How to hire a sales team member

How to hire a sales team member, step by step

Here's a step-by-step sales team member hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a sales team member job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new sales team member
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your sales team member job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a sales team member for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A sales team member's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, sales team members from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of sales team members and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Sales Team Member	Description	Hourly rate
   Sales Team Member	Retail sales workers include both those who sell retail merchandise, such as clothing, furniture, and automobiles, (called retail salespersons) and those who sell spare and replacement parts and equipment, especially car parts (called parts salespersons). Both types of workers help customers find the products they want and process customers’ payments.	$12-21
   Front End Cashier	A front end cashier is an employee who provides quality customer service such as scanning items and taking the final payments. Front end cashiers are responsible for greeting customers professionally and being friendly to everyone who enters the store... Show more	$7-17
   Computer Technician/Sales	A computer technician/sales technician is a professional who maintains and repairs computers and networks while ensuring that adequate information technology (IT) infrastructure is in place. Computer technicians must manage security software in computers and networks to maintain client privacy and protect them from attackers... Show more	$19-40

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Sales Floor
   • Wine
   • Cleanliness
   • Ladders
   • Customer Service
   • Basic Math
   • Math
   • Exceptional Guest
   • Drive Sales
   • POS
   • PET
   • Stock Room
   • Propane
   • Floor Stock

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the hardlines department of the store.
   • Lead a team of eighteen people in the apparel department through development, talent management, and training.
   • Supervise women's department, manage jewelry department, assist customers on finalizing purchases
   • Serve customers, stock shelves, organize products, correct merchandise pricing, train newly hire employees, POS system
   • Stock merchandise, groceries, clothes, shoes, and household items.
   • Prepare, print & bound PowerPoint sales presentation packages and investment review reports.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your sales team member job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A sales team member can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, sales team members' average salary in missouri is 30% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level sales team members 44% less than senior-level sales team members.
   • Certifications. A sales team member with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a sales team member's salary.

   Average sales team member salary

   $16.26hourly

   $33,827 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level sales team member salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

4. Writing a sales team member job description

   A job description for a sales team member role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a sales team member job description:

   Sales team member job description example

   At Office Depot and Office Max, the Sales Advisor is a part-time role, providing exceptional customer service by performing duties as cashier, provides logistics support, stocking, restocking, down stocking, inventory control, cleaning the store and protecting company assets. S/he will quickly build and maintain customer relationships and become a trusted advisor by utilizing basic training of Technology products/services and print offerings.
   
   The associate in this role will demonstrates a passion for the brand, technology products, furniture, services, print and other services/products offered to our customers. S/he will utilize Office Depot and Office Max’s proven sales principles to proactively engage customers, in order to drive the sales of our total offerings and properly assess customer needs to ensure satisfaction in every interaction.
   
   Required successful completion of current basic Tech and Print Certification and continued education in these areas. The essential functions of this position may require you to consent to periodic comprehensive background checks conducted by a third-party.
   Primary Responsibility: 1. Provides exceptional customer service by performing duties as cashier, provides logistics support, stocking, restocking, down stocking, inventory control, cleaning the store and protecting company assets. 2. Performs merchandise-related activities to ensure merchandise presentation guidelines are met through implementing plan-o-gram changes and updates, merchandise set and price changes. Sets weekly ads, including price changes, and any associated updates to store signage.
   
   3. Follows the established sorting and stocking guidelines and completes freight processes. Ensures freight sorting area is organized and setup in accordance with guidelines. Scans, investigates and fills inventory lows and outs daily.
   
   4. Proactively acknowledges and engages every customer to ensure a positive customer experience. Utilizes and understands the selling program to promote the sale of the best solution as well as additional product and/or services solutions. Maintains awareness of planned advertisements and promotions. 5. Able to evaluate the customer’s needs to determine what additional offerings or services that a customer may need in addition to determining if a customer should be referred to the Contract Sales organization. 6. Works to develop personal selling skills and specialized product knowledge through sales and service tools provided. Drives Technology, Tech Services, Furniture and Print sales by supporting all related current programs, new product launches and special initiatives. 7. Ensures compliance with company policies, procedures and practices; and supports company loss prevention efforts.
   Education & Experience
   High School diploma or equivalent education preferred
   Retail sales experience preferred How to Apply Click the Apply Now button and follow the instructions on each page. When you have completed the application, click the submit button. Pay, Benefits & Work Schedule Office Depot and OfficeMax offers competitive salaries, a benefits package, which includes a 401(k) and more, along with plenty of opportunity to move and grow within our organization! For immediate consideration for this exciting position, please click the Apply Now button. Equal Employment Opportunity Office Depot and OfficeMax is committed to providing equal employment opportunities in all employment practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), gender (including gender identity and expression), ancestry, national origin, citizenship status, marital status (including registered domestic partnership status), age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, military and veteran status, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. We will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Other Information Must possess strong interpersonal and communication skills, which are necessary to establish a selling relationship with customers Possess excellent verbal and written communication skills Must possess the ability to use technology applicable to role, and to access information necessary to complete daily responsibilities Must possess ability to process information/merchandise through POS register system Must possess an interest in continually developing personal selling skills and product knowledge; Positive and Engaging Action Oriented Integrity & Trust Demonstrate passion for the brand, products, services and solutions offered to our customers Must possess a desire to continually develop personal selling skills and product knowledge Ability to work a flexible work schedule as business dictates Customer Focus Self Learning Approachability Fair Chance Ordinance We will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records City & County of San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

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5. Post your job

   To find the right sales team member for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with sales team members they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit sales team members who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your sales team member job on Zippia to find and attract quality sales team member candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as salesjobs, salesheads, allretailjobs.com, sales trax.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit sales team members, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new sales team member

   Once you've decided on a perfect sales team member candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new sales team member. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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