How to Get Into Sales and Land the Job You Want
Distribute My Resume7 min read. Updated on November 09, 2020
You can get a great sales job, even if you don’t have any experience.
Sales is one of the most in-demand career paths out there. However, despite the number and variety of sales jobs, it can be a challenge to find the position that's the right fit for you and your sales style. The good news is that you don’t need a long track record to break in.
If you know what hiring managers are looking for and how to position yourself, you can land a sales job.
Learn the basics of sales before you apply
If you're serious about getting into sales, take some time to understand what the job actually involves. Sales isn't just about closing deals! It’s about solving problems, building relationships, and staying motivated through rejection. That’s true whether you're selling software, services, or shoes.
When you watch videos, read articles, or take short courses to brush up on the fundamentals of sales, you give yourself a huge leg up against rival job seekers. Focus on topics like lead generation, prospecting, relationship-building, and the sales funnel. Here are some resources to get you started:
Successful Negotiation: Essential Strategies and Skills (Coursera)
Tips From Closers: 8 Pro Techniques Top Sales Professionals Use When Selling (Business.com)
Don’t get bogged down here though. Learn enough to speak the language and move on with applying to jobs.
What you should know about sales jobs
To keep yourself from getting stuck in skill-building or research mode, you need to know a bit about sales. Of course, every company in every industry has sales jobs. But they’re not cookie cutter roles.
Some sales jobs emphasize bringing in new business while others want you to manage existing accounts. The sales job you get could have you on the phone all day or in your car driving from one client location to another.
The bottom line is that they all have the same thing in common: helping customers solve problems using your company’s product or service. The best salespeople listen well, ask smart questions, and know how to handle objections without being pushy.
How to get into sales with no experience
One of the best things about sales is that it’s pretty easy to get into a sales role, even with no experience. So, if you don’t have direct sales experience, don’t sweat it. If you’re a new grad or moving into sales from another field, it’s very doable – with the right transferable skills.
To get into sales without experience, focus on what you can offer:
Communication
Resilience
Problem-solving
The ability to build trust quickly
These are things you’ve likely done in other jobs, even if you’ve never held a sales title.
Tips for landing a sales job
Sales is competitive, and employers want to know you can bring value from day one. These tips will help you show hiring managers that you're ready to sell, whether or not you've done it before.
1. Build a shortlist of target companies
Instead of applying to every sales job you see, focus your energy on companies that actually interest you. Start with industries you care about:
Tech
Healthcare
Finance
Retail
Dig into sales roles by looking at job descriptions, employee reviews, and sales team structures. When you target companies intentionally, your applications are sharper, your interview answers are stronger, and your follow-up feels more natural. It also helps you avoid roles with unrealistic quotas or bad commission structures.
Learning how to get into sales is easier when you know where you want to go.
2. Tailor your resume to highlight sales-ready skills
Updating your resume to target the specific job description you're applying for is also important. If you've worked in a different industry in the past but are ready for a job in sales, your resume must reflect that.
You will want to highlight positions and experiences in which you demonstrated strong communication skills, perseverance, and competitiveness — all of which are key to succeeding in sales.
Look at the job description and match your phrasing to what they’re asking for. If you’ve worked in roles where you solved problems, dealt with customers, or hit performance targets, those are worth calling out.
Keep in mind that you'll also need to speak articulately about those work experiences in an interview. Make it clear that although you're new to sales, you have transferable knowledge and skills that make you a great candidate for the position.
3. Use LinkedIn to find and market yourself for sales jobs
LInkedIn is one of the best tools for getting into sales. Not only are a metric ton of sales jobs posted there, but also a ridiculously high number of recruiters – 95% – use LinkedIn to source candidates for jobs.
A clean profile, clear headline, and a few solid recommendations can help you stand out fast.
List skills like relationship-building, communication, and problem-solving.
Ask colleagues or managers to endorse you or write a short recommendation, even if your past work wasn’t in sales.
Network by joining industry groups, connecting with salespeople, and messaging hiring managers
Sales is all about outreach. Show you’re comfortable with it.
4. Train yourself to think like a seller
You don’t need a job in sales to start thinking like a salesperson. The best reps are curious, proactive, and always learning. You can start by:
Following sales leaders on LinkedIn
Watching real cold call breakdowns on YouTube
Reading up on common sales frameworks like SPIN or BANT
The goal isn’t to become an expert overnight, it’s to build awareness. When you understand how sales cycles work, how buyers think, and what good outreach looks like, you’ll speak the language in interviews. That’s a fast way to stand out.
5. Treat the interview like a sales pitch
When interviewing for a sales position, there is an expectation of strong verbal communication skills and interpersonal dexterity that demonstrates your ability to sell.
Successfully interviewing for a sales position involves more than having good answers to commonly-asked questions. It also requires having a thoughtful, well-practiced pitch that shows you've researched the company and its products, and that you're ready to hit the ground running if hired.
If you can sell yourself in the interview, you’re already showing that you’ve got what it takes.
6. Negotiate your offer with finesse
Of course, you want to land a job with a great compensation package. When you're close to accepting your dream sales job offer, it's important to determine if the compensation structure is one you can live with long term. If it isn't, you may need to negotiate the offer.
Pro Tip: Negotiating your compensation isn’t just allowed – it’s expected!
If you get an offer, don’t accept it blindly. Take a close look at the comp structure. Does the commission plan reward the kind of work you’ll be doing? Is the base salary realistic for your market?
Politely ask, “Is this negotiable?”
When you show you understand value and how to advocate for it, as a good salesperson does, there could be an opportunity to adjust your salary. Even if they don’t budge, you’ve made a good impression and that’s what great salespeople do!
7. Always follow up like a salesperson
If you want to show you’ve got what it takes to succeed in sales, then don’t ghost the hiring manager after the interview. Follow up – just like you'd follow up with a sales prospect.
Send a short thank-you note that reinforces your interest and reminds them what you bring to the table. You should even mention something specific from the conversation to keep it personal.
This small step shows initiative, attention to detail, and the ability to close: three things every sales team wants.
No experience needed – just some grit and strategy
The hiring process can be challenging and stressful for companies and candidates alike. Yet, when you find the sales job of your dreams, there are things you can do to demonstrate that you're the candidate they've been looking for all along.
If you’re serious about learning how to get into sales, don’t wait for someone to hand you a shot. Start acting like you already have one. This move? It’s called “assuming the sale.” There’s your first bit of sales language. Go learn some more.
If you need a second opinion about whether your resume is selling you into a sales role, get a free professional resume review to find out.
This article was originally written by Anna Baluch. It’s been updated by Marsha Hebert.
Job Placement Services
We’ll guide your entire job search.
We’ll guide your entire job search
