Working in sales is challenging. Most people work some sort of sales job at one point or another. Many choose it as a career and work their way up through the ranks over time.

Then there are seasoned sales professionals who are ready to make a career change. This is common within the industry for a variety of reasons. A top reason is the skills you develop working in sales are transferrable to many other industries. A common transition we see is salespeople making the move to recruiting. According to a LinkedIn infographic, The Career Journey of a Recruiter, working in sales was the most common job people had before moving on to recruiting.

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There is no doubt some salespeople may be interested in a sales recruiter job. Here is some advice from our sales recruiting experts on how to make the transition:

Leverage your sales experience

There can be a lot of overlap between sales and recruiting. The sales skills you developed over the years can help you work with employers and seek out potential job candidates.

Expect a learning curve

You need to come into any new recruiting role with a growth mindset. Sure, your sales skills can help you, but recruiting is a different industry. There are different ways of doing things, and it will take you some time to familiarize yourself with how things work. Have an open mindset and be willing to grow and evolve your skill set.

Find a mentor

You can help ease your transition into the recurring industry by finding a trusted mentor. They can guide you, answer your questions, and help you better understand your role and how to be a better sales recruiter.

See the commonalties

Getting your mindset right will help you have success. As a sales professional, you already understand the high-level objective. In sales, your job was to turn prospects into paying customers. In recruiting, your role is similar – to turn candidates into new hires.

Moving from sales over to recruiting will have its challenges. But as a sales professional, you will have a smoother transition than many others.

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