Sales recruiters want professional individuals with a track record of reliability and experience in the field. For those new to sales, make up for your lack of experience by paying extra attention to the application process. Whether you have no experience or have worked in your industry for years, you’re expected to sell the recruiter and convince them of your suitability and capability to perform the required job. Sales recruiters are not employers and don’t hire people, but employers trust them to present only the most qualified candidates. This improves your chances of landed a job, since you’ve already been pre-screened by the sales recruiter.
Creating Your Resume
Your resume needs to be honest. Sales recruiters validate the information in a resume and won’t accept candidates with falsified resumes. Print your resume on professional resume paper and hire someone to help create your resume for you if you don’t have the skills to create a presentable resume. A resume should include all your past employers, the type of work you did for them, number of years working and any special skills or certifications. Use blue or black ink on your resume and fill out every line on the page. If something doesn’t apply to you, write “N/A.” Take your time and make sure your print is legible, definitely do not use cursive.
Interviewing With Sales Recruiters
The interview makes a big impact on whether the sales representative recommends you to employers. Dress professionally and avoid anything casual. Even if your job doesn’t normally require you to dress formally, the sales representative does not necessarily know this. Other better-dressed candidates may receive more referrals than those that come in dressed casually. Arrive at least 20 minutes early and keep the number of the person you are interviewing with and their name on you in case you need to call them. Keep your answers focused and avoid going into lengthy discussions and rambling on about topics unrelated to the question.
Create a Fact Sheet
Before arriving at the sales recruiter’s office, prepare a fact sheet in case any additional information is needed. Fact sheets should contain the following information:
– Past employers names, telephone numbers, fax machine address if applicable, dates of employment and work address.
– Additional work history including community organizations, volunteer work, special projects, and all of the relavent contact information.
– Educational credentials including dates of schooling and your degree information.
– Personal and business references so that the sales recruiter can contact people to ensure that you have a good work ethic and are reliable.
Double-check Your Work
When finished with the resume and all of your application materials have been organized, go over the application and make sure there are no spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. As unfair as it may seem, sales recruiters often receive several applications a day. One of the ways in which they eliminate potential candidates is by tossing any aplications that don’t meet these basic qualifications. If your application has mistakes, generally it won’t even make it to the recruiter. The secretary or pre-screener will remove your application from the pile if it isn’t thorough and completed professionally. Proofread your resume several times, at different times and on different days to make sure it is perfect. Often, mistakes and poor wording aren’t caught the first time around.
Insider Tips to Putting Your Application on the Fast Track
