Job roles
Introduction
Graduate sales posts should not be confused with sales work in shops, door-to-door sales or telesales! Most students view sales as a thankless job but the reality is very different. The work is nearly always salaried (plus bonuses for good performance). The work may offer progression into sales management, marketing, sales training and other functions. Because of the negative image of sales, it's much easier to get good quality sales jobs than jobs in related fields such as marketing.
You may be responsible for sales of a product (e.g. food, pharmaceuticals, software, cars or manufacturing equipment) or a service (e.g. mortgages, legal advice, advertising space). You will maintain relationships with clients, negotiate prices and specifications, gather and disseminate information. You will obviously need extremely good people and communication skills, and employers will generally place a higher value on these than on the subject or class of your degree.
Find out more
- ModernSelling.com substantial jobs & careers section. Covers issues on selling as a profession.
- Meta-morphose - an international training company which places graduates into professional field sales roles, in companies of all sizes worldwide, while providing a year's training and support
- Pareto Law training company which places graduates in high-profile sales and marketing jobs.
- Graduate sales jobs with BMS Graduate Recruitment lots of useful content including employer videos: employers go on camera and offer tips and advice on everything from writing a good CV, dealing with interviews through to job searching.
- The Institute of Export
- Business schools need to sell sales as a viable career option (Financial Times Article)
Related Careers
- Marketing Careers Page
- Recruitment Consultancy is a mixture of sales and personnel management.
- Sales Promotion – involves direct marketing, PR and events management.