Did you know that there are over 22 million sales professionals working throughout North America? If you’re hoping to break into the industry, there are a lot of opportunities in which to do so. Executive recruiting firms are looking for potential employees like yourself, who can quickly become a successful part of a growing company.
Although the future reward is sweet, the road to get there is sometimes a little rocky. If you want to start your career in sales but find yourself still waiting for someone to reply to your resume and like your spirit in an interview, then something needs to change. Here are several tips for making sure you land one of the best sales jobs possible.
The Best Industries to Start Out In
- The tech industry is a great place to start out in because it’s always growing, and consistently offers some of the top commissions in the industry. Because there are so many segments to tech, it’s easy to start off in a smaller company and work your way up.
- Not surprisingly, it’s a good idea to be a salesperson in healthcare. What might surprise you, though, is that 56% of salespeople rate the medical equipment product sector as having the best medical sales jobs, compared to only 15% in pharmaceuticals, citing a better competitive compensation structure.
- Financial services, commodities and securities are a good industry to get into if you can manage — and the field is fairly wide with over 300,000 employees. Average annual pay is almost $100,000.
Three Tips for Wowing During the Interview
- Always ask questions: it’s a good idea to prepare a few beforehand about the potential job. “What are challenges of the job?” Is a good question — without knowing what will be difficult, you’ll sound a little silly saying that you’re the best to handle it.
- Review your job experiences as if it’s a textbook for your interview. A surprising number of people flounder when asked about times they stepped up or were challenged in their previous job.
- Sometimes it helps to make yourself stand out both on the resume, and in the interview. Although you might be tempted to list safe things like “reading” as an interest and activity on your resume, something like marathon running or being a candidate on “American Idol” will make the recruiter remember you out of the crowd of similar applicants.
Have you talked to a recruiting firm? Let us know in the comments. Find more.
