Considered pursuing a career in sales? This interview will take you down the career path of a technical sales representative, including the ups and downs you can expect, what it takes to land the job, what you can expect to earn and more. This is a true career story as told to Latpro and is one of many interviews with sales professionals which among others include a product manager, a president of marketing, and everything in between.
As a technical sales representative, I sold semiconductors to major accounts in the telecommunications industry. For one and a half years, I trained and sold semiconductors to one single account. Because the product and sales cycle was long, I needed patience, technical savvy and a consultative nature.
As a black woman, I was more affected by being one of the few women on the team than by being black. Our office was mixed. There were three African Americans and four women in the office. However, there was only one woman in the office that held a position to mine. The other two women worked in reception and inside sales. The office was dominated by men, both black and white.
I never noticed any discrimination in the office. My direct manager was a black man, who was extremely jovial. His manager was a black man, who listened well and enjoyed talking. His manager was white, and I never had much interaction with him except on occasion. My peers were mostly white men and one white women. Rather than discrimination, there was more reverence for people in certain positions. Competition among team members was also fairly high.
During the initial stages of my position, I had joint responsibility with one of my teammates. Daily, we would meet with our customers to determine how the product was working with their current design or determine their expected demand for the coming product introduction. The customers asked us technical questions about the product and made requests that would make the product integrate better with their current design. Each day, our goal was to ensure that the customer selected our product solution over the competitor.
This was not always easy, because frankly, we did not always have the best solution. However, we worked to change our technical specifications to develop an optimal solution. We also met with our product planners to help them plan for potential demand since the product required three months to develop from the order time.
Many people that sell products think they can also sell semiconductors. While soft sales skills are required, the technical understanding of VLSI circuits and the development process can be complex and requires a technical background to understand the details of the specifications, speeds and connections.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rank this job an 8. The perks were great and entertaining the clients was fun. However, being bombarded by a host of technical questions was somewhat challenging at times. There was also the stress of making or exceeding a quota as a team. I think that I needed more confidence in my technical ability as it related to my specific job duties.
I never really considered semiconductor sales as my calling in life. I wanted to work in semiconductor sales to learn more about the semiconductor process. Then, I would transfer the skills later to obtain a Ph.D. in Biomedical engineering, as well as, an M.D. for research purposes.
Semiconductors were the foundation of electrical neuron designs that mimicked biological neurons. Electrical neurons would eventually be implanted into the body. I wanted to strengthen my skills in semiconductor technology. This company had some of the best semiconductor plants and clean rooms in the industry.
There was never anything particular about semiconductors that moved me when I was working. The implications of the technology were fascinating. The technology is much more advanced today. As the footprints grow smaller, one could only imagine what a semiconductor will be capable of.
After college, I needed a break. I was basically a double major in addition to Pre-Med. I wanted to earn some money before going to medical school. I interviewed with several corporations for software engineering, design engineering and technical sales. I was awarded offers in all three categories, but it was tough for me to decide. Technical sales combined both sides of my personality, so I chose it instead. With sales, I did not have to be stuck in a lab or office all day long. I needed autonomy, and technical sales provided flexibility.
I was young when I started working. I allowed a personal situation in my life to affect me on the job one day, although I do not think anyone noticed but me. I decided that if I were going to deal with personal situations during the work day at work, I could not allow it to affect the quality of work I produced. On the day I received unsettling news in the office, I quietly excused myself.
I also learned to be prepared and then, prepare some more. In the heat of competition, some people will do anything to win a competition for the best presentation. When a career presentation is on the line, always be aware of your co-workers intentions and plans. Their actions may make you appear less than prepared or knowledgeable.
In my instance, specifically, two of my co-workers decided to play some music during my presentation and reenacted a commercial or movie clip for comic relief. I was not fully aware of what they were planning to do and their full-frontal body bumps caught me off guard during my portion of the presentation. That song, “The Night at the Roxbury” still haunts me to this day. I switch the station whenever it comes on.
School does not adequately prepare you for how a specific company does business. A student may learn software in college, and the professional version is 180 degrees different from college training. College demonstrates that you have an aptitude to learn. The experience is a strong indicator of what the person will do to succeed on the job. However, the skills are not one-to-one transferable.
I got up to go to work because I had bills to pay, and because it was what I was taught to do. I did not advance far enough in my position to accomplish anything particularly noteworthy. I did, for the most part, like the people in my office. My direct manager was easy to get along with, and he was accessible. I had a stronger relationship with his manager, however, and would have liked to work with him more. In fact, most people in the office were nice, on the surface, at least. Sometimes, it is difficult to gauge someone’s true intentions.
I studied electrical and software engineering. I was most frustrated that the company was slow to adapt new ideas. The company was conservative in terms of change. However, new leadership has changed their attitudes towards new advancements.
I made approximately $70,000 with a company car and other perks. I had two weeks of vacation, but never took advantage of it. For a single person, the salary was adequate, but taxes were unbelievable. After paying rent, saving for 401K, paying health insurance and paying for other job-related expenses, there still was not a whole lot left over. I also did not live a miserly life. Overall, the job was satisfying in many ways.
JustJobs.com is a job search engine that finds job listings from company career pages, other job boards, newspapers and associations. With one search, they help you find the job with your name on it.Read more » articles by this approved business partner | Click here » if you’re a businessCareer path image from Shutterstock
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Everyone has heard of New Year's resolutions. You know, those promises we make to ourselves about things we'll do better in the year ahead. Sometimes these resolutions work, while other times we end up with gym memberships we never use! But have you ever heard of a career resolution? It's actually the same thing as a New Year's resolution, only career-focused.
However, with something as important as a career, you don't want to break these resolutions. That's why it's important to keep these goals manageable.
Here are four simple career resolutions that are easy to stick to and achieve.
Be Self-Aware Of Where You Stand In Your Career
BigstockBeing honest and self-aware of where you are in your career is the most important step in making strong career resolutions. If your career is going nowhere and you're unhappy, then it may be time to consider a career change, which will take you down a different path entirely.
But if you're happy and in good standing with your career, it's a lot easier to set goals for the year and build out a long-term career plan.
Find A Way To Grow Your Career
BigstockCareer growth is a very broad spectrum that means something different to everyone. It could be something as simple as improving on a weakness or building on a strength. It could also be learning a new skill or taking on additional responsibilities at work.
On a larger level, it could be seeking a promotion or moving into a leadership role.
Whatever the goal is, make sure it includes growing professionally. The worst thing you can do is stay the same! If you're not growing your career, you're dying—and becoming a lot less valuable to your employer. There are always ways to upskill!
Better Serve Your Professional Network
With current colleagues, former colleagues, and other professional acquaintances, you've probably built a solid professional network through the years. A strong professional network can come in handy if you lose your job or are looking to make a career change. However, you shouldn't just rely on your network when you're in need!
It's important to find ways to offer value to your network. This could include checking in with members of your network from time to time. Exchange messages on LinkedIn to see how they're doing or share relevant content of interest. If you can help someone in your network going through a career challenge, you should!
Maintaining a strong professional network is like an investment. If you want it to pay off, you have to put some time into it and be consistent.
Take Care Of Yourself
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Working on your career is hard work! It's okay to be selfish sometimes. Whether you're working to grow your career or looking for a new job, it's important to find balance.
Your family and health always come first, so make sure your career goals don't interfere with that. If you want to set aside time during the week to work on your career that's fine, but don't miss important family events or milestones.
Don't let your career goals get in the way of your health goals. Go to the gym, take a walk, or go for a jog. Balance is key to maintaining healthy career and life goals. Sometimes you just need to adjust that balance as you go.
Need help sticking to your career resolutions?
Become a member to learn how to UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!
This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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