Get A Sales Job (Part 1)
What do you do when potential employers are not calling you back?
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Get A Sales Job (Part 1)
These days many salespeople are out in the market trying to find a new sales job.
We received this email from Sue, a Sales Professional from Sarasota, FL:
I’m really frustrated. I’m currently looking for a new sales job. I submit my resume and go on interviews but never seem to make it to the next step. There is one job I really want but the sales manager has not called back. A week has gone by. I’ve called again and again to reiterate my interest but still nothing! What is the correct way to find out if you made it through to the next step and what should I do now?
Sue, because www.SalesGravyJobs.com is the most visited Sales Job Board in North America we hear this question from Sales Professionals almost every day. Why won’t they call me back?
I know what I am about to tell you is going to sound kind of cold but if this sales manager is not calling you back it is because he’s not interested in hiring you. And calling and calling will not get a hiring manager’s attention. Now I’m not saying that you shouldn’t follow up with a call, after an interview or sending in your resume. Sometimes when making this call you’ll find out that the hiring process is going to take longer than first anticipated or that they have already hired someone. Either way you’ll have some peace of mind.
But calling or writing to try and get the manager’s attention is not going to work. It will just leave you looking desperate – which is suicide when you are trying to get hired for a sales job.
The one thing that does work is to get someone else to make the call or send a note for you. The hiring manager will take the call from a friend or colleague and will listen to their advice about you.
Who do you know who may also know this manager or have a friend who knows this manager? Think hard and get out of the box. Dig deep. Are there salespeople or others at this company who know you? Could there be someone in your LinkedIn network who can make the connection?
My good friend Bob Beaudine has a new book out called The Power of Who. This book is an excellent resource for learning how to leverage the “Who” in your life to help you get “What” you want – which in your case is a new job.
It is also critical for you to take a look at the bigger picture when you are not getting call backs or moving to the next step. Ask yourself:
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How often is this happening to me?
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What feedback am I getting about my resume, cover letter, experience, and interview style?
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Am I applying for the right kinds of sales jobs?
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Am I being flexible and open minded?
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Is my resume working for me?
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What about my cover letter?
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Am I building and nurturing my network?
What you are experiencing now is just the symptom of another problem. Find that problem and you’ll have your solution. Ask and answer as many questions as possible designed to help you get to the root cause. Analyzing the big picture will uncover why you are not getting called back so that you can fix this on the front end rather than sitting around wringing your hands and waiting for the phone to ring.
The good news is there are a ton of free resources available to help you. We’ve got a more than 20 career resource articles at SalesGravy.com and across the internet there are thousands websites and blogs designed to help you with your career search. I even did a search on You Tube and found dozens of high-quality videos on writing an effective resume.
In addition, you may want to hire a career coach. Because it is so personal and emotional, getting a good coach is a smart move during a career search. A coach will help you relax, provide an unbiased assessment of your current situation, and tell you what you should change. They will be an empathetic ear when you need someone to lean on but also ensure that you take the right actions, at the right time, in the right way. One group I recommend is www.CareerMovement.com. These folks have a good reputation, offer a solid value, and have a track record of working with both individuals and corporate outplacement programs.
You can also take heart that, despite the recession, there are thousands of sales jobs available. We’ve had more than 4000 posted on SalesGravy.com in just the past two weeks. Finding a new sales job won’t be easy. However, the process will make you better because you will learn what it takes to effectively sell yourself. You will learn to exercise courage in the face of adversity. And with the right plan, a great attitude, and persistence as your foundation, it is likely that you will soon find the sales job of your dreams.
This is Jeb Blount, the Sales Guy. If you have a sales question please send it to salesguy@quickanddirtytips.comcreate new email.
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