Make a move into a new sales job

If you have just decided to seize the bull by the horns and are looking for a new job in sales – congratulations! While most workers have emerged from the recession licking their wounds and far too nervous to put themselves on the job market, the Towers Watson Global Workforce Study 2010 found that those who are tenacious enough to be job hunting in the current market are more likely to be high-potential employees.

Whether you are in a sales job already or looking to move into the sector to advance your career, you’ll want to ensure that your search is thorough and you’ve applied for the best sales jobs on the market. The same skills that serve you well when selling, like being determined and goal-oriented, should be applied to your job search. Whether you're applying for sales jobs in Dubai, Birmingham sales jobs or sales jobs in London, Journalist Polly Devany lists some top tips to get you organised, motivated and on the move.

Work the worldwide web

Having the worldwide web at your fingertips makes job hunting easier in some ways – but more daunting in others. Don’t just adopt a scattergun approach to sending out your CV and aim for quality rather than quantity. A sales-specific online recruitment site such as Salestarget.co.uk is a great way to focus your search on jobs in a specific sector, such as car sales jobs, FMCG jobs or media jobs. Familiarise yourself with some online searching strategies to ensure you avoid common pitfalls associated with an online job hunt.

Sell yourself on paper

Unless you happen to know your potential employer personally, you need to sell yourself to them on paper. Again there are some clear dos and don’ts when it comes to the CV and covering letter and it is crucial to get this right, as it can make the difference between you getting an interview and ultimately, the job. Read up on how to create a compelling sales CV and don’t forget the importance of writing a great covering letter to really make them keen to meet you as a potential employee.

Sell yourself in person

In most cases the expectations of a sales person at interview will be higher than almost all other functions of the business, as you will be expected to be able to sell yourself as well as, if not better than, any product or service they want you to sell. You wouldn’t dream of turning up to a sales meeting with nothing prepared, so make sure you devote quality time to planning each step before, during and after the interview.

Who do you know?

Think about your network. It is true that in many cases when it comes to business, it's more about who you know rather than what you know. Write a list of people you know who work for companies or in industries you are interested in working for and ask them more about their career, the culture and the business. Whether it is friends, friends of friends or long-lost relations, any personal link is worth exploring. The power of face-to-face meetings and follow-up phone calls is not to be underestimated. If you receive an invitation to an industry event, think twice before saying "no" because you had a night of good TV planned – you never know where you might meet a future boss!

Be up on the news

During your job hunt it is especially important to keep up to date on sales industry news. Not only will this give you good insight into which firms and industries are thriving in the current economy, it may well be useful at interview, as demonstrating a broader knowledge is usually appreciated. The Institute of Sales and Marketing Management website is worth visiting, as it includes details of their sales training and events run with leading sales industry figures. Sign up for Google and Yahoo! Alerts, which will send you news items relating to your chosen keywords. You can also keep up to date on what’s happening in the industry with the news section of salestarget.co.uk as well as reading the industry press.

Think laterally

Being a good sales person is about having a certain skill set as well as the drive and instinct needed to close the deal. Often these skills are highly transferrable between different sectors of sales. As Career Consultant Sherridan Hughes points out, “Sales personnel need sociability, strong people and influencing skills, good personal organisation and resourcefulness. These core skills mean you can switch product, sector or industry – for example from retail to field sales, B2B to B2C, FMCG to automotive or even travel to pharmaceuticals." Not all jobs require specific sales experience – everyone has to start somewhere after all. Call centres jobs and estate agent jobs may seem like some of the hardest sales jobs around but they can also be a great place to learn and get valuable training, as well as being incredibly rewarding if you are the right person for the job.