Summer is almost here – the buzz of grad parties and the smell of a crisp new diploma are in the air. You’re riding the high of finishing out four (maybe five…) years of hard work and fun parties. Then one morning, it hits you – your resume is going into a black hole of job submissions.
Your resume is an important tool in your job search, but I’m a firm believer that what matters even more is who you are. When you don’t have years of job experience, your interview is going to focus more on how coachable you are, your personality, and if you’re really owning your career path. Read on to learn more about these three things hiring managers want to see.
1. Show that you’re coachable
It’s common during the entry-level sales interview process to be given a small project to complete. You might not know the correct answer off the bat, but what hiring managers want to see is that you can follow instructions, take the advice given to you, and execute the project professionally. More often than not, they want you to ask questions, dig deeper, and then show your understanding and application of the advice they provide. This follows for in-person role-playing during interviews as well. After your first pitch you’ll probably get some constructive feedback on your performance. Don’t take this personally – just listen and implement the changes on your second try.
2. Let your personality shine
When an interviewer asks you, “tell me about yourself” remember that they have your resume in front of them. Tell them something they won’t see on the page. In truthfully revealing who you are, you can learn about the company as well. Do your morals and values align with the company? This kind of culture fit is not only important to you, but it’s important to the hiring manager as well. You want to show those attributes about yourself to understand if the company will fit your needs.
3. Own your career path
If you’ve just graduated, you need to convince the interviewer this job is what you want and where you’d like to stay awhile. You want to be enthusiastic, but make sure it’s for the role itself, not just the excitement at scoring your first job out of college. A common question hiring managers will ask is, “where do you want to be in 5 years?” In my very first interview I bombed this question by answering it too generally. You should be specific in your response with something like, “I want to be an individual contributor for at least two years then manage my own team of sales reps.” Demonstrate that your future path involves the role that you are interviewing for and comment on your plan for growth.
Every interview is different, but overall, hiring managers are looking for the same thing in a recent graduate. If you show that you’re coachable, have a great personality, and are confident in your career path – you’re demonstrating that you’re the right candidate for the job. Out of the 25 entry-level candidates I have placed this year, I’ve seen all of them show impressive growth in these areas to land their dream jobs and I know you can too.
If you’re a new grad interested in a career in sales at some of the coolest companies on the planet connect with a recruiter (like myself) by clicking here!
Post Author: Megan Johannes