Giving Them What They Want

Just what exactly are prospective employers looking for? Can you convince them that it’s you? What exactly do they want?

In a sales position, performance and results are the main reason to hire a new sales person. The employer wants to bring in new revenue and they’re looking for someone who can do it. Even if you share the company values, portray the perfect image and know the company’s products and services, it won’t matter if you can’t sell. When hiring a new sales person, past performance predicts future success. Most employers will go with someone that has performed well before. Can you prove to them you can generate new business? It’s important to provide actual numbers to show results you’ve had in the past. You also need to provide a frame of reference to understand the content of your sales figures. You need to state the results you’ve achieved about bringing in new business in your last job. The prospective employer is trying to determine how much business you can generate for them.

You need to be specific about the job you are applying for. People are no longer hiring a person and then placing them. An employer isn’t interested in hiring someone who isn’t 100% focused on what they hired them for. They don’t want someone, for instance, who has been hired for selling but they really are using it to qualify for a sales management job. Employers want to hire the right person for the right job. If you have a lot of different experience in different areas, explain how that experience can make you more valuable for the job in which your applying for. If you’re interested in selling, state that. You have to sell yourself and your abilities first.

Clean up your resume. Make sure it applies to the position for which you’re aiming. Don’t make it generic. Make sure there aren’t any typos, nothing fancy and do not make it overly long. No inflated titles or incorrect dates to cover gaps in employment. If there is a period between jobs, give an explanation why there is. Explain why there is the gap, and what you learned from the experience. Do not leave any inconsistencies or doubts about your accomplishments. And do not, under any circumstances, lie.

References are important. Make sure the ones that you are using are reliable. If the person on your reference list has a dispute with you, it won’t look good when they are called. Potential employers know that you are only going to list names of people who will give you a good recommendation. Don’t think for an instant that they’ll be the only ones they call and accept everything at face value. A lot of business owners have contacts in the industry and may perform a blind reference check on you.

Present your strengths and always show what your successes have been. When you approach the interview with the right material and the correct frame of mine, you should be able to close the deal!

If you have any thoughts or comments on this subject, please feel free to post them.

By Linda Lee Ruzicka

Linda Lee Ruzicka lives in the mountains of Western PA , happily married and with her 8 cats and three dogs. She has been published in Twilight Times, Dark Krypt, Fables, Writing Village, June Cotner anthology, The Grit, Reminisce , the book, Haunted Encounters: Friends and Family. She also does freelances work for Beyond and for Salesheads. More of her blogs can be found at Salesheads blog