Professional Sales Job Interviews

by catherine s.

There are many ways to test and to know the skill of a certain candidate in a job interview. Managing skills before going to an interview is a helpful way to have a less percentage of rejection. First is try to examine your self in a scale of 1 to 10 before going, make 10 as a parameter that represent excellent. Review the things you have done in the past work experiences, did it go well or it just made you worse? Try asking your self what kind of environment you want to work with or culture that can make you set your goal easier and make it to the peak of success. Describe your philosophy of management as an individual in the position you are trying to apply. The most important thing in managing skill for a job interview is to answer the entire question honestly and truthfully.

For jobseekers pursuing a career in sales, the next step after you have sent your resume and cover letter to your prospective employer is to make a follow up call. This will let your hiring manager know that you have initiative and are very interested in the job.

When making a follow up call, don�t settle for a human resource personnel or an in-house recruiter. They don�t have anything to offer you. Most of the time, they are preoccupied with work and you will only serve as a distraction to them. Instead, talk to the hiring manager. They don�t just conduct the interview, they also have a say in the screening of applicants and in granting interviews to potential job candidates.

It is quite common to hear college students and new graduates reject the thought of pursuing a career in sales. They often say salespeople are hated since they sell stuff that people don�t want. This notion is utterly misguided and baseless.

A salesperson may sell a product, but you may also sell a service or a cause depending on the company. From selling different stuff lies the biggest challenge and that is to be able to convince your client that they need the product you are selling.

Many business leaders today started out in sales and believe that their sales experience is the biggest factor responsible for their success. It is because the organizational, communication and persuasion skills learned and honed in sales are crucial in understanding the complex world of the other career fields and in realizing the goals of almost every organization.

Many job seekers who want to pursue a professional sales career often take interview too casually, which results to failure.

The job interview process is a venue where you can make a negative or positive impression of yourself. It is very similar to an important sales call that demands intelligence, commitment, attention to detail and effective presentation.

During the interview, it is best to respond to the interviewer�s needs just like how you would to the inquiries of a consumer in a sales call. You should also focus on the relevance of your own skills and working experiences and be prepared to ask smart questions, if given a chance.

More and more research studies show that emotional intelligence or EQ, not intelligence quotient or IQ is the best predictor of success.

According to Collen Stanley of the Business Journal, emotional intelligence is important for sales people as it is a powerful tool in decision making and understanding the sales process. He mentioned two EQ core competencies, emotional awareness and self-regard, as vital in facing tough situations in the sales industry.

Sales persons who are good at understanding their own emotions and reactions do not make the same selling mistakes. On the other hand, self-regard is the sum of a person’s confidence and worth. Sales persons with high self-regard recover easily from failure and are forward-looking instead of backward-looking.

A professional sales person is graded based on his performance. How he deliver on the job is measured by his sales. While there are many good professional sales persons in the world today, there are those who are kings in their field. They are the top-producing sales people who perform greatly and consistently.

So how can we single these people out? What do they have in common? Here are some of the characteristics of top-notch professional sales person:

1. Eager. They continuously seek new knowledge to sharpen their skills.
2. Coachable. They receive and give out help.
3. Consistent. They have goals and work towards realizing them.
4. Committed. They love their job and nurture it.

Interviews are an integral part of the employment process. Initial interviews can be done on the phone, a practice that is quite common in today�s job market. However, final interviews are often done in person, with the hiring manager meeting face to face with the job seeker.

Here are some interview tips for professional sales applicants:

1. Dress properly. This is the first advice you will hear from people. It works so make sure you follow this.
2. Research about the company. This will show more your interest about the job.
3. Organize your thoughts. Think about what�s written in resume as they are basically discuss on the interview.
4. Practice. This will improve your interviewing skills.