Most professionals in the sales field have had some form of training during their sales career either formally, informally, or from a mentor. As you consider a change in career or industry, realize you can take what you’ve learned in sales and apply it to your career change or job search. 

Five ways to incorporate your sales skills into your job search include: 

Resume Development – When you make the decision to go forward in moving to a new position, industry, or career altogether; use what you know best as someone in the sales field and use emotion, words, and experience to sell yourself in your resume and other related documents. 

Create a sales presentation for yourself, show why you can do the job better than anyone else. Use achievements, success stories testimonials, and dynamite written references to show off the skills you possess. 

Use words that make the reader feel comfortable and that are key or specific jargon to the industry you are looking into, not one you are leaving. Make the resume although truthful, so enticing, that the readers won’t be able to wait five minutes to email or call you for an interview. 

Research – This endeavor is a vitally important, but often overlooked step which will help you find the right industry, position and even company for you. By researching these areas you’ll be able to determine what is interesting to you, which positions you are actually qualified for, and where you will fit in best. The fit is essential and based on environment, your natural work preferences and your strengths. You’ll not only save yourself time, money and a lot of problems and heart ache by finding a job that fits you but you’ll be happier because you did. 

Again, use the same tracking skills you use in sales to learn the market, know where your products will fit and work best, know about who you are selling to and succeed! This step is often done before or as you are preparing your resume. The better focus you have the more powerful the research and resume will be. 

Networking - While searching through your options and planning your strategic job search, you can boost your results by utilizing your network of colleagues, coworkers, customers, friends, and family. Letting others know the companies, fields or industries you are targeting can quickly fan out to many ears and opportunities. Just as you share your sales career with your network, you can share your search with them to generate assistance and support. 

Work to expand your network to new arenas such as professional, industry or local networks or associations in your area; online connections through LinkedIn, CraigsList and some of the many Yahoo or Google groups. All can be great ways to make connections and establish contacts within the areas of your search. 

Interviewing – This is where you take your years of training and experience in the art of sales and put them into practice as you work to sell the hiring managers, recruiters and employers on you, your skills, potential, and fit with the team/company. 

By using what you have learned through your career research, job search experience and networking will facilitate a feeling of competence which will improve your confidence and your ability to recognize what the company is looking for and effectively provide concrete examples of your success that can fill their needs. 

Using the skills you’ve already developed after years of sales experience to successfully market yourself as the ideal candidate for the position, is a chance you as a sales professional need to take advantage of to establish your credibility and potential contribution.