When the recruitment process moves offline into the more familiar sales territory of networking and personal contact, make sure you are fully prepared.
Off line, doesn't always mean face-to-face. Telephone interviews are fast becoming the norm for a range of jobs except the most senior roles, cutting down the time it takes to hire. Given that the telephone is a crucial sales tool, it's also a great way of assessing a candidate's performance.
Before the interview > During the interview > After the interview
Before the interview
You wouldn't dream of meeting a new customer having done nothing more than read the latest annual report so never turn up for a job interview without being fully up to date on how the business and the market are performing. Here is a checklist to help you prepare.
- Read the corportate website of the company and its competitors — Particularly look at the quarterly financial reports. These will be on the forefront of you recruiters' mind.
- Read trade publications and retail news — Trade association sites have a wealth of information. Google News can also be a good source for news on the company and industry sales in general.
- Use your network to get in touch with people who already work for the business. In addition to impressing the recruiter, you want to be sure that the business is in a position to enable you to fulfil your career ambitions. This is as true for candidates new to sales as for those looking for a senior post.
- Organise your papers — Keep background material to a minimum and in a smart folder. You don't want to end up with messy papers strewn all over the place.
- Dress appropriately — Find out before the interview if there is a dress code. As a rule of thumb for sales, the smarter the better. A suit and tie won't do any harm. Employers want to know that their sales team can be smart when required, even if the job is in telemarketing and you will never meet a customer in the flesh.
- Plan your trip well — Arrive a few minutes early.
- Turn off your mobile phone..
Questions to prepare
It's a good idea to have some questions prepared for the interview, as most recruiters will ask you if you have anything to ask. Here are some suggestions:
- When you compare yourself to your competitors, what are some of your strengths and weaknesses?
- What are the people I'd be working with like?
- What have been some of your most successful retail initiatives?
- What opportunities are there for advancement and training?
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During the interview
Recruitment has become more sophisticated over the past decade but selection decisions are still often taken within the first few minutes of an interview. If you make a bad impression when you walk in, recovering your position can be a struggle. Most interview skills are common sense but easy to forget:
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Use positive body language — Make eye contact with the interviewer as soon as you enter the room, shake hands firmly and don't sit down before you are asked.
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Show the beginnings of a road map — You need to leave interviewers with a sense that you understand the value of what you sell and with an idea of what you will achieve for them in your first three, six and twelve months in the job.
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Make an effort to address your comments to everyone if it's a panel interview.
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Use specific examples — You want to convince recruiters that you can sell or inspire others to sell; that you will exceed targets, develop the business and deliver profit and value to the company. The best way of proving that you can deliver for them, is by demonstrating what you have done in the past.
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Show you are an active participant and not a spectator — Illustrate your answers with examples of previous successes or ways in which you dealt with difficult business issues.
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Know the next steps — At the end of the interview you should have an idea of what happens next. A true salesperson never lets a lead dry up so email or phone the corporate recruiter, or the consultant if one is involved, and make it clear that you are impressed with the business and keen to take your application further.
By the time you leave, you want to know:
- Are you convinced by the product or service you would be selling or encouraging others to sell?
- Are the targets achievable?
- Will you have the backup and resources you need?
- Are the estimated earnings realistic?
- Will the job move your career forward?
- Do you want to work with these people?
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After the interview
Interviews can be exhausting. Thankfully, they're like anything else and get easier each time you do them.
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Evaluate — After the interview, it is important to think through your performance and how you can improve on your answers next time — whether it is for this job or another.
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Send a thank you note — Shoot off a quick email, thanking the recruiter for taking the time to see you. Don't ask for anything, just show gratitude. You'd be surprised, but those things matter.
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Follow up — If you have not heard within the time frame you expected, then ring or email the recruiter. If it turns out that you haven't got the job, ask for some feedback on your performance. You put a lot of effort into an interview and good recruiters are happy to oblige. They know they may have other vacancies in the future that you might be able to fill. However, be prepared to take criticism on the chin and learn from it.
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