Five Reasons To Have A Sales Job While In University
1. Time
The most valuable asset during your undergrad is TIME. The more hours you work at your part time job, the less time you have to study. At a sales job, you can earn base pay AND commission. Once you’ve passed the learning curve, you probably earn the same if not more pay working 15–20 hours a week than your friends working 30–40hours at a regular part time job. This means your bills get paid and you have more time to study!
2. Money
As mentioned in reason number one, you earn above average pay compared to your typical part time job. This is both a gift and curse. The gift is more freedom to pay your bills and possibly even a self-awarded treat. The curse is also the money. I’ve seen it many times, were employees jump from part time status to full time status because they enjoy the pay cheque so much. As a result, school gets put on the back burner.
3. Confidence
At a sales job, you acquire intangible soft skills. Since you are forced to interact with tons of people on a weekly basis, you develop confidence speaking in public. The cool part about this is that you can grow your network. Depending on the company your work for, you will meet many clients that have a lot of money. I recommend you get to know these clients well and provide them with exceptional service. I’ve seen it many times where the client offers the sales consultant a job opportunity. Furthermore, this new found confidence will pay dividends during the recruitment process in your final year of University.
4. Ability To Read
I am not referring to reading a book. Instead, I am referring to reading people. You can differentiate between what a client needs and what they want. You can also detect whether they are going to buy today or if they are just browsing. This will come in handy when it’s been a long day and you are trying to decide if you are going to attempt a sales pitch or not. It also comes in handy when the store is overwhelmed with people and you need decide which client(s) you should spend the most time with.
5. Ethics
You may not realize it but you are faced with many ethical dilemmas at a sales job. Sales can be cut throat, so are you going to be the co-worker that always steals sales? In addition, once trust is established between the client and the sales consultant, are you going to sell them something they don’t need just so you can earn a quick commission? Having strong ethics will lead to a prosperous career later in life. Never sacrifice your ethics for a short-term gain.
In conclusion, I am a strong believer in acquiring a sales job while completing your undergrad. It has made me grow as a person to develop intangible soft skills that employers look for in potential grad candidates.
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