Sales & Marketing Management - October 2007 - (Page 31)

E HOTTEST INDUSTRIES FOR SALES JOBS THE HOTTES heavy. Others are dissatisfied not only with their promotions, but also with the training and learning opportunities their current employers offer. So how can you move on to greener pastures and find that perfect top-dollar job? As indicated by the rapid removal of applications from sales job search sites, the market seems to be slightly in favor of the job seeker. Since the inability to find qualified workers has been cited as the biggest hiring hurdle—in addition to increasing salaries in order to remain competitive in the search for topnotch sales candidates—employers are trying to attract the type of professionals they need by making compensation packages more competitive, increasing bonuses, offering better benefits packages and increasing less tangible benefits (such as flexible hours, telecommuting and job sharing). are the new thing. Ferrara says that this feature, offered by CareerBuilder.com,“allows employers to create a video-band experience with their job postings to give a job seeker a better understanding of what it is like to work at that company, express what the values of the company are, [and] give a good first impression of the company.” The benefit for job-seekers is that they have the opportunity to create video resumes that give potential employers a much richer experience of what it would be like to work with you. This innovation is a step beyond the cover letter-and-resume combo, a good way for a candidate to stand out when looking for a job in which personality and first impressions are really important—like sales jobs. “No one really prints out resumes or mass-mails them anymore,” Ferrara points out. “Four years ago, nobody looked for jobs online, and that’s all people do now.” But resumes and cover letters are not everything when you are looking for a job. “There are new processes to your resume online, but the part of networking, contacting colleagues [and] making a good impression during your interview hasn’t changed,” he continues. Cenedella says, “The simplest but toughest advice for people to accept is to get your resume professionally written.” Just like when you want a brochure for your product, you should get professional writers to do it because they know what works and what doesn’t. Cenedella sees the resume not as a simple biography, but as a sales document designed to sell three different people: the screener, the HR person and the hiring manager. And to do that, you need a professional resume containing nothing that shouldn’t be there. You must also be careful when sending your carefully crafted documents. “Great subject lines catch the eyes of the recruiter, while general lines bore them,” he warns. Cover letters go in the body of your email message and consist of three lines that succinctly tell them what you’d like to do for them. “In the old days you wrote three or four paragraphs,” Cenedella says. “Now you just need to be short and sweet.” And remember, confidence goes a long way. If you know you’re good and you have the drive to succeed, now is the time to dream big and aim high. s&mm OCTOBER 2007 SALES &MARKETING MANAGEMENT INDUSTRIES THE SALES ROLE HAS EVOLVED. ACCORDING TO FERRARA, “IT’S NO LONGER A SIT DOWN, SHAKE HANDS, SELL ONE PRODUCT AND LEAVE DEAL.” NEW GUIDELINES FOR JOB APPLICATIONS Sales employers are re-evaluating the way they are marketing themselves to potential job candidates, trying to communicate more clearly their benefits and culture in order to attract the top candidates that best match their needs. With the advent of the Internet, there have been many changes in the job seeking and recruiting processes. The do’s and don’ts of applying for a new job haven’t changed, though. “You must distinguish yourself from the pack,” Ferrara says, “show what’s unique about you, and demonstrate the performance you have been able to deliver through quantifiable performance indicators on both your resume and cover letter.” He points out, however, that cover letters restating the resume content waste a potential employer’s time. The cover letter should fill in details and give some color around your experience. “It’s like a baseball game, where you have the play-by-play announcer and the color person—the announcer being the resume, and the color person, the cover letter,” Ferrara explains. In terms of innovation in job applications, video resumes www.salesandmarketingmanagement.com 31 http://www.salesandmarketingmanagement.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sales & Marketing Management - October 2007

Sales & Marketing Management - October 2007 Contents Editor’s Letter Management Strategies Why Prospecting Gets No Respect Sales Strategy: Spotlight your Services Marketing: A Social Intelligence Primer Management: Steer your Team to Success Motivation/Incentives: The No-Pain Way to Gain Training: Looking for Yesterday’s Learning or Tomorrow’s? Technology: Get Trade Show Satisfaction with the Video Massage Focusing on SMB Solutions The Best Sales Force The Hottest Job Industries Overseas Aggravation Gadgets & Gear: Pen and Ink as an Art Form Books that Improve Strategic Thinking, People Skills and Sales One Foot Out the Door Work/Life: Calling in the Fitness Cavalry. Take-Aways: Bite-size Strategies to Help You Sell More, Market Smarter and Manage Better

Sales & Marketing Management - October 2007

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