Closing the interviewer and getting the offer

As you’re going for a sales job, it’s important to bring each stage of the interview process to a conclusion by closing the interviewer.

This gives you a chance to uncover any hidden objections and find out what they really think of your chances.

If you’ve got to the end of the first interview and feel it’s gone well, ask your interviewer what the next step would be if you are successful. If they say that successful candidates will be invited to a second interview you should ask,

"Is there any reason why you wouldn’t bring me back for a second interview?"

This gives them a chance to tell you how well you’ve done and what their concerns might be at this stage.

Perhaps they think you interview well but don’t have the enough experience, or maybe their worried about how frequently you’ve changed jobs in the past... whatever their hesitations, this gives you an opportunity to reassure them and plan how you’ll deal with these issues at second interview stage...

"I can see how that might concern you.  Although I don’t have the specific experience you’re looking for, I learn quickly and easily adapt to new situations... leaving experience to one side I think I have all the skills you’re looking for and would love the opportunity to prove this in a second interview."

Getting the Offer

Training consultants generally use 2 forms of questionnaire to get feedback on a training course – one given out at the end of the session and another a couple of weeks or months afterwards. The feedback form that’s completed immediately after the training session is often called "the happy sheet" – having just finished the session attendees are generally a lot more positive then a couple of weeks later when the pressure of their everyday job has returned.

However you’ve performed, your potential employer’s opinion of you will be highest straight after the interview – if you want the job, use this to your advantage by summarising what a great fit this is.

If you’re at the end of the interview process it’s essential to find out where you stand.

"Thanks for giving me a really good understanding of the job, I’m really keen and hopefully I’ve shown that I’d be a great addition to the team – at this stage is there any reason why you wouldn’t offer me the job?"

What happens next?

If they show hesitancy or tell you they have other candidates to consider, it’s reasonable to ask them when they hope to make a final decision and if it’s true, you can add some urgency by mentioning that there are a couple of other positions you are interviewing for.

If this opportunity is your definite favourite, encourage them to hire you there and then:

"I have 2 second interviews next week but if you were to offer me the position I would happily cancel them…"

Companies can be very British at times and you might find that they would rather email you the details of their offer or discuss with your recruitment consultant at a later time.  If they make you an offer on the spot, here’s what to say:

"That’s great news, I’m really pleased, thank you. Could you email me a written offer to confirm the details and the conditions of employment please?"

Negotiations

You’re very unlikely to get them to change the benefits package (number of holiday days, pension etc) or the commission structure as these are generally the same for all employees at each level.

As a general rule, the larger the company the less room there is to manoeuvre on the basic salary too.

If you are made an offer that you’re happy to accept then go for it. If they have fallen short on your basic salary, you’re entitled to ask for more.

Although your basic salary is a reflection of the skills and experience you bring to the role, just because you earned £X in your last job this doesn’t mean you’re entitled to £X plus a bit more.

More important as a guide is the salary bracket that was originally advertised or given to you by your recruitment consultant.  If they’ve offered you the job at the lower end of the range, find out why and agree an action plan to move you onto the higher end as soon as possible.

For example, they may have offered you the job as you show potential even though you lack specific experience.  If you perform in the role this is irrelevant so suggest agreeing some milestones that when reached will be rewarded with a salary increase.

These could include hitting your targets for a number of successive months, or perhaps meeting key clients and rebooking a set number of advertisers.

On Target Earnings

When evaluating the offer you should consider the package as a whole – a couple of £thousand off your basic salary means about £100 less per month in your wages.  If your on target earnings through commission are £100 more than your last employer you’re going to be better off.

At the start of your career, it’s harder to work out the likelihood of hitting your targets at a company you don’t know, working on a product you haven’t sold before.

For this reason, don’t accept a basic salary that you can’t live on.

The other side of the coin is that if you aren’t hitting targets not only will you not earn your OTE (duh!) you might not even keep your job.

Try to find out as much as possible about the company – they will often be happy for you to meet members of the sales team and ask them about things like targets and commission. If you’re not sure don’t be afraid to ask.