Tag Archives: sales jobs

Choose Wisely with your Sales Career!

Posted on by
Stay on the right Career Path

Stay on the right Career Path

Choose wisely when it comes to applying for jobs in these times.

With dole queues out the door and numbers of unemployment rising, it is understandable that getting back to work is the ultimate goal. But be careful what you send your CV forward for as it may prove fruitless.

Choose wisely and do not be hasty in applying for every “Sales” job you see on the internet if you are in Sales.

As aware as you are of the lack of employment in the country, rest assured that potential employers know this all too well, which makes them even more picky in the CVs that they wish to see.

Tips for applying for jobs:

  1. Job Title:  if the title fits then read on!
  2. Job Description: Read through the job description, the responsibilites and especially the area/ industry this job is in. e.g. if you have worked in Medical Sales and the job spec is for IT Sales then tread carefully. You may have all the skills for selling Medical products, OTC products or medical devices but no experience in selling Computer Software, JAVA programmes or PCs then this may not be the job for you.
  3. Qualifications Required:  These days employers really like their Sales employees to be relevantly qualified, i.e. Nurses selling Wound Care/ Dressings, Science qualifications for medical device, and Nutritionists/ Dieticians selling Nutritional products. Take special heed to the qualification requirements.
  4. The Location: This job may be based in Cork and you are based in Dublin. This could be another deciding factor, as confident as you are that you can cover the Southern territory with your home life in Dublin, the higher the chances are of “burn out”.

The fact is that if you are an experienced Medical Sales Rep then you have the advantage of -

  • Product Knowledge – no need for month long training sessions!
  • Client base – which means you have the existing client relationships and are on a business relationship with key opinion leaders in  hospitals, GPs or pharmacies. This, to potential employers, is like gold to them and is an essential part of what they are looking for when taking another Medical Sales Rep on their books.

I know there are bills and mortgages to pay, but best advice? -  Stick to what you know and choose wisely.

Play the waiting game as your working experience will stand to you once the right job comes up.

Instead of applying for every Sales job that comes in, choose only ones relevant to your experience.

You cannot submit a CV without a Personal Profile

Posted on by
Your CV Personal Profile is essential

Your CV Personal Profile is essential

Your Personal Profile on your CV is essential in today’s jobs market – you cannot submit your CV for a job without one.

When a potential employer receives an average of 50 CV’s today for 1 job, your Personal Profile can be the determining factor as to whether he/she will look at your CV in more detail, or not.

Employers use them as a guide to you!

Your Personal Profile is your one chance to highlight yourself and point out why you should be seriously considered for the job.

Your Personal Profile is your introduction to you – your chance to sell yourself, your chance to shine and stand out from the crowd.

Without one, the CV has no introduction and simply becomes a black and white list of your life.

Your Personal Profile should be one paragraph, approx 5 sentences outlining where you have come from and where you are going.

It can be used to sell yourself to a particular job and altered accordingly.

It can be used to rule out the competition.

It can be used to highlight your biggest achievements or used as a Sales ‘brag list’

These days, you cannot afford to have a CV without a Personal Profile at the top of it which takes minutes to draft but can alter your career path

A CV without a Personal Profile is like buying a new computer with no instructions!

So remember, you must have a Personal Profile on the top of your CV – do not send your CV anywhere without one.

Be Prepared

Posted on by
Stop and Take Note!

Stop and Take Note!

Be Prepared! The single most fatal error when going to an interview is lack of preparation.

When attending an interview you must always prepare for all eventualities. For example, if you are a Medical Sales Rep and going for a Medical Sales job interview and you are required to do a presentation, then please cover all options!

  • Do the presentation early, have it perfect so you have at least 4/5 days to practice delivering it, and practice the timing – 10 minutes with 5 minutes for questions
  • Handouts – bring a minimum of 3 handouts of the presentation. Your interviewers may not want a copy, but it is best you have it to hand for their future reference
  • Have it saved and ready to go on your laptop!
  • Save it to a memory stick and bring the memory stick with you! They may wish to view it on their own facilities.

Do not get caught out without duplicates of your work, the last thing you need is an IT error just as you are about to go “on stage” and you have no back up. It is unprofessional and shows a lack of preparation on your part.

Remember that doing a presentation in an interview informs your interviewer of your speaking, selling and presenting skills for their company and their products.

Imagine they are your clients and they have allocated you 15 minutes of their time to hear you speak about the products you are selling. Your own laptop crashes before you even open the presentation and you haven’t got it backed up on a memory stick?

Always be prepared!