What advice would you give to someone that was going to interview for a sales job?

As a veteran sales recruiter, there are some very specific things I look for with sales professionals. A good sales person knows their numbers cold. They know where they are YTD, how this compares to last year at the same time, where they are vs. quota, etc. They know how much of their business is coming from brand new accounts, and how much is repeat business from current customers. They understand the sales cycle. Candidates who are interviewing for sales positions have either hit their numbers or have lots of excuses for why they didn't. Caution candidates to be careful with percentages - a 20% increase in sales sounds great, until you realize that this increase is off of a low base.

My rule of thumb - if a sales professional has to "look up" what they did last year, they are not at the top of their game.

Cindy McGeever
www.top-sales-jobs.com

I've seen my share of candidates come through the doors of our phone and internet sales oriented company. Though I wasn't directly in charge of hiring, I sat in on a few interviews, and I was often the person who the candidate would sit with for a brief one-on-one introduction to what we do. I picked up on a lot of things that you should NOT do.


Do be prepared to answer questions about your abilities such as: "What can you bring to this company?"

Appropriate Answer: An aggressive approach to meeting goals and quotes while creating relationships with clients that will last a lifetime.

Inappropriate Answer "Donuts and coffee Every Morning"


Do dress appropriately.

Gentlemen: Do not wear jeans and a polo shirt.

Ladies: the Fingertip length skirt rule applies.


Do ask questions about the company.

Good question: "Are there opportunities for advancement within the organization?"

Not-so-good question: "What's the name of this company, again?"

Bring your previous sales numbers and mention recognitions that you had received.

It's very important to make an impression your first and any subsequent interview. A GOOD impression.