Wondering why you haven’t landed your dream sales job? Asking yourself why you cannot even meet with a recruiter? Here are 10 job hunting fails killing your chances of landing an interview.
Communication Skills Increase Your Chances
I spend a lot of time interviewing salespeople for my clients. When we are searching for candidates, we review hundreds of resumes and conduct dozens of prescreening interviews to determine if the person is a good fit for the job and the company. Some weeks we may review a few hundred resumes and only offer a handful of people the chance for an interview.
If you are looking for a job in sales, your ability to communicate is one of your most important skills. This includes both written and verbal communication. The same holds true in many other careers as well. In fact, when two job candidates have similar technical skills the one with the better communication skills gets hired.
| FREE DOWNLOAD! How to Write an Effective B2B Sales Resume (With Template and Example) |
Every Interaction Counts!
Before I go into the 10 Fails I'd like to remind you when you are job hunting every single interaction you have with a potential employer should be considered part of the selection process. Everything you do counts!
If your resume is poorly formatted and contains errors, a potential employer will see you as sloppy. The view you as not being concerned with details. If this is your level of accuracy when looking for a job what can they expect if they hire you?
10 Job Hunting Fails – That Are Simple to Fix
- Your resume contains spelling mistakes
- Your resume dates don't add up or dates are missing
- You forgot a subject line in the email – re:__________
- The email you sent to an employer is poorly written
- You didn't follow the instructions on how to apply, respond, connect
- You're late for your interview (phone, virtual, or in person)
- You know the name of the person conducting the interview and the company, but you don't do any research.
- Your LinkedIn profile is not helping you
- You can't articulate your value as it relates to the company
- You have lots of duties and skills on your resume but no accomplishments
Why Job Hunting Fails – The Bottom Line
When you apply for a job, you need to realize you are judged on everything you do. Therefore you need to do everything possible to stand out. The good news is the bar has been set very low. So, it’s not very hard for someone who exhibits care, planning, and preparation to clearly stand out from the crowd.
It doesn't matter what job you are applying for, fix these simple mistakes and you will land more interviews.
| FREE DOWNLOAD! Job Search Tracking Worksheet |
More Job Search Tools
Here are a few more links to help you find your dream sales job:
- How to Find Your Dream Sales Job – The future is yours to create!
- What Every Sales Candidate Should Ask In An Interview
- Should You Send A Thank You Note After A Job Interview?
- Why You Didn’t Get an Interview
- How to Work With Recruiters
If you are looking for sales career tips, check out our free B2B Sales Career Centre. We also have and job search tips in the Career section on our blog. Also, check out these examples of job search fails that can happen further into the application process.
You can also download a free copy of How to Write a B2B Sales Resume from the B2B Sales Connections Free Download Centre.
Aim Higher!
Robert J. Weese, B2B Sales Coach
“When you lead a struggling sales division from the brink of closing to over $7.4 million dollars in annual sales you can be confident, Robert knows how to engage customers and build sales.”
Tired of looking through countless and irrelevant job ads? Check out the new and improved B2B Sales Connections Job Board! Search thousands of jobs for any location from all over the internet. You can even create job alerts to have the latest sales jobs delivered right to your inbox!
Are you looking for a speaker at your next sales conference? Robert J. Weese is a former broadcaster, award-winning professional speaker, author, and sales coach. He has lead high-performance sales teams to record growth.
