resume. Use our sample resume for a business development associate and our guide to how to write a resume and get the job you want.

Start by editing this business development associate resume sample template, or explore our resume templates to find the best one for you.

Business development associate resume example (text version)

Eugene Heydon

Atlanta, GA 30310
(555) 555-5555
example@example.com

Professional Summary

Outgoing business development associate who is able to easily create networks of new potential business contacts. Adept at effective business introductions, growing a customer base and enhancing sales efforts. Specializes in technology support and hardware sales.

Work History

October 2018 – Current
Sovos – Atlanta, GA
Business Development Associate

  • Help the marketing group open three large customer bases in several new markets with up to 500,000 accounts.
  • Participate in trade show booth collecting an average of 150 new leads per day.
  • Create presentations for potential clients and attend business referral group meetings to generate revenue.

June 2015 – September 2018
Apptegy – Atlanta, GA
Business Development Sales Associate

Managed five trade show booths with a staff of 10 and worked with the sales department to keep a steady flow of leads.
Collaborated with the marketing team and developed three business development plans, increasing 40% of business exposure
Identified new business opportunities through cold calling, networking, marketing and prospective database leads, improving 25% of revenue.

August 2014 – May 2015
RELEX Solutions – Atlanta, GA
Business Development Intern

  • Worked with the sales department to create criteria for setting up new outside sales meetings.
  • Penetrated targeted accounts to generate sales from within the client base.
  • Kept detailed records of daily activities from 20,000 accounts through an online customer database.

Skills

  • Client needs assessment
  • Marketing and sales skills
  • Database management
  • Research
  • Lead generation software
  • MS Office
  • Time management
  • Communication

Education

June 2015
Georgia State University Atlanta, GA
BBA Marketing

5 essentials of a top business development associate resume

  1. Contact details

    Create an accurate and up-to-date contact section. Include your full name, city, state and ZIP code, followed by phone number and email address. Finally, add a professional website, LinkedIn profile or any other professional networking profile.

  2. Personal statement

    A professional summary, is your introduction to a potential employer. It should showcase your best skills and relevant business development associate work experience. In no more than five sentences, let the hiring manager know: how much work experience you have, one or two job-relevant professional accomplishments and your top job-relevant skills.

    Here’s a sample of a strong business development associate resume summary:

    “A highly motivated and results-oriented business development associate with over five years of experience in driving sales growth, developing strategic partnerships and increasing brand visibility. Proven track record of success in growing revenue streams and achieving corporate goals. Experienced in creating and executing marketing campaigns, building relationships with customers and leveraging the latest technology for maximum efficiency. Highly organized with excellent communication and interpersonal skills.”

  3. Skills

    To be effective, the skills section of your business development associate resume must match at least most of the skills highlighted in the job description. 

    Create a bulleted list with hard skills, like experience with market research and analysis; soft skills, like negotiation and interpersonal skills

    If this is your first job in business development, include transferable skills from other employment. 

     

  4. Work history

    Your business development associate resume employment history section should list current and previous employers and provide business names, locations and the dates you worked for each. Include three to five bullet points of measurable achievements for every job you list. 

    Be specific about your achievements and use numbers to show how you made an impact. 

    For example

    • Spearheaded the development of a new customer relationship management system, resulting in improved customer service and increased sales.
    • Developed and implemented a successful customer segmentation strategy, resulting in a 20% increase in customer lifetime value.
    • Negotiated key partnerships with industry leaders to expand the company’s reach and increase market share.

    If you don’t have work experience as a business development associate, highlight relevant extracurricular activities, coursework, presentations, clinical and volunteer experience and community service.

  5. Education

    Use bullet points to create your business development associate resume education section. Include the educational institution’s name, the degree conferred and graduation year. You can skip the graduation date if it has been over 10 years. If you did not attend college, list your high school and any other post-high school course you’ve completed.

    The minimum educational requirement for a business development associate is usually a bachelor’s degree in business, finance, economics, or a related field. In some cases, experience in a relevant field may be acceptable in lieu of a degree. Other qualifications may also be required, such as strong communication and analytical skills, an understanding of customer service, and the ability to work in both a team environment and independently.

     

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Do’s and don’ts for building a business development associate resume

  • Use measurable achievements to describe your abilities and experience as a business development associate.  For example, “Generated $500K in new revenue by successfully leading the launch of three new products in the first six months as Business Development Associate.”
  • Use action words like “network,” “collaborate,” and “research” to make an impact on your business development associate resume.
  • Tailor your resume to your target business development associate job.
  • Use keywords from the job description throughout your business development associate resume.
  • Format your business development associate resume so that it is easy to read by ATS software and human eyes.
  • Lie about your business development associate experience and skills.
  • Boast that you’re the “best business development associate.” Instead, emphasize your accomplishments, like “Negotiated product pricing and discounts with suppliers, resulting in an average of 10% savings on purchases.”
  • Include irrelevant personal information, such as your ethnicity and age.
  • Add skills and experience not pertaining to a business development associate resume.
  • Forget to proofread. A business development associate resume with errors is unprofessional.

Top 4 tips for acing a business development associate interview

  1. Research the prospective employer before your interview.

    Learn about the employer’s history, goals, values and people before your business development associate interview. Being able to show that you have in-depth knowledge about a potential employer shows interest, dedication and commitment — traits that make a desirable candidate. 

    Some job-relevant things to consider: 

    • The company’s ommitment to ethical business practices 
    • Does the company emphasize networking and relationship building?
    • What is the company’s take on data-driven business decision making?
    • Is the company innovative and forward-thinking?
    • What is the company’s five-year business plan?
  2. Practice at home.

    Start by reviewing the most common interview questions, such as: 

    Search for other possible interview questions, write down answers and practice with an interview partner. Choose a trusted person. Once you’re done, ask them for feedback and work with them to improve your answers, tone and body language. Being prepared will help you have a smoother interview experience. 

    Then research business development-specific questions, such as

    • What strategies do you employ to build relationships and create partnerships with clients?
    • What strategies have you used to identify potential new business opportunities?
    • How have you utilized data and analytics to drive decision making in the past?
    • How do you handle difficult conversations or objections when trying to close a deal?
    • How do you balance long-term goals with short-term initiatives?
    • What techniques do you use to ensure that your team is aligned and working toward the same objectives?
    • What have you done to increase market share for companies you’ve worked with in the past?

    Pro tip: Practice in front of a mirror. Look at your facial expressions and body language, which hiring managers will notice.

  3. Be proactive and ask questions.

    You are also interviewing your potential employer. Prepare several questions to learn more about the role, employer and how you fit. Hiring managers expect questions as it shows your enthusiasm and interest in the role. Your questions can even improve their impression of you. 

    Here are a few examples of questions to get you started:

    • What strategies do you currently have in place to drive business growth?
    • How do you measure the success of business development initiatives?
    • How do you identify potential new business opportunities?
    • What challenges have you faced when developing new business opportunities?
    • What methods do you use to identify and analyze customer needs?
    • How do you prioritize business development activities?
  4. Gather your references.

    Contact former managers and colleagues to be potential references. They should be able to vouch for your work ethic and skills. Explain to them where you are in the process and when they could expect to be reached. Don’t forget to ask for two letters of recommendation. 

    If this is your first full-time job, you can request a reference from a mentor, former professor or community leader that can vouch for your skills.

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