Graduate Sales Jobs

Leading graduate employers

Helping you find a career in the sales industry

The sales industry is driven by making money. If you're good at your job, you can make lots of it for both you and your employer. Most sectors look to recruit ambitious salespeople who can sell their company's service or product.

With the wide variety of businesses out there, no sales job is the same, which means there are plenty of career pathways for graduates to choose from.

Sales is usually split into two categories. Business to business (B2B) and Business to consumer (B2C).

B2B sales tend to be more corporate and involves selling a service or product to another business.

B2C sales involve the company selling directly to individual consumers who will be using that product or service. For example, the person who sold you your phone contract. They were a B2C sales professional.

Other areas of sales include:

Customer service
Direct sales
Field sales
FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods)
Telesales
IT Sales
Media and advertising sales
Retail motor sales
Online sales
Medical sales Graduates interested in sales careers can expect to work in a fast-paced and competitive environment, but it can also be a highly rewarding one.

N Written by Navdeep

People also searched for

Find out more

FAQs
Jobs by industry

FAQs

Skills & interests required for a career in Sales

To succeed in sales, you'll need to be a “people person.” This means you'll need to be good at interacting with other people, especially your customers and colleagues.

You'll also benefit from being able to identify or listen to your customers' problems so that you can put forward your product or service as the solution.

Other skills that will benefit you in sales include:

Communication skills
Time management
Presentation skills
Confidence
Resilience
Persistence
Good customer services skills
Ambition and drive (to meet targets)
Networking and relationship-building abilities

Graduate schemes & other typical career progression routes in Sales

Graduates can progress relatively quickly within the sales industry if they prove they're a strong salesperson.

A typical starting point would be as a Sales Account Executive, either in an office or field sales (selling a company's product or service outside of the office).

If you progress to a Sales Account Manager, you'll be expected to carry greater responsibility and potentially manage more key accounts (the bigger clients).

You'll have the opportunity to take on management duties if you're promoted to Sales Manager and depending on how large the company is, you may also go on to manage specific regions, countries or even continents.

The most outstanding sales professionals tend to become Sales Directors or Managing Directors. Here, you'll be expected to ensure the company reaches its full growth potential. It's likely you'll also be managing staff, setting deadlines and targets, and handling recruitment requirements.

Tips for getting into the field

In recent years, having work experience has increasingly important. More and more employers are now willing to pay students for doing a work placement at their company, which has made them a little more competitive to get into.

To stand out, build upon your soft skills while you're still at University. Try developing customer service and communication skills through part-time jobs or by taking on unpaid work experience opportunities.

Graduate Schemes provide a structured route into a sales. These are normally offered by larger companies and have a great reputation for giving graduates a wider understanding of a business. It's likely you'll rotate within departments.

Alternatively, you can apply for junior sales positions. Make sure your CV and cover letter are tailored to the job that you're applying for if you want to stand out.

How much can graduates earn in Sales?

Sales professionals will often begin with a basic salary which they can then increase through commission. This means you'll be paid a sum of money if you make a sale or reach a certain target.

Successful sales professionals can significantly increase their monthly pay this way.

Graduates can expect to earn the below salaries:

Sales Account Executive: £18,000 - £27,000 Sales Account Manager: £22,000 - £60,000 Sales Director: £39,000 - £110,000 Managing Director: £47,000 - £157,000

What qualifications do I need for a career in Sales?

While a degree isn't necessary for a career in sales, employers will be impressed to see one on your CV especially if you achieved a 2:1 or higher.

A degree that's related to the industry will also help you have a greater grasp of the market you're selling to. For example, Software sales professionals, benefit from having a business or IT degree.