The sales recruiter is a familiar face for many hiring managers, and is therefore becoming a more integral part of your career search. Sales recruiters can save time for employers as well as job applicants by having a thorough understanding of what the expectations are on both sides of the hiring picture, resulting in more satisfying job offers for all parties involved. Still, many sales candidates are not sure how to interact with a sales recruiter, though the rule is simple: Treat your sales recruiter just like your potential employer! A sales recruiter is like a gate keeper to the best sales opportunities, and you should be working on making a good impression throughout the recruiting process.

Contact Sales Recruiters You Want To Work With

You would never agree to a sales interview with an employer for whom you did not want to work. The same principle should apply when you decide on a sales recruiter. Sales recruiters are professionals like you who have unique specialties, skills, and recruiting networks. Agreeing to interviews and follow-up tasks in which you have little vested is time spent away from your career search, so focus your energies early on a sales recruiter who understands your goals and can be your career search partner.

An Initial Interview with a Sales Recruiter Is an Employment Interview

Although a sales recruiter might not have the final say on whether or not you are extended a job offer, any sales recruiter with whom you interview does make an initial judgment on your abilities and fit for available positions. If you are not able to show a sales recruiter how and why you are a fit for a given position, you will not be recommended to the employer who does make the final decision. With this in mind, treat interviews with sales recruiters just as you treat interviews with employers:

• Arrive professionally dressed for a business interview, on time, with work and identity verifications on hand.
• Prepare to answer traditional interview questions, but know that sales recruiters ask both broader and more specific questions in order to understand the full scope of your experience and interests.
• Ask questions about the positions the sales recruiter is looking to fill, the timelines involved, and what further information you could provide to strengthen your candidacy.

Communicate Frequently – and Honestly

A sales recruiter may have several positions he or she is tasked with helping employers fill for which you might be a good candidate. To help place you with the right employer, he or she may need to contact you more than once to verify information and your interest in a given position. In addition, your recruiter needs honest answers about your abilities and interests. For example, if your reason for leaving your current position is the work hours and the hours expected for an available position are substantially the same, both you and the recruiter should know that that position might not be the best for you.

• Let your sales recruiter know the best times and methods of contacting you.
• Always answer questions fully and honestly; reference and background checks will turn up any dishonest information, which could bar you from further opportunities.
• Check in after a day or two if you have not heard back about an opportunity just to let your recruiter know you are still available and interested.

Whether your sales career is taking you into different industries, more cross-functional roles, or even higher levels of responsibility, when the time comes to examine your options for moving forward, an experienced sales recruiter can help. With access to up-to-date employment listings at all levels and industries that might not be published elsewhere, a sales recruiter can assist you in finding the right position to give your sales career momentum. By treating your sales recruiter like a potential employer, you increase your chances of landing an outstanding sales job.