How to Get a Sales Job:
Your definitive guide to finding, landing, and thriving in top-tier sales roles.
Whether you’re actively searching for a sales role or exploring new opportunities, this Knowledge Hub gives you every advantage in today’s ultra-competitive sales job market. Getting hired in sales is different from every other profession. Expectations are higher, timelines can vary widely, and you must demonstrate capability before you get the job.
This page covers everything modern sales professionals need to know:
• Where to find the best sales jobs
• What types of sales roles are most in demand in 2026
• How long it realistically takes to get hired
• How to build a standout sales resume
• How to prepare like a top producer for interviews
• How to negotiate compensation packages
• How to succeed in your first 90 days
Let’s get you hired into a role that pays well, fits your strengths, and accelerates your career trajectory.
Sales roles are now distributed across dozens of platforms, and it’s easy to waste hours searching. Focus on the sources that consistently attract legitimate opportunities and quality employers.
Purpose-built for sales careers. Companies hiring on Salesfolks understand sales roles, compensation models, quotas, territories, and OTE expectations.
Why it’s different:
• Only sales roles
• ATS workflow customized for sales hiring
• Roles include W-2, 1099, remote, hybrid, and field
• Employers expect higher comp, top performers, and sales-specific interviewing
Still the broadest source, especially for mid-level and senior roles. Use advanced filters to target industries and OTE ranges above $100k.
Depending on specialty:
• BuiltIn (tech sales)
• MedReps (medical & pharma sales)
• Rainmakers (enterprise SaaS)
• FlexJobs (remote sales roles)
Enterprise businesses increasingly rely on direct inbound applicants. Create a list of 20–30 target companies and set alerts.
The sales hiring landscape is shifting. Automation, buying behavior, and AI-driven sales ops are reshaping what companies need.
Driven by efficiency, margin improvement, and remote-first operations.
Great for: People who excel in structured, high-velocity conversation cycles.
Still the highest-paid sales role category. Companies need closers who can run 6–12 month deal cycles and manage multiple stakeholders.
Entry point for newer salespeople, but still heavily performance-based.
Exploding due to ecosystem-driven growth strategies — especially in SaaS, manufacturing, consumer products, and advanced logistics.
One of the fastest-growing categories because of onshoring, infrastructure investment, and expanding distribution networks.
A rapidly growing category due to flexibility, specialization, and incentive-heavy structures.
Perfect for experienced pros with niche industry relationships.
Sales hiring cycles can be fast or painfully slow — and many candidates underestimate the timeline.
• Entry-level sales roles: 2–4 weeks
• Inside sales / remote closer roles: 3–7 weeks
• Mid-level AE roles: 4–8 weeks
• Enterprise sales roles: 5 weeks–4 months
• 1099 sales contractor roles: 1–4 weeks (if you have relevant experience)
• Multiple-round interviews with scenario tests
• Leadership involvement in later stages
• Compensation modeling and OTE approvals
• Territory planning and internal headcount constraints
• Holiday and quarter-end delays
Important:
If you’re targeting a six-figure $$$ OTE role, expect 3–6 interviews and 1–2 assignments (role plays, forecasting tests, deal-wins review). Business leaders and hiring managers are being strategically patient in making hiring decisions and will likely drill you more heavily.
A hiring manager spends 7 seconds deciding whether to reject your resume. You need to hit the signals they’re looking for — fast.
• Quotas and % to quota
• Average deal size
• Sales cycle length
• Regions/territories managed
• Pipeline created or closed
Examples:
• “Enterprise SaaS Account Executive | $4.2M Closed in 2024”
• “1099 Closer | Logistics, Supply Chain, LTL, FTL”
• “Territory Manager | Industrial Tooling & Manufacturing Sales”
AEs → Enterprise, Mid-Market, SMB
SDRs → Outbound? Inbound? Hybrid?
Contractors → Existing book of business? Industry relationships?
Hiring managers avoid resumes that:
• Hide last names
• Avoid listing a city or region
• Are vague about quotas
• Are overloaded with jargon and fluff
• Hide gaps without explanation
• Are obviously written using AI (often hand-wavy but generic cover letters)
Use Jobscan (jobscan.co) or similar tools to align keywords.
Sales interviews evaluate communication, preparation, self-awareness, and proof of performance.
• Product, ICP, competitors, positioning
• Key customers
• Pricing model
• Customer case studies
• Org structure
• Recent press
• Know what acronyms stand for
• Background of the people you're interviewing with
Every sales interviewer will ask for:
• Biggest win
• Worst loss
• Longest sales cycle
• Deal requiring creative strategy
• Deal requiring cross-functional coordination
Each story should follow a structure:
Situation → Challenge → Tactics → Results → What I Learned
Interviewers often simulate objections:
• “Your price is too high.”
• “I’m already using a competitor.”
• “Why should we hire you over 200 other candidates?”
Examples:
• “What behaviors do your top performers have in common?”
• “What percentage of reps hit quota in the last 12 months?”
• “What does success look like at 30, 60, and 90 days?”
These separate real sales pros from talkers.
On-target earnings (OTE) is not guaranteed — it’s a projection.
• Base salary
• Commission rate
• Bonuses
• Accelerators
• Retainers (for contractors)
• Clear quota assignments
• High transparency
• Reasonable ramp period
• Strong accelerators
• Uncapped commission
• 0% of reps hit quota last year
• Commission-only W-2 roles
• No clarity on territory or accounts
• Changing comp plans every 3–6 months
Never accept a role without understanding:
• Quota
• Ramp
• Territory
• Lead flow
• Sales cycle
• Historic attainment
Companies judge salespeople FAST. Your first 90 days determine longevity, commission success, and career momentum. Many businesses are even now using probationary periods in their hiring practices.
• Master product knowledge
• Understand internal systems
• Shadow top performers
• Build list of 100 target accounts
• Learn messaging and ICP deeply
• 30–50 outbound touches/day
• Leverage all internal tools
• Run your first demos
• Identify early wins
Even a small deal shows promise.
Momentum is everything in sales careers.
Use a specialized sales hiring platform like Salesfolks.com, tailor your resume to each role, and focus on industries hiring aggressively (logistics, manufacturing, SaaS, consumer products, medical, professional services).
Enterprise AE, channel sales, and specialized field sales roles in industrial, manufacturing, and MedTech sectors. Large ticket items (some farming combines cost $1 million), luxury items, and hard to find good are hot right now. Also, AI is data-hungry and any business with large sets of data to feed and train AI are highly in demand.
Quantify your achievements, be honest about your experience, maintain a strong LinkedIn presence, and prepare exceptional deal stories.
Anywhere from 1 week to 4 months depending on role type and seniority.
Seek clarity on quota, territory, OTE, comp structure, sales cycle, and historical performance of the sales team.
Yes — for experienced salespeople with industry relationships or niche expertise. They offer flexibility and high commission potential.
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• Find Sales Jobs
• How Salesfolks Works for Job Seekers
• Sales Interview Preparation Guide
• Sales Resume Optimization Checklist
• Highest-Paying Sales Roles in 2026
• How OTE Works
• Get Hired Faster with Salesfolks