Sales Career Advice - Optimal Sales Search

Top software salespeople know the best sales jobs are highly competitive.

Enterprise software sales jobs are competitive because there are more salespeople than exceptional sales opportunities. Find that hard to believe?

Well, let’s define what we mean by exceptional software sales jobs.

Finding a company has a robust solution, crack implementation teams, knowledgeable pre-sales support, marketing prowess, high-caliber SDRs/BDRs, and rock-solid executive leadership is a hard combination to find. Most salespeople have to work around company gaps and limitations.

Sonja Hastings August 19, 2019

What Job Seekers Can Learn from Jack Ma about Job Search Setbacks

Facing job search setbacks?

Even Jack Ma encountered rejection. He was turned down from even the most basic jobs. Applying for positions with KFC and 30 additional companies, he was rejected from every single one of them.

Most of us see rejection as a failure. Thank goodness Jack didn’t.

Sonja Hastings July 2, 2019

One Powerful Skill That Will Help You Get More Sales Job Offers

Salespeople who interview better win more offers. So, what’s the secret to better interviews?

First, think about how salespeople are seen by the rest of the actors in the corporate world. We are loud, get away with saying things that aren’t PC, we talk a lot, and we look like we’re having a great time.

When recruiting for a salesperson, it’s almost expected that the salesperson entertains, communicates, and tells stories. Afterall, it’s the opposite of interviewing an accountant who says all of three words in 30 minutes. The conversation will be lively. However, it’s expected.

Sonja Hastings May 2, 2019

5 Reasons Why Your Resume Should be No More Than Two Pages

If you’re a sales professional, you must take the time to put together a crisp resume.

The more experience you have, the longer the resume becomes. How do you know if your resume it too long?

Just about everyone from your next-door neighbor to your old boss has an opinion on your resume. The more people you ask, the more varying opinions you’ll get!

These views will often contradict each other.

How do you know what to do? Who should you listen to for advice? Take it from a recruiter—we look at thousands of resumes, often a hundred a day, sometimes more.

Sonja Hastings March 29, 2019

Eleven Surefire Ways to Get Your Sales Job Offer Rescinded

After several months of interviewing for a sales job, you’ve been assured your job offer is on the way. Now’s not the time to blow it and get your job offer rescinded! Don’t put yourself at risk for getting the sales job offer withdrawn.

First, the good news about securing a sales job offer.

Sonja Hastings January 13, 2019

Can Recruiters Help You Make a Career Transition into a New Field?

People approach recruiters when they’re exploring new job opportunities.

Presumably, this is because they’ve successfully worked with a recruiter in the past. However, in specific situations, using an executive recruiter is not always your best choice.

For example, if you are hoping to switch career fields, a recruiter won’t be an effective resource for you.

Some people find it disconcerting to hear recruiters won’t be able to help them move into a different field. But there is an excellent reason for this.

Sonja Hastings October 10, 2018

Hi, I’m Sonja Hastings, Executive Software Sales Recruiter with Optimal Sales Search.

I’ve been recruiting sales talent for 15 years and this is my blog where I share sales recruiting insights, news, and more.

Learn more about me here.

San Francisco Bay Area HQ’d National Sales Recruitment Firm

Since 2004 Optimal Sales Search has been helping innovative companies across the nation accelerate growth by hiring high-performance sales and sales leadership.

Top Enterprise Software Salespeople Are Obsessed With This When it Comes To Job Interviews