If you’ve been looking for the next step in your career using job boards, you’ve likely noticed that most of the opportunities in sales on job boards are entry level and require little or no experience. This isn’t because there aren’t sales positions open for more highly qualified candidates, but because over the past few years sales departments have learned that job boards sometimes work for the entry level but rarely work to find star candidates who have already established a career in sales. Instead, sales departments look for proven sales people using the help of sales recruiters. These same sales recruiters can help you uncover opportunities in sales while acting as your promoter with potential employers.

1. Sales Recruiters Uncover Unpublished Opportunities in Sales

Sales recruiters know of new opportunities in sales that aren’t published. Many companies don’t publish every job opportunity they have on job boards, especially if they are looking for a star performer. Instead, sales departments in search of a highly qualified candidate will use sales recruiters to network to find the new employee they are looking for. If you aren’t working with a sales recruiter, you won’t find out about these positions.

2. Sales Recruiters Promote You

Sales recruiters also act as your advocate. Their job is to find the best candidate for a company, and if a sales recruiter feels that you are a good match for an opportunity in sales, they will explain to the employer why you would be a great hire, discussing your strengths, previous experience, and skill set. This is equivalent to having a full time promoter in your corner.

3. Sales Recruiters Coach You

Sales recruiters can coach you ahead of an interview on what the employer expects, what they are looking for, and what skills or characteristics you might have that the employer would be interested to hear about. Not only will this help you focus, it will make you more confident that you are a match for the company and help you land new opportunities in sales.

4. Sales Recruiters Have an Inside Line

As a candidate looking for new opportunities in sales, you know how disappointing it is to send out inquiries and not receive a response. Hiring managers will tell a sales recruiter whether or not you’re being considered, so you don’t need to wait to hear back to pursue the next opening. Additionally, since sales recruiters have relationships with hiring managers for many different firms, they can tell you about new opportunities in sales as they arise and help you express your interest to those companies.

5. Sales Recruiters Help You Avoid Disappointment

What if you could know ahead of interviewing for opportunities in sales the compensation and benefits packaged offered for an open position? Sales recruiters are working closely with the hiring manager, so they know the employer’s range for base salary, commissions, bonuses, and other benefits like vacation time. The sales recruiter can discuss these with you ahead of time so that you know whether the position is a match for your expectations, and whether there is any room to negotiate.

Sales recruiters help you focus your search for opportunities in sales by notifying you of positions in which you might be interested according to your goals and previous experience. By putting you in touch with multiple sales departments, a sales recruiter can help you reduce the time it takes to find a new position, and help ensure that the position you accept is the right one for you. This structured and streamlined approach is the best way to find opportunities in sales, and is also why you should be using a sales recruiter as part of your job search.