If you’re looking for companies that are seasonal sales hiring, then this post is perfect for you! Here we will discuss the best sales hiring practices and how to find seasonal sales work during peak holiday seasons.
Do you know what a seasonal sales job is? Some of the most popular sales jobs are temporary workers who help businesses during busy times – such as holiday shopping periods. Retail Leader highlights the ten most active sales days of the year.
This article will discuss what a seasonal sales job is and how to stick out the most to hiring managers. We will also go over six tips on how to boost your chances of finding seasonal work.
What Is A Seasonal Sales Job?
A seasonal sales job is when you’re employed to help increase sales for the business during a specific time of year. Increased sales can be achieved by either adding new customers or helping to keep current ones! Seasonal sales jobs are usually temporary and part-time, with a set end date.
The most significant dates for hiring seasonal sales associates are during the holidays and sales periods such as Black Friday. Some examples of sales hiring for holiday sales are Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Halloween – all have a considerable number of customers spending money, for different reasons.
What Type Of Sales Jobs Are Most Popular?
Seasonal sales jobs can be found in many different types of industries, but they all focus on increasing sales numbers. For example, luxury retail stores hire seasonal workers to help increase their profits by selling more products at full price. Other standard sales jobs include working retail or door-to-door (cold calling).
Some of the most popular seasonal sales jobs are retail shops such as Target and Walmart. However, fulfillment centers are also very crucial during the busy holiday seasons because of the high amount of orders being anticipated. Finally, delivery services like USPS and FedEx also add to their salesforce during the holiday season to keep up with such high demands for online deliveries.
These are some of the most popular companies to work for during the holiday season.
What Traits Do Hiring Managers Look For?
Hiring managers for sales jobs look for applicants with the best customer service skills, someone with strong communication abilities, and sales experience. Hiring managers look for sales workers with good communication abilities; especially in sales hiring positions during the holiday season when it gets very busy at work. Applicants must be punctual, trustworthy, motivated, reliable, team-oriented individuals.
Additionally, sales hiring managers also look at your ability to handle rejection. You may find yourself receiving a “no” often when trying to find new customers or convincing people that need a specific product immediately. Some sales workers may even have quotas they must meet every month (such as how many cold calls they make).
Lastly, sales associates that are able to show they can be trusted during their interviews will have a better chance of being hired. Show trust by showing up on time and being well prepared for your interview.
How Can I Stand Out To Hiring Managers?
There are several ways you can stand out from other candidates during seasonal sales interviews. These are just a few tips to help you better prepare for a potential interview:
Have Good Availability
Many sales hiring managers require that sales staff be available at all times during the sales period. Therefore, trying your best to clear up your schedule for the season would set you apart. Especially from most others who can’t work certain hours or days. During Black Friday and Christmas you definitely need to be available for those peak days.
Be Patient With Your Customers
Customers can ask for a lot. A new sales hire needs to know when it is best to stick to their guns and say no! Some sales jobs have specific rules about how many returns they will allow. So you must learn these policies before starting to work. A sales hire must also be prepared to listen to customers for a while and try to find the best solution.
Know Your Services Very Well
Being able to talk about sales services at length is vital for sales hires! Hiring managers want employees who can immediately help customers, which means understanding services and benefits inside and out. Some companies will also ask you questions during your interview (like “tell me how this specific service works”) – so make sure you’re prepared with responses beforehand!
Know What You Are Selling
The sales industry constantly changes as new products come out on the market regularly. As a result, you’ll find yourself learning about different items every time there’s a sale season! That being said, make sure you stay up-to-date with current trends in sales industries so you’re ready for any type of question that may arise from your manager or customer.
Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses
Knowing what you are good at and where you may be lacking are very important traits to a good salesperson. Most hiring managers will ask you what you believe are your strengths and weaknesses, so it is crucial to answer it for yourself before heading into an interview. If you need help answering this critical question for yourself, check out our article here.
Six Tips For Boosting Your Chances Of Finding Seasonal Work:
WIth so many people being hired for seasonal jobs, you sometimes need to do a bit more to make sure you stand out. The following six tips will help you increase your sales hiring chances with the companies you are applying to.
Research
Research different kinds of seasonal sales jobs that may interest you by browsing our website. See if anything stands out to you in terms of sales roles. Also, try finding sales positions that best suit your areas of expertise and experience so that you can stand out in sales interviews. Here you will find the top sales companies to work for in 2021.
Send A Cover Letter
Send a cover letter along with your resume when applying for a sales position online. Make sure it’s clear how your experience and traits will benefit the sales company, this is also a great time to do a little self-promotion.
A cover letter is crucial to help you stand out with hiring sales managers. If you need any tips on writing a great cover letter, this article may help. Indeed also highlights the importance of a cover letter and adds more information to help you stand out.
Check Out Nearby Retail Stores
Look for sales jobs that are hiring near you! Sometimes seasonal sales workers only have worked at specific locations, so it’s best to check locally first before applying online. This can also be seen as a plus to a hiring manager when they have the chance to have someone that is fairly local.
Reach Out To Different Companies
Even if a job doesn’t say they’re hiring on their website or social media pages, don’t be afraid to reach out anyways! You can always ask them about upcoming opportunities via email or phone call. This gives you a chance to get ahead of the curve.
Always Have Sales Numbers Ready
Make sure you keep track of all of your accomplishments in sales by keeping an updated list throughout the year, which includes things like the number of sales made, accounts taken over from another worker, etc… This way, when it comes time to apply for more sales positions during busy seasons (such as spring and fall sales), you can be sure to include them on your resume.
Dress To Impress And Be Confident
Dress the part! You never know who will end up interviewing you, so it’s best to dress as if someone important might see what clothes you’re wearing. If they conduct an interview online, make sure you adjust your webcam accordingly for optimal lighting and audio quality during the call! Avoid rambling on during the interview as well – sales managers want to know they can trust you with their sales leads. If there are too many “umms” or long pauses, it will make them think twice about hiring you for a sales position!
Be Patient and Resilient
Be patient when applying for seasonal sales jobs online and follow up if necessary by emailing your resume again or calling the company directly. Sometimes job postings don’t get updated immediately after someone is hired, so staying persistent might end up getting you an interview!
Essential Things To Remember About Seasonal Sales
Seasonal sales work is very nontraditional. You need to be aware and prepared for a different style of work. These are a few tips of things to remember when applying for seasonal work.
You Need to Apply Early
When sales positions are first posted, be the first to apply, even if it’s for a sales position that isn’t necessarily what you’re looking for. The sales company will most likely hire someone soon after they post the sales job and fill up all their open sales roles before posting new ones!
Sales Jobs Are Aplenty During Sales Seasons
There is usually an abundance of sales jobs during the spring and fall seasons. Don’t feel down when there aren’t any available sales postings online. You can always check back later as more companies start hiring seasonal workers. Once the holiday season is in full swing, customers will start to purchase more, requiring more workers.
Be Prepared to Work Non-Traditional Hours
Even though sales jobs are typically part-time, it’s common for sales companies to require that their sales workers work outside of the usual Monday through Friday hours. Sometimes they may need someone during weekend shifts, too, so be prepared! Especially when being hired before black Friday, there are some days that you absolutely must be available for.
You May Not Have a Job At The End Of The Season
An important thing to note about sales jobs is that they typically offer fewer hours than other sales positions. Many retail stores will hire hundreds to fill seasonal spots, so many that, realistically, many employees are released after the season. Be prepared to be out of a job and back into the hiring pool.
Conclusion
Hiring for seasonal retail positions is a big deal during the holiday season. It’s not always easy to find someone who will fit with the team. But with this list of best practices in mind, you should have no problem finding a job.
If you need help finding that perfect seasonal position or want some tips on making yourself stand out from the crowd when applying for jobs at stores near you, we can help! Sales Recruiters Chicago would love to partner with you to get into your next sales role. The team here knows what type of person excels in these roles because they see them every day. So if you think hiring managers are looking for salespeople who are ambitious, confident, and focused on their career goals, then contact us for how we could help you find the job that’s just right for you!
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