How To Become A Sales Representative Internship: What It Is and Career Path

What is a sales representative internship and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Frederik Beuk,

John Cicala Ph.D.

Although a sales representative intern's main purpose is to assist the sales manager and senior staff, this opportunity will also let interns experience the professional side of the career, once their studies are complete.

Some of the duties that they perform in this capacity include working with the managers or assigned staff members, conducting research as advised by the staff, attending meetings and workshops to gain exposure, performing clerical work around the office, and observing the sales processes. Essential skills that sales representative internees should be able to portray include communication, customer service, time management, interpersonal, and ability to work in a fast-paced environment.

As this is an internship, most individuals will likely be applying during the course of their degree completion. However, a high school diploma or a GED should suffice in qualifying for this position. The average hourly pay for this internship is $16.16. Moreover, such positions are likely to grow in the near future, resulting in more opportunities across the United States.

What general advice would you give to a sales representative internship?

Frederik Beuk

Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Akron

The key consideration is whether you really want to maximize your initial salary. For instance, envision two job opportunities: one offering a salary of $50,000 per year, where you'd be the most junior team member, and the other providing $75,000 per year, with the caveat that you would be the sole sales representative for the firm. The optimal choice is to prioritize learning opportunities. In this context, being the lone salesperson for a company that compensates its highest-earning sales professional $75,000 might not be your superior option. Instead, seek a position that offers the greatest potential for learning. Subsequently, demonstrate your negotiating prowess, a critical sales skill, by securing a slightly higher salary. However, it's essential not to fixate on maximizing your starting salary. Your career requires a long-term strategy, and you have several decades ahead of you to maximize income.

ScoreSales Representative InternshipUS Average

Salary

2.7

Avg. Salary $34,556

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.1

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 5.12%

Black or African American 3.81%

Hispanic or Latino 14.06%

Unknown 3.71%

White 73.07%

Gender

female 49.28%

male 50.72%

Age - 48

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48

Stress level

7.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a sales representative internship

Explore sales representative internship education requirements

Most common sales representative internship degrees

Bachelor's

74.0 %

Associate

10.3 %

High School Diploma

5.8 %

Start to develop specific sales representative internship skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	39.08%
Kids	13.45%
Sales Presentations	9.42%
PowerPoint	4.15%
Sales Process	2.58%

Complete relevant sales representative internship training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New sales representative interns learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a sales representative internship based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real sales representative internship resumes.

Research sales representative internship duties and responsibilities

Manage and create all content distribute via various social media outlets: Facebook, twitter, feedback blogs, etc.
Perform inside sales, including telemarketing, prospecting, account penetration and product application, consulting and delivery of customer service.
Counsele veterans about college and department admissions requirements and how to navigate the registration process.

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