High earning potential, career growth opportunities, and exciting products to sell make Tech Sales an appealing career path for just about anyone. However, with so many candidates vying for open positions, it can be challenging to get noticed by tech sales recruiters.
Whether you’re a recent college graduate or an experienced sales professional, here are five tips to help you get noticed by recruiters and increase your chances of landing a tech sales position.
1) Build a Strong LinkedIn Profile
While resumes are still widely used to assess potential talent, LinkedIn is becoming increasingly important during a job hunt. Not only can recruiters put a face to a resume, but they can also get a fuller picture of your background without falling asleep as they would by reading a boring black-and-white piece of paper.
You can bet that one of the first things recruiters will do after coming across your resume is search for your LinkedIn profile. As such, having your profile in its best form is imperative. Here are some essential things to do to optimize your LinkedIn profile:
A professional photo:
A few key things to remember for your LinkedIn profile photo are to keep it professional and industry appropriate, ensure the image is high-quality and well-lit, choose a neutral background without much background clutter, and give a warm and friendly smile.
Update your LinkedIn headline:
LinkedIn’s search algorithms and recruiters often prioritize the profile headline, making it an essential part of your job-seeking strategy. Job seekers must ensure that the resume title matches recruiters’ search intent, ensuring they appear higher in search results.
Profile summary
Your LinkedIn summary is your chance to present yourself to a potential employer in mere seconds. Start strong by introducing who you are as an individual. Crafting your summary in the first person and infusing it with personality will make for a compelling pitch. You can be less formal here than on a resume, so get creative!
Highlight your experience
Your work experience is one of the essential aspects of your LinkedIn profile. While it may mimic your resume for the most part, you want to be sure to optimize your experience for LinkedIn by incorporating keywords related to your industry or job position. Recruiters heavily rely on keyword data to discover new talent.
Skills and endorsements
LinkedIn also allows you to list your skills and endorsements so recruiters can better understand what you bring to the table. So in tech sales, for example, you may want to include skills like cold calling, deal closing, prospecting, etc.
Recommendations
When crafting your LinkedIn profile, don’t forget to include recommendations from those you have previously worked with. These vouch for the type of colleague and leader you are, providing hiring managers with a comprehensive look into how well you collaborate with others. Plus, these references show what sort of lasting impression you made at former employers.
Posts
Posting on LinkedIn is an excellent way to get noticed and demonstrate you’re an authority in your field. Why bother? Because it makes a statement that you care enough about the industry to share knowledge, discuss ideas, and increase collective insight, thereby raising your professional profile.
2) Craft an Appealing Resume
One of the best ways to command attention from tech sales recruiters is to write a perfect sales resume that clearly demonstrates your sales skills and achievements.
Use specific examples of generating leads, closing deals, and exceeding sales targets in your past work. Quantifying your results adds more depth and context to your resume since recruiters like quantifying results.
For example: Instead of saying, “I’ve successfully closed deals with leading Fortune 500 companies,” Instead say: “In the last four quarters, I’ve reached 125% quota attainment resulting in $1.6M in new revenue”.
When your resume looks sharp and professional while highlighting your experience, skills, and accomplishments, recruiters will be more likely to take notice. Here’s a summary of what to include in your resume:
- Professional summary
- Experience outline
- Accomplishments
- Technical skills
3) Attend Industry Events
Attending industry events such as trade shows, conferences, and networking events can help you meet recruiters and other professionals in the tech sales field.
You don’t want to be too pushy at these events. Still, you should surely use those opportunities to introduce yourself, confidently engage in industry conversation, organically mention your skills and experience, and inquire about any career opportunities that may become available.
Be prepared with business cards, your resume, a confident presence, and a brief elevator pitch full of self-promotion for when the right opportunity presents itself.
4) Tap Into Your Network for Referrals
Referrals are a powerful way to get noticed by recruiters. Reach out to former colleagues, mentors, and other contacts in your network and ask if they know of any open tech sales positions. If they can refer you to a recruiter, it can help you stand out from other candidates.
Even if they can’t directly refer you, they may be able to connect you with someone in the industry who is willing to provide advice or introduce you to other contacts.
5) Take Online Courses in Tech Sales
One of the best ways to stand out from other job applicants is by building a solid foundation of tech sales knowledge. An online course designed to help aspiring tech sales professionals develop their skills and stay on top of industry trends goes a long way. CourseCareers, for example, is a comprehensive tech sales training program that covers all bases:
- Sales basics: Learn about sales terminology and sales cycles, develop people skills, etc.
- Sales skills: Get familiar with cold calling, outreach, daily success habits, prospecting, etc.
- Learn sales technology: Learn about customer relationship management (CRM), sales engagement, sales data, and tools.
- Sales process: Learn every step of the sales process from research steps, discovery qualification, and sales methodology.
- Interview prep: CourseCareers also assists with your Linked profile, resume, Google, and social media presence, along with providing top-rate interview coaching and connections with partner employers!
If you’re new to sales in general and want to take the fast track to a career in tech sales, CourseCareers is the most efficient route to doing so.
Ready to Land a Highly Rewarding Job in Tech Sales?
Breaking into the competitive field of tech sales can be challenging, but following these five strategies can increase your chances of getting noticed by recruiters and landing your dream job.
Remember, standing out from other candidates requires more than just a strong resume and cover letter. It also involves taking proactive steps to showcase your skills and experience and to make personal connections with recruiters and other industry professionals. By implementing these strategies, you can differentiate yourself from other candidates and demonstrate your value to potential employers.
