No one thinks about themself as a bad sales job candidate. But are you? You may think you are looking out for your best interests, but you could also be doing things that are ill-advised and could actually hurt your career long term.

Your habits, history, and actions can have a significant impact on your job search. If you are having trouble getting callbacks and generating interest for a sales job you think you are qualified for, then you could be displaying some of the habits of a bad sales job candidate.

6 Bad Habits to Avoid

We all have bad habits. Some are worse than others. According to Toronto sales headhunters, here are some bad habits that could cause you to develop a reputation for being a bad sales job candidate:

1. Leveraging Multiple Offers For Personal Gain

When searching for a job, it’s common for sales professionals to put out resumes with many different companies. Sometimes this results in getting multiple callbacks and interview requests. It’s a great situation for sales job candidates. More options are always better. But, you need to be careful not to leverage multiple offers and play one company against another. Yes, it’s important to compare options, and depending on the situation, you may want to make the companies aware you have another offer but don’t use multiple offers a way to try to get more compensation. Hiring companies could change their view of you, and they could decide to move on to another offer.

2. Ghosting

Ghosting is increasingly becoming a problem for hiring companies, but also for candidates as well. Both sides are guilty of ghosting. If at any point during the job search and interview process you either find another job or are no longer interested in the role, tell the company. Rather than inform the hiring company, bad sales job candidates simply ghost them. They stop replying to all communications and go dark. This is frustrating for hiring companies. They no longer know if you are interested and if they should move on. Be a good communicator and update hiring companies if your interest changes.

3. You’re Only Looking For A Short Term Fix

Being deceptive is detrimental to the hiring company and your reputation. Bad sales candidates will often take a job under the guise that they are all in, but in reality, they are only taking the job until they can find something better. They treat the job as a short term fix without the company knowing. When you find a better job for yourself 6 months or a year in, you up and quit, leaving your company in a compromising situation. They’ve just invested time into recruiting and training you and now they will have to do it all over again.

4. You Make Decisions Based On Money

Money is a priority for all sales professionals. We all want to make good money, but for some, it is the top consideration when looking for a job. Bad sales candidates are more concerned about how much they’ll make, than determining their fit for the job, helping the company meet objectives or working well with others.

Once in a role, these sales professionals sell at all costs, even if it’s not within the companies best interests. These candidates can be viewed as cutthroat and are only interested in personal gain. They don’t care about customer relationships and long term ramifications. All decisions are based on making quota and boosting more money on their paycheck.

5. Going Back On Verbal Agreements

Once you get deep into the job interview process, there will come a time where a company will make you a verbal offer of employment. You accept. But, then you go back on your agreement after the company has already started to operate on the assumption you will take the job. They will start the paperwork, start planning, and stop recruiting other candidates. If you are not sure about a job, avoid committing until you are completely sure about your decision. You wouldn’t want a company to offer you a job and then take it back, right?

6. Stretching the Truth

We all want to win the job. You want to make a great impression with your resume and during the job interview. For some, this means stretching the truth on their job application. They inflate numbers, skills, abilities, and knowledge to appear to be a better candidate and more qualified for the job. The trouble with this is companies are making the hiring decision based on false information. They are hiring the person you claim to be, not who you are in reality. When you start the job you could have issues ramping up and companies will come to realize you are not the right fit.

Will Candidate Bad Habits Hurt Your Career?

If you have some or all of these bad habits, it’s time for a change. Failure to make changes could cause you to develop a poor reputation within the sales industry and you could have trouble getting roles in the future.

Now more than ever, sales companies are better at understanding and identifying signs of a bad candidate. They are less willing to take hiring risks and if you give them any reason to doubt your candidacy, you’ll lose out to other candidates. Sales jobs are competitive and you need to put the very best version of you on display to win the job.

Get More Sales Career Advice From Toronto Sales Recruiters

Looking to get an edge over other sales job candidates? Want to learn more tips and tricks about the job search process in the sales industry? Check out these insightful blogs by our Toronto sales recruitment experts:

What Happens When You Accept a Counteroffer?

Waiting Sucks! 4 Things to Consider Doing While Waiting to Hear Back About a Sales Job

Do You Suck as a Candidate for a Sales Job? 5 Things Bad Sales Candidates Do

5 Best Practices to Follow After a Sales Interview

Not Getting That Promotion? It Could Be a Result of These 5 Bad Behaviours to Avoid

SalesForce Search is a Toronto sales recruiting company which specializes in the recruitment and placement of sales professionals. We recruit salespeople in every sector of the economy including, software, manufacturing, financial services and medical devices. Find the right salesperson for your organization, start your search here.