Career Confidential

Pack Your Resume With the Right Keywords To Get That Sales Job

Job Search Expert — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:10:12 +0000

If you want your resume to actually be a marketing document for you, and get a recruiter’s or a hiring manager’s attention, you must pack that resume with the keywords that are relevant to the career area you want. Recruiters, hiring managers, and Human Resource departments use computer searches and applicant tracking systems to flag resumes worth looking at, and that means they use keywords to search for the ones they’ll be interested in looking at further.

But what if you’re new to the area and don’t have much experience? Well, then you have to be a little more creative in your mission. That does NOT mean you should lie on your resume. That’s always a bad idea, and you’re sure to be found out eventually. What I mean is that you should highlight what is relevant to the potential employer.

So, for example, if you wanted a job in medical sales, here’s what you might do:

If you’re in real estate, but you sold to a group of doctors, you might want to list them as one of the accounts you sold to.

If you sold copiers, maybe you sold to clinics, day surgery offices, etc. Not only does it help with the keyword count in your resume, it lets us know that at least you’ve been in the environment.

By all means, go ahead and join professional organizations. So for a laboratory sales rep job, you could join AACC (American Association of Clinical Chemistry), CLMA (Clinical Lab Manager’s Association), or various other organizations where you’d find people in that profession. Then you can put them on your resume, and elaborate on your association with them, which gives you more keywords for your resume.

Carefully read job descriptions and ads to see what keywords they use; then see which ones you could legitimately incorporate into your resume.

Don’t forget keywords for sales skills.

Need some more resume help? Research resume writing skills using keywords online, or check out the Extreme Sales Resume Makeover Kit available from Career Confidential.

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Job Interview Skill: How to Handle the Money Question

Job Search Expert — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:02:25 +0000

Salary negotiations can be the most stressful part of the entire interview process.

The video below is designed to help you navigate your way through.

One of the biggest questions all jobseekers have is: How do you answer questions in the interviewing process that have to do with your financial situation?

The answer is: You don’t.

The first person who mentions a specific number in the negotiation process is usually considered a loser. Because, if you’re the candidate and you name a figure that’s too low and later realize you could have gone higher, you can’t go back. But, it’s a delicate process. The company has its own agenda and doesn’t want to make a mistake, either. If your interviewer asks you directly how much money you currently make, you can antagonize him or her by refusing to answer, so you have to say something.

One option: answer honestly, but qualify it by saying, “I am not sure that it is relevant because this position requires…x, y and z…”

Another option: Deflect it by saying, “So if you are talking money, are you making me a job offer?” Some clients will actually say “yes, I am interested.” So now you have a new conversation that gives you a little more leverage.

Another thing you can say is: “I am certain that given the responsibilities that this position has, and how important you have described that it is to your organization, that you are going to financially compensate the right candidate with an appropriate amount of money.”

One of the most critical things you can do is to research salaries in your specific field, in your part of the country. Knowledge is power. Here’s an article on the Top 25 Salary Negotiating Tips to help you.

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Sales Recruiter Sets Resume On Fire To Say This: Stop the Faux Job Search

Job Search Expert — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:37:50 +0000

This is not your daddy’s job search….

You can’t just send out resumes anymore and expect to get a call. Life is different, and the job search is different. Get a career coach, get on LinkedIn, find some resume help. Get serious, and play to win.

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Resume Mistake: Too Much Information

Job Search Expert — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:52:52 +0000

Let’s say you’re a recruiter, and you’ve just received a resume that includes a paragraph like this:

In my spare time, I am physically active. I run, mountain bike, play tennis, and I teach yoga on weekends. Physical activity keeps my body and mind in shape, and promotes balance and clarity in my life. I belong to a community theater and am active in productions, and I play bass in a band. I am an avid reader. I am a mother of two and gave birth to my second daughter between degrees; taking only 3 months off and continuing to work while taking classes, which shows my drive and tenacity to succeed!

What would you do?

This applicant is trying really hard to impress, and does seem to have a pretty impressive energy level and variety of interests. In spite of that, she’s not going to go on a recruiter’s or hiring manager’s short list. (Not to mention that description of hers makes me think: when are you going to have time to do your job?)

There are many blunders people make (beyond simple typos) when resume writing, and Too Much Information is a definite Don’t. Personal information is usually unnecessary and can even raise discrimination issues. Frankly, I don’t want to see, or even care that much about, what you do in your spare time.

What I’m interested in: what can you do for my company? What are your skills? What are your work accomplishments? What have you done that will demonstrate that you’ll be a great hire?

Remember who your resume’s audience is. Who’s reading your resume? What will show them that you’ll be an asset to the company? Don’t annoy employers with irrelevant resume information they have to sift through to find what’s important to them. Because chances are, they won’t.

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Should you e-mail your 30/60/90-day sales plan to the hiring manager?

Job Search Expert — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:52:22 +0000

All sales job candidates should create a 30/60/90-day sales plan to use in their job search and interview process.

A 30-60-90-day sales plan is a document that spells out how you will spend your time in the first 30 days, the first 60 days, and the first 90 days on your new job. To do one correctly, you have to research the position and the company, and you have to analyze the job so that you can lay out the steps to success. It takes some effort, but the results are almost always worth it in terms of great job offers. It’s amazingly impressive to hiring managers that you’ve put in this kind of effort before you even get the job, and it demonstrates to them that you understand the job and what it takes to be successful from the start.

But how do you go about introducing your innovative 30/60/90-day plan to the hiring manager?

In an ideal situation, you bring your 30-60-90-day plan to the interview and “wow” the hiring manager when you present it during your conversation–as an answer to “How do you see yourself in this job?” or “Why should we hire you?”. You ask the hiring manager for input during the interview, and in your follow-up thank you note, you should attach your sales plan with the changes that the hiring manager suggested.
Less than ideal, but better than nothing: you don’t get a chance to present your 30-60-90-day plan during the interview, but you realize that thank you notes can be second chances. Either you attach your sales plan to your thank you note (which points out how the information you gained during the interview is included), or you put a shortened version of a 30-60-90-day plan in the body of the note if you think he might not open the attachment.

What if you can’t even get the interview?

If you can’t even secure an interview, this might be a good time to e-mail your 30-60-90-day sales plan to the hiring manager with the subject heading of:

“This is how I can help your company”

“Here’s my plan for increasing your sales”

You get the drift…

This is an attention-grabber. It’s a way to entice the hiring manager into meeting with you. You’ve probably already sent your resume, which hasn’t helped, so it’s another opportunity for contact without seeming annoying. Showing what you can do for the manager and the company from the first few days of employment is powerful, and has a decent chance of securing a meeting with a hiring manager who’s now impressed with your initiative and interested in how you’re going to grow his sales numbers.

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How does being “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” help in your job search?

Job Search Expert — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:18:41 +0000

“The squeaky wheel gets the grease” is a quip we have all heard. What does it mean? Well, it is the mirror image of “out of sight is out of mind.” Where am I going with this? It’s all part of your networking/job searching strategy. At your current job, that means you should make sure you squeak and are in sight of your boss and your company. Be sure to contribute in meetings, follow up with positive emails, respond to surveys, pass on competitive information, etc. Be seen.

With a recruiter or a network contact, there are similar ways to squeak:

Send emails with quick notes about things that are relevant to them. Send your updated your resume. Send in your rankings or performance reviews (if you are positively represented). Let them know when you have changed jobs, addresses, or phone numbers….or places you would consider relocating to. If you are going to be at a conference that they may be attending, drop them an email asking if you can meet for coffee. Basically, keep in touch.

A side note on dealing with recruiters: If a recruiter calls you about a job that you aren’t interested in….give him or her a referral. Maybe that person will be the right fit for the job. If not, maybe they will refer the right person for the job. Be helpful. The recruiter will remember you fondly and will call you about the best jobs. How can you beat that?

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Thank You Notes After Interviews Will Get You Better Job Search Results

Job Search Expert — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:32:18 +0000

Everybody knows that you’ve got to send a thank you note after your interview, and yet I continue to be surprised by how many people don’t. They really do make you stand out from the crowd, and they give you another opportunity to point out a key item or two in your favor…it should always be substantial. But do them quickly.

E-mail thank you notes are entirely appropriate. Handwritten thank yous are of the past. They work only if you can get them out on the exact same day, because speed is a strength here. Still, you should send an e-mail one because there are hiring decisions that happen while the post office still has your letter.

(Didn’t get the address? Google the interviewer: *@thecompanyname.com. For instance, *@phcconsulting.com would get you my address and the address of everyone who works here.)

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Help! They Have a 3rd Party Consultant Interviewing Me!

Job Search Expert — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:46:08 +0000

Sometimes companies hire outside recruiters as consultants assigned to conduct candidate interviews. Understandably, these interview situations make candidates a little more nervous….but I have a job interview strategy for you to handle this situation. To successfully navigate a 3rd party interview, you need to uncover the goals of the interviewer. Watch the video for my advice on what questions to ask the interviewer so you can meet those goals, have a fantastic interview, and present yourself as a candidate who’s confident, strategic, and capable.

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How to Be Too Casual at the Job Interview

Job Search Expert — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:09:35 +0000

Thanks to the Wireless Executive Recruiter for this video.

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6 Tips for a Successful Sales Job Interview

Job Search Expert — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 10:54:02 +0000

Competition for sales jobs can be fierce, and sales interviews are difficult. That means that you’re going to have to work a little harder to set yourself apart from the competition and win the job. If your background and experience are up to snuff, all that’s left is the interview. Savvy hiring managers know that all sales reps can talk a good game, and they are looking for the sales rep who can also back it up. Here are six things you can do that absolutely will work to make the most of the time you have in your interview to impress the hiring manager and boost your chances of landing the job:

1. Research the company. In other words, do your homework. There’s no excuse for not knowing what the company does, what its current issues are, what its goals are, where its products fit in the marketplace, and who the competition is. Your job is to take in this information and use it to figure out how you can help them reach their goals….and then frame your answers to interview questions accordingly.

2. Know what kinds of questions to expect from a sales interview, like “Can you travel?” or, “How will you build your market?” Have answers prepared for tough (but popular) interview questions such as, “What’s your greatest weakness?” (definitely use a real weakness that helps you be a great sales rep–but not perfectionism) or “Why should we hire you?“ Especially be ready for behavioral interview questions focused on tough situations you’ve had to deal with, or goals you’ve achieved and how you did it. Quantify your answers whenever possible. Hiring managers want sales reps who know their job is to ring the cash register.

3. Dress appropriately, and watch your body language. Dressing appropriately means dressing conservatively (see how to buy a suit for men) with no flashy jewelry or strong perfume. If you’re not sure about your job interview body language, find a book to study, or research body language online. Try making a video of yourself and get a friend to help you critique it.

4. Create a 30/60/90-day sales plan, which is a short, 1-3 page outline of your first 3 months on the job–how you will get your training, how you will get up to speed on current accounts, how you will bring in new customers, and so on. It’s impressive because it is evidence of how much you want this job, and how hard you’re willing to work, before you even get the job. It shows the hiring manager that you understand the company, and you understand how to be successful in the job. A 30/60/90-day plan helps the hiring manager to see you in the job, which then makes it easier to make the decision to hire you. It also helps you guide the direction of the interview so that you are sure to get your points across, and it turns the interview into a conversation rather than a question-and-answer session. You can certainly make a 30-60-90-day plan yourself from scratch, but if you want to make your life easier, you can download samples and a template with audio coaching from the Sales Recruiter.

5. Bring your brag book. A 30/60/90-day plan shows the hiring manager what you will do, but a brag book shows the hiring manager what you have done. It’s the evidence to back up what you say you can do. It should include your sales stats, performance reviews, “good job” notes or emails, resume, certifications, PowerPoint presentations you’ve created, brochures you’ve done, and what types of products or equipment you’ve marketed. A really thick brag book with a few critical things highlighted (that you show the hiring manager) is especially effective.

6. Know how to close the interview. If you’re in sales, you know how to close the sale. A job interview is the same process, except that the product you’re selling is yourself. This is one of the most important sales calls of your life. Don’t leave without asking for the job. Whether you ask for it directly or you use an assumptive close by asking about the next step, it’s important that you uncover any objections the hiring manager might have while you’re right there to answer them.

Being well-prepared for the interview will boost your confidence, present you as a better candidate, and help you smoothly navigate the interview toward getting the job offer.

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