As a fresher, it is common to get tense before going for an interview as there is the additional pressure of not having any experience. For competitive fields like sales, companies seek someone who has some experience in the field. But that doesn’t make you an underdog in the race. You need the correct strategy to make an impact on the interview board.
The good news is, demand for freshers has increased by 7% in 1st quarter of 2021 according to Teamlease. The main reason behind hiring freshers is the ability to train and mould them as per the requirement. Freshers have a natural encouragement to learn new things and adapt fast. So, if you’re a fresher in a sales job, you have an equal chance to get hired. All you need to do is, showcase the best relevant skills to the board.
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Why do interviewers ask this question ?
From an interviewer’s end, it is crucial to understand the potential of a fresher applicant. Unlike experienced salespeople, they cannot show their achievements or share their working process. Generally, these types of questions are asked at the very beginning of the interview to understand your interest and motive. After that, different counter questions would be asked to analyse you in a better way.
Also, freshers are not aware of real-world problems and they have fancy imaginations about sales. As a hiring manager, it is their responsibility to check whether a candidate has the flexibility and passion to work in sales.
As a fresher, it is important to expect this question in an interview and prepare accordingly. Some major points need to be mentioned for a sales job to determine your ability. Let’s find out the key points to remember while preparing the best answer.
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What skills do you need to work in sales?
Before you prepare your answer, know which skills are most important to mention and can make a difference.
- Good communication Skills
The most important thing in sales is to speak after you listen actively. To establish trust and long-term relations, it is necessary to understand the customer’s needs and approach the solution. Only a pitch for a product won’t work as an effective skill.
- Interpersonal skills
There are a lot more things to practice except listening and speaking in sales. Interpersonal skills like meeting new people, starting a conversation, asking probing questions are part of this skill. These methods help a salesperson to involve in the process and convince a prospect.
- Motivated
In sales, it is normal to get rejected or face bad or weird behaviour from the customer’s end. But, as a salesperson, it is important to keep yourself motivated and keep the professional life away from personal sentiments. Also, the urge to find a new solution to every challenge is included in this part.
- Likes to travel
Another reason for people to not apply in sales is to travel to new places. If you don’t have an interest to visit new places and meet new people, you cannot make a better career in sales.
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Also Check : Sales Interview Question : What motivates you to sell?
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How to prepare and answer why are you interested in sales ?
To prepare a better answer, you need to work hard and find something unique about yourself for which the interviewers get impressed. Here are some steps to follow to find the key skills.
- Assess yourself
Ask a question to yourself that why are you choosing sales as your career. You need to find the reasons behind your motivation to work in sales. It can be your passion, your interest, or your career plan.
The specific skills need to be found by yourself and then you can map them with the company’s requirements. And, while others are giving a single reason against this question, you can mention at least three points in your favour.
To map your key skills with the company’s requirements, you need to do two things,
- One is to research the company, their work culture.
- Secondly, you need to go through the job description. It will give you a precise idea about the job and you can answer to the point.
- Maintain a Structure
For a seamless, confident answer, do not try to memorise the answer as you don’t know in which context it would b asked. Rather, plan a format for your answer and be honest while answering. The structure can be prepared as the skills, its importance in the target job, and the final result.
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Sample Answers:
#1
Before applying for this job, I talked to some of my seniors who are in sales. They mentioned that it is important to have good communication skills to be successful in sales. In my school and college, I maintained good communication skills, worked in teams and participated actively to find solutions to new challenges.
I think a sales job is perfect for me as I love to meet new people and want to learn new, innovative things every day.
#2
Even though I have no such professional experience in sales, I had a natural skill to convince people according to their needs. In my college days, I used to work with my brother to offer website development workshops at the weekend and my job was to find students who need such courses. Then, I convince them to take this course and gradually earn some pocket money.
I had no clue how to develop a website, but for my confidence and communication skills, people used to show interest in my offer.
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[ Must Read Before Next Interview : 20 Strong Examples of – Tell me about yourself for Fresher Sample Answer ]
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Similar questions:
- What made you choose sales?
- Why did you choose sales over other careers?
- What motivates you to apply for sales?
- How you can work in sales without any experience?
Mistakes to Avoid by Freshers While Answering “Why are you intrested in sales”:
- Do not mention anything that showcases your dilemma like ‘I am not sure’ or ‘I am trying to find a job only.’ Always try to make an impression that shows you are involved to be in a sales position.
- Mention your key skills with confidence without any hesitation. Interviews might ask you to show them how you can sell a glass of water or a pen. You need to use your skills to convince them with your impromptu answer.
- Only to reason to earn money won’t work here. Be honest with your answer and you can mention finance as a side reason. But try to mention some reasons that are directly connecting with the job requirements.
Summary:
As a fresher job seeker, it is challenging to get hired but if you can overshadow your lack of experience with your skill and presentation, you would be hired for sure. In your answer, try to mention that in this fast-changing competitive world, every job is tough. But, as you’re passionate about sales, you want to proceed with this in your career.