How to Screen a Account Executive Resume: Must-Haves, Red Flags and a Scoring Rubric
Account executive CVs contain the most rounded-up numbers of any role. Screen for numbers that are specific and consistent with each other, for deal sizes and cycles that match yours, and for evidence of method rather than a list of logos.
- Read for evidence before matching keywords: a account executive CV should show what the candidate built, ran, closed or decided, with a result. The must-haves below are the four things the job cannot be done without.
- Must-haves: quota and attainment stated for each selling role, with numbers that are internally consistent; average deal size and sales cycle close enough to yours to transfer. Nice-to-haves raise a candidate; they do not rescue one missing a must-have.
- Red flags are patterns, not single lines: 'Consistently exceeded quota' with no figures, or figures that do not add up to the stated attainment, and only logos: a list of accounts with no role in winning them.
- Use the five-criterion rubric on the page, weighted so that quota performance counts more than job description match. It is written to be pasted into WadeCV as a role and scored automatically.
- Spend three minutes per CV with the rubric and write one line of evidence per criterion. Screening decisions with evidence attached can be explained to the candidate, to the hiring manager, and to anyone who audits them later.
Must-haves
- Quota and attainment stated for each selling role, with numbers that are internally consistent
- Average deal size and sales cycle close enough to yours to transfer
- Full-cycle ownership: prospecting or discovery through close, not only closing handed-over deals
- A buyer type (persona, seniority, company size) that matches
Nice to have
- Named methodology (MEDDIC, Challenger, SPIN) with evidence of using it, not just naming it
- Experience selling a product of similar complexity or price
- President's Club, top-percentile rankings, or promotions
- Territory or segment built from scratch
Red flags
- 'Consistently exceeded quota' with no figures, or figures that do not add up to the stated attainment
- Only logos: a list of accounts with no role in winning them
- Deal size or cycle wildly different from yours with no explanation
- Every role ended at the end of a quarter
The rubric
Score each criterion from what the CV shows; weight 3 counts three times weight 1. In WadeCV, create the role with these criteria and every CV is scored this way automatically.
| Criterion | How to measure it | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Job description match | Match between deal size, cycle, buyer and product complexity and the role as written | 2 |
| Years of relevant experience | Years as a full-cycle closer, not total years in sales | 2 |
| Quota performance | Attainment figures per year, specific, consistent and verifiable | 3 |
| Method and ownership | Evidence of a repeatable process and of owning the whole cycle | 2 |
| Segment fit | Buyer type, industry and company size close to the role's | 1 |
How to read the CV
Check the numbers against each other. A rep who states a $1.2M quota, 110% attainment and an average deal size of $15k closed about 88 deals in the year, which is a lot; a rep who states the same quota and attainment with $150k deals closed nine. Both can be true, but the CV should make sense as a whole, and inconsistencies are the thing to ask about first.
Match on motion, not industry. A rep who sells $20k deals to mid-market operations managers in a 45-day cycle will adapt to a new industry in a quarter; a rep who sells $400k enterprise deals over nine months is doing a different job and may not.
Read the earliest sales role too. Reps who were promoted from SDR or who built a territory from nothing tend to have method. Reps whose CV begins with an inherited book of large accounts may not.
Frequently asked questions
How do we verify quota attainment?
Ask for W-2s or payslips at offer stage in markets where that is normal, and ask references for the number. At screening, look for consistency and specificity; both are absent in inflated CVs.
Should we require experience in our industry?
Rarely. Require experience with the sales motion (deal size, cycle, buyer). Industry knowledge is learned faster than a new motion.
What about a strong rep from a much bigger brand?
Ask how many of their deals were inbound and how much of the pitch the brand did for them. Some big-brand reps thrive at a small company; some have never had to create demand.
Related guides
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