This week we are focusing on getting a career as a wholesale sales representative in the apparel industry. Our expert is Kimberley Nixon, COO of HealthHouse, with a background in sales & marketing and has also worked with brands such as Under Armour and Manduka.
Resume Highlights
When putting together your wholesale sales resume, be sure to include any recognizable brands you have worked for in the industry to help catch the hiring manager or recruiter’s attention.
If you haven’t worked for a well-known brand, it can be helpful to call out who the brand is that you work for and how impressive they are in the industry to help the hiring manager understand your background. Nixon suggests “making sure something recognizable is showcased so the hiring manager can connect to it when scanning your resume, such as awards you’ve won or associations you are a part of .”
Another best practice is to have metrics on your resume such as territory size, revenue goals you’ve hit, how many people you’ve managed, etc. This is especially important in sales roles, as managers will look to see whether you’ve been able to hit sales goals and if your previous goals were similar to what they will expect for their role.
Interview Preparation
Most sales interviews rely on behavioral or situational questions. For more junior positions, Nixon depends on a few key screening questions for a phone interview to help her narrow down the pool of candidates. A few examples are to tell her about a time they’ve received poor customer service and what they would have done differently. She also asks them to give an example of a time they gave great customer service to show if they can think outside the box to solve issues for their clients.
When the interview is with more experienced sales candidates, Nixon likes to find out “what the candidate is looking for in a company and in their career to make sure the role is right for the candidate”.
We always recommend candidates prepare for their interview and have questions that show they have done their research on the brand, as well as the interviewer. Nixon feels it is important for the candidate to understand the trajectory of the company and how they grew so they can know who they will be working for and the story behind the products they will be selling.
LinkedIn Tips & Tricks
Nixon has several steps she takes when starting a job search to help her find a great candidate. She first looks to her network for referrals, illustrating the importance of networking when you are searching for a new career. Join LinkedIn groups, reach out to 2nd degree connections that work for companies you admire and if you’re unemployed, consider writing a post that lets people know what kind of job you are interested in and the industry you’d like to work in.
Keeping your LinkedIn profile up to date and including pertinent info, such as times you’ve gone above and beyond for your current role or outstanding sales metrics, can show potential employers that you are ready to move up a level in your career. Nixon says she “looks down a rung on LinkedIn profiles to see if she can find anyone she feels can grow into the role”. She loves being a mentor and helping candidates who want to learn and can be trained in a role that will bring them to the next level.
Whether you are looking to continue a sales career in apparel or looking to break into the industry, these tips can help you get noticed, ace your interview and land that exciting new sales job!