Whenever a company or recruitment firm is considering you as a candidate for a sales position, it is important to realize that every interaction you have with the recruiters provides an opportunity for you to sell yourself. Not only does this automatically hook the interviewers, it also makes you memorable to the recruitment team.
1. The Resume
As a salesperson, your resume is your primary sales tool. When preparing it therefore, remember that there are thousands of sales candidates who claim to be the most exemplary professionals in the industry, but with no evidence to back it up. Sell yourself through your resume by outlining relevant and specific examples of measurable success that you have had in past positions.
2. Position yourself as the solution
We all get a profound sense of relief when our issues are resolved. The recruitment team has been charged with the responsibility of recruiting a top-notch sales team, and there are numerous challenges that come with that. Set yourself apart and make yourself memorable to your recruiters by detailing ways through which you can solve some of the issues that the company is facing; as well as examples of how you have provided solutions to similar problems in the past.
For this to be effective, it is important that you conduct comprehensive research on the company; its history, the huddles that they have overcome in order for them to grow into the organization they are presently, as well as any huddles they may be facing at the time of the recruitment process.
3. Non-verbal Communication
In the course of every pitch, non-verbal communication can either make or break your sale. The same is true for the recruitment process. Some of the things to watch out for are:
- Shifting in your seat
- Fiddling with your clothes, fingers or hair
- Tapping your feet
These non-verbal signs often signal unease and the recruitment team would have no reason to believe that you would conduct yourself any differently during a sales pitch.
On the other hand, leaning forward in your seat helps to engage the recruiters and generally communicates interest in the discussion. In fact, since we generally tend to mirror the non-verbal signals of the people we are talking with, your interviewers will more than likely lean in too and have fun talking with you. Even in a situation where your credentials are not as impressive as those of other candidates, engaging the recruitment team leaves an imprint in their minds.
Precautions to take when selling yourself
Recruiters do not like to be over-sold to, in the same way that clients do not like over-zealous salespeople. In as much as you are aiming to portray your sales skills, the recruitment team also wants to meet the authentic you without the fluff, because that is the person who is going to be showing up at work every day. Remember that there is a very thin line between selling yourself at the sales interview, and outright hogwash.