Many of us know what it’s like to be the “black sheep” in an office. Feeling like you don’t fit in with your coworkers can be just as much of a job-dealbreaker as too little pay or too much work. This is especially true in the sales field, where social skills are everything. When applying for a sales position, it’s important to gauge how well a company fits you, and vice versa. Below are three popular ways to judge whether or not you’ve found the right sales job for your personality and skills.
Office Aesthetics
A picture is worth a thousand words– and having a look at the office is worth a thousand job descriptions. You can deduce a lot about a company just by seeing the workplace. Simple aesthetic choices like the dress code, the desk layout, and the level of organization (or clutter) can be valuable clues about how a business runs, and how you’d fit into it.
Common Interests and Hobbies
Small talk serves a purpose sometimes. If you’re early to a job interview, it’s a good idea to see what your prospective coworkers like to do in their spare time. This way, you won’t risk the awkwardness of being the only non-sports fan in an office full of football fanatics, or the only non-gamer in an office full of Halo junkies, etc. Shooting the breeze with the workers can help you avoid a situation where you’re the odd man out.
Values and Culture
Sometimes, judging the fit of a workplace entails looking a bit deeper than the furniture or the employee pastime. It’s useful to get a sense of why a business runs a certain way. Some sales teams are motivated entirely by the commission– and that’s fine for the more Jordan Belfort-esque salespeople out there. But some of us take a more wholesome approach to the sales process; we want to be proud of what we do and the product we sell. As much as possible, pay attention to the moral character of a prospective workplace, and see what’s important to the employees.
When your job involves talking to people all day long, it’s critical to know whether or not you’ll get along with the rest of the office. Companies tend to suffer high turnover rates when employees feel that they don’t fit in. The above tips should help you avoid such a situation and find a job that’s truly a good match for your unique qualities, but if you really want to be sure, check out Oppty. We match sales talent with recruiters based on a detailed and holistic analysis of what makes you unique. Above all, don’t settle for a job you don’t think you’ll like. Somewhere out there is a sales team that’s perfect for you.