10 years ago
January 7, 2015

How to Find a Great Sales Job

The following are four ways to find a great sales job.

Rhys Metler

Finding a great sales job could do great things for your career, your financial well-being, and even for your personal life. But how do you go about finding that great sales job? What can you do to prepare yourself and know where to look for the job that will take you to the next level?

The following are four ways to find a great sales job.

Determine Your “Fit”

There are all kinds of sales jobs out there, and you’re much better suited to some sales jobs than to others. The trick to landing a great sales job for you is to determine your best fit.

First off, what kinds of industries do you find most appealing? When you’re interested in the products and services you’re selling, and you have a lifelong interest in the industry, you’re much more likely to be successful. 

After you consider which industries to focus on, think about what type of sales role you are most comfortable with. Account management roles mostly involve managing relationships within an existing set of clients. These roles are best for people who enjoy developing and maintaining relationships and dealing with customer service issues. Another sales role is that of the “hunter.” Hunters prospect for new accounts, making cold calls, starting conversations, and building short-term relationships. These sales people rarely deal with customer service. What kind of role are you most comfortable in? The answer to this question helps to determine your fit.

Perfect Your Resume

Once you’ve determined your fit, you can make your resume more attractive to employers in the industry you’ve targeted and the kind of great sales job you’d like to land. Here are a few ways you can focus your resume on a particular industry and sales job.

  • Highlight industry knowledge. Industry knowledge is critical in the sales industry, so include information about your chosen industry, even if that industry experience wasn’t directly in sales. For instance, if you’re looking for a great sales job in the construction industry, you might choose to include the summer job you had in college when you helped to lay foundations. No, it’s not sales, but it shows that you know what you’re talking about.
  • Polish and proofread. With as many applicants as the employer has to choose from, you can’t afford to have any misspellings on your resume.
  • Get professional opinions. Have colleagues look at your resume and give you feedback. If you can afford it, have a professional help you to set up your resume. The investment will be worth it when you land your great sales job.

Network

Connect with other sales professionals online and in person. Find out what’s going on in the industry and ask how their jobs are going. As you make friends and make it known that you’re looking for a great sales job, people will send leads your way. Likewise, if you find yourself in a position to help someone else, seize that opportunity. Favors are seldom forgotten, and they can come back to you in big ways.

Research Companies Before Your Interviews

When you start getting interviews for great sales jobs, do your homework and find out as much as possible about the companies you’ll be interviewing with. Dig into the company’s history to find out how its current state compares to its past. Find out about its financial viability, its management team, its alliances, and its reputation in the industry. If possible, learn what you can about the company’s culture and marketing capabilities. If you enter an interview for a great sales job with all of this information under your belt, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what the company is looking for, and you’ll be able to ask great, insightful questions.

A great sales job is in your future if you can determine your fit, polish your resume, network, and do your research.

Rhys Metler

Rhys is a tenacious, top performing Senior Sales Recruiter with 15+ years of focused experience in the Digital Media, Mobile, Software, Technology and B2B verticals. He has a successful track record of headhunting top performing sales candidates for some of the most exciting brands in North America. He is a Certified Recruitment Specialist (CRS) and has expert experience in prospecting new business, client retention/renewals and managing top performing sales and recruitment teams. Rhys enjoys spending quality time with his wife, son, and daughters, BBQing on a hot summer day and tropical vacations.

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