Desperate or Aggressive?

By David Demelo, Division Manager at Treeline, Inc.

With today’s volatile job market, are you coming across as desperate or aggressive in your job search?

Desperate times call for desperate measures. However, at what point do you cross the line of desperation and no longer appeal to the company you have worked so hard to impress. Sales professionals are competitive, strive to beat out their competition, and do not like to hear no for an answer. Yet, when this mentality is applied to your job search, you are at risk of crossing the line of being aggressive and coming across as desperate.

So, what are some signs that you are on the verge of blurring that line? (more…)

Don’t take their word for it. Know how to qualify your earnings!

By Kathleen Mauriot  Division Manager at Treeline, Inc.

Let’s be honest.  You wouldn’t be in sales if making money was not high on your priority list. After all, sales jobs are tough and a lot of people cannot handle the long hours and stress that you have become accustomed to. Your ability to do a job that others cannot makes you a highly sought after employee and that’s why you are highly compensated. But how many of you have accepted a sales position with expectations of making a specific amount of money and quickly realized that the numbers just didn’t add up.  Even if you exceeded your target goals, you would not make the money that you were told you would when you accepted the job. What a de-motivator! Unfortunately, most sales people experience this discrepancy at least once in their career. It’s a hard lesson to learn, but the bottom line is this –  do not accept a sales position unless you have a solid understanding of how you will make your money! (more…)

6 Tips to for a Successful Skype Interview

By Kathleen Mauriot Division Manager at Treeline Inc.

If you are an active job seeker you most likely have been asked to interview via Skype.  This is becoming a new trend in the interview process with many companies. So if you are not familiar with this technology and are a job seeker, you may want to invest some time in getting familiar with Skype.

Among a variety of reasons, hiring managers are utilizing Skype to cut down on time and costs invested in interviewing.  These days, employers are interviewing three times as many candidates for one role as they have in the past.  There are just not enough hours in the day to keep up with the high demands of a thorough interview process.  Remember time is money and the last thing a hiring manager wants to do is waste an hour of time interviewing an applicant after figuring out after 15 minutes they are not the right fit for the role. It’s easier to whisk a candidate off the Skype call than it is to shove them out the door after they drove an hour and a half to get to the interview. So to avoid an abruptly ended call, below are some tips that you can follow when preparing for your Skype interview to make it a success: (more…)

5 Useful Tips and Techniques for Landing Your Next Sales Job

By Alex Bender, Consultant at Treeline Inc.

With U.S. Employers adding no new jobs in August and unemployment hovering around 9.1% how do you find your next job?  

When I ask my average candidate this question, they typically respond with “the boards:” monster.com, careerbuilder.com, indeed.com, etc. However, the fact of the matter is that the boards are antiquated and are going the way of the dinosaur.  This is a popular notion and has been referenced by many others from the Wall Street Journal to the Gurus on LinkedIn. So if the job boards are no longer effective how are people finding opportunities? (more…)

Sales Interview Lessons Learned from the Big Screen

By Sean Cashman, Senior Consultant at Treeline, Inc.

I am a huge movie buff – I have a bit of an obsession with them.  Half of my daily dialogue is stripped directly from the good and bad movies that I love.  I decided to write a blog that would combine this obsession with another passion of mine – my job as a recruiter.  As a sales recruiter, I have plenty of tales to tell about candidates, clients and the events that unfold throughout an interview process.

I have compiled the top Interviews that I have seen on the big screen (and small screen) and the lessons that you can learn from these scenes to make sure that you are a more effective interviewee.  Enjoy. (more…)

Ask A Recruiter

By: Dave Demelo, Treeline Division Manager

Dear Recruiter,

I am a sales representative who is currently employed.  I have been with my organization for a few years and, for the most part successfully hit my goals and quotas. I love the company culture and all of the people that I work with. I enjoy going to work each day and the competitive environment my colleagues and I have created amongst each other.  However, I’ve recently become curious about other possible job opportunities and I feel an urge to selectively seek for a new sales position.

What is the best way to approach a selective job search? (more…)

The 25 Weirdest Interview Questions of 2010

Thank You  OR “No Thank You”

By Kathleen Mauriot, Division Manager at Treeline, Inc.

Dear Mr. Jones,

I am writing to thankyou for taking time out of your busy shedule to meet with me.  I found our discussion about ACME’s new Gizmo software to be very excirting, and I to believe in  gizzmo’s  potential to be disrputive in the marketplace. 

I understand from our discussion that you are looking for an agressive Sales guy that is not afraid to pick up the phone and make calls.  I welcome the chance to further demonstrate that I am the right sales person for the job!

Thank you,

Jimmy 

Can you find the typos in this note?  You can bet that Mr. Jones will… (more…)

Interviewing is not just poetry…..

written by: Kathleen Mauriot Division Manager at Treeline, Inc.

Picture this:  You spend hours the night before your interview preparing.  You review the typical interview questions and rehearse the answers over & over reciting them out loud until it sounds like poetry, flowing lyrics to your ears, answering questions without hesitation.  “That’s it.  I’m done.  I am going to ace this interview.” You grab your calculator for the last time figuring your starting weekly paycheck.  With a sigh, it’s lights out.

Alarm rings, you are up instantly. You are early to the interview so you decide to stop in Dunkin’s for a quick bite and coffee, and study your notes for the final time. You enter the company lobby.  The receptionist asks you for your resume and you take a seat until the VP comes to greet you. After giving him your signature handshake, you are convinced everything is off to a great start. Things are going smoothly. You haven’t been asked one question that’s stumped you, no curve balls, and the VP was smiling the entire time.  He seemed really impressed with you and you also enjoyed the conversation.  In fact, you were so thorough with your answers that the interview wrapped up quicker than originally expected. As you walked out the door you truly envisioned yourself working there. Wow! I did it! (more…)

Ask A Sales Recruiter

Dear Dave,

I’ve been unemployed for the past 9 months after losing my job as an enterprise software sale professional. I’ve been on multiple interviews, spent numerous hours working on my resume and interview skills, and networked with other sales professionals. As a result, I’ve landed a couple of interviews and finally have two opportunities that I am really excited about.

This first opportunity has a great company culture. The office is lively, the employees appear happy and the energy is contagious. I met with the sales manager and the sales team. They are all hard workers, friendly and welcoming.

The second opportunity has similar qualities as Job #1; everyone is energetic, positive and there is a great company culture. I really hit it off with the sales manager, I really liked their sales process, and I can see myself working with the sales team.

Job #2 has an edge that leads it to be my first choice. However, the hiring manager from sales Job #1 just told me they would like to offer me the position, but the hiring process for Job #2 is not complete.

The timing is all off.

What should I do? Do you have any advice?

Sincerely,

Perplexed Sales Professional (more…)