Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
This question is about sales representative.
How to get a job in sales
You get a job in sales by developing the right skills, networking, starting small, researching companies and their products and services, customizing your resume, and persistence. The truth is that sales jobs require various skills, and there's no single type of person who fits the role perfectly.. When you interview for sales positions, the interviewers will try to determine if you're qualified, yes, but they also want to see how your personality and sales persona might fit with the rest of the team.
Education isn't always a factor to build a fulfilling career in sales. Sometimes, a high diploma is all you need to get your first job offer. But if you're looking to climb the ladder and keep your options open for management positions, a bachelor's degree is the minimum requirement. One in four salespeople majored in business, yet 17% never attended college.
Also consider other opportunities to gain sales credentials. Being certified in a subject related to sales, for example, can help you find opportunities for growth as a salesperson or as a company leader. You can seek out advanced sales certifications that emphasize your management skills to earn more responsibility and advance to senior roles.
With so many companies offering entry-level sales jobs, take the time to pick the industry that interests you. Research the products or services you'd be selling, consider the company culture, and see the career paths salespeople within the company take. You should be excited about both the short-term responsibilities and long-term career potential.
The saying "Your network is your net worth" rings true in sales. The more people you know, the more opportunities come your way. See if anyone in your network is on their own sales career journey and reach out to ask about their experience. Join a professional sales organization and attend networking or webinar events to meet people. Keep an open mind and be intentional with conversations--you never know which connection can lead to an introduction or job offer.
Next, do your research. You have to understand a product or service to sell it. So going into a sales job interview without information on the industry won't get you anywhere. Show that you know how to educate yourself and customers about an offering, understand what type of customers want to buy the product, and are able to build trust with people.
If you have no experience in sales, there's a good chance you'll start at the bottom. No retail experience? Getting a retail job is probably the best starting place for anyone looking to get a job in sales with no experience. That could include starting as a 'sales assist' where you help the main sales professionals with their deals, or you could start by qualifying new leads that come in. Other times, starting at the bottom in sales means selling some of the company's cheaper products or being assigned lower quality leads.
The point is to be persistent and consider each success and failure a learning experience on the journey to becoming a successful salesperson.
Choose from 10+ customizable resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
