The Ultimate Guide to Landing Your Dream Job in Tech Sales

You've sent 47 applications this month. Three companies ghosted you after promising feedback. One recruiter scheduled a call, then never showed up. Another told you that you were "exactly what they're looking for," and then you never heard from them again. You're starting to wonder if there's something fundamentally wrong with your approach, or if the entire hiring process is just broken.

Here's the truth: it's mostly broken. But that doesn't mean you're powerless.

Sales hiring in 2025 is a mess of contradictions. Companies complain they can't find good talent while rejecting hundreds of qualified candidates. Job descriptions demand years of specific experience for entry-level roles. AI screening tools eliminate you before a human ever sees your application. And the process that's supposed to identify great salespeople often rewards the wrong things entirely.

But here's what else is true: the best sales professionals are still getting hired. Career changers are still breaking into the field. Recent graduates are still landing great first roles. They're just doing it differently than the standard advice suggests.

This guide gives you the real playbook. Not the sanitized version that pretends the process is fair and straightforward, but the insider knowledge that helps you navigate what actually happens. Whether you're an experienced sales professional trying to level up, someone looking to transition into sales, or a recent graduate trying to break in, you'll find specific strategies that work in today's market.

We'll cover the four traits that actually predict sales success (and how to demonstrate them regardless of your background), the job search strategies that work when everything seems rigged against you, and how to position yourself so companies see your potential instead of just your past.

Let's start with why this is so hard in the first place.

Why Sales Hiring Is Broken (And What That Means for You)

The sales hiring process wasn't designed to find great salespeople. It was designed to process high volumes of applications quickly. Understanding this distinction changes everything about how you approach your job search.

The ATS Black Hole

Most companies use Applicant Tracking Systems that screen resumes before any human sees them. These systems scan for keywords, job titles, years of experience, and specific credentials. If your resume doesn't match the template closely enough, you're automatically rejected.

This system was built for efficiency, not accuracy. It eliminates people with unconventional backgrounds, career gaps, or different terminology for the same skills. It rewards candidates who are good at keyword stuffing over candidates who are good at selling.

For you, this means two things. First, your resume needs to be written for robots first and humans second. Second, you need strategies to bypass the ATS entirely whenever possible.

The Experience Paradox

Here's a contradiction you've probably encountered: entry-level roles that require two years of experience. Mid-level roles that demand senior-level impact. Companies wanting to hire fresh talent but only interviewing people with perfect, linear backgrounds.

This paradox exists because hiring managers are risk-averse. They've been burned by bad hires, so they keep adding requirements to job descriptions. The result is job postings that describe unicorns, not realistic candidates.

The good news: most of these requirements are negotiable if you can demonstrate the underlying capabilities they're actually seeking. The key is understanding what they really need versus what they wrote in the job description.

Ghost Interviews and Feedback Vacuums

You'll invest hours in applications and interviews, and then hear nothing. No feedback. No explanation. Just silence. This isn't personal, it's systematic. Most companies don't have processes in place to provide meaningful feedback, and many worry about legal liability if they're too specific about why they didn't hire you.

This creates a frustrating dynamic where you can't learn from your mistakes or improve your approach. You're left guessing about what went wrong.

The solution isn't to wait for feedback that's never coming. It's to develop your own feedback mechanisms through practice interviews, mentor conversations, and honest self-assessment.

The Human Reality Behind the System

Despite all this, real humans are still making the final hiring decisions. And most of them are frustrated with the process too. They want to find great salespeople. They're tired of sorting through hundreds of unqualified applicants. They know the system is flawed.

This is your advantage. When you can get past the automated screening and demonstrate the traits that actually matter in sales, you immediately stand out. The challenge is positioning yourself to get that opportunity.

Understanding the Four Traits That Actually Matter

After thousands of sales hires, a clear pattern emerges. The salespeople who succeed share four core traits: curiosity, coachability, grit, and communication. These matter more than your resume, your education, or even your years of experience.

This is the framework we use at meritt to assess every candidate who comes through our platform. By focusing on traits instead of traditional credentials, we help companies find talent they would have otherwise missed, and we give candidates a fair way to demonstrate their potential.

Curiosity: The Drive to Understand

Great salespeople are naturally curious about problems, people, and solutions. They ask questions not because they memorized a script, but because they genuinely want to understand. They research companies before interviews. They dig into customer pain points. They stay informed about industry trends.

Curiosity shows up in how you prepare for interviews, the questions you ask, and how you talk about past experiences. It's the difference between "I hit my quota" and "I hit my quota by identifying a pattern in why prospects were stalling at the demo stage and adjusting our approach."

If you're naturally curious, make it visible. If you're not, start practicing. Read about the companies you're applying to. Prepare questions that show you've thought deeply about their challenges. Demonstrate genuine interest in learning.

Coachability: The Willingness to Improve

Sales is a skill you develop over your entire career. The best salespeople view feedback as valuable information, not personal criticism. They actively seek coaching. They try new approaches. They admit when something isn't working.

In interviews, coachability shows up when you talk about mistakes you've made and what you learned from them. It's evident when you ask for feedback on your interview performance. It's clear when you can articulate how you've changed your approach based on coaching.

Career changers and recent graduates often have an advantage here. You can position your lack of ingrained habits as an asset: you're eager to learn the right way rather than unlearn bad patterns.

Grit: The Persistence to Push Through

Sales involves rejection. Lots of it. The difference between average and exceptional salespeople often comes down to who keeps going when things get hard. This isn't about toxic positivity or ignoring burnout. It's about resilience and determination when facing obstacles.

Grit is demonstrated through your job search itself. How you handle rejection, how you adapt your approach, how you maintain momentum despite setbacks. These are all signals of how you'll handle the rejection inherent in sales.

Share stories about times you faced significant obstacles and persisted. Talk about how you maintain motivation during difficult periods. Show that you understand sales is challenging and you're prepared for that reality.

Communication: The Ability to Connect

This goes beyond speaking clearly. Great salespeople tailor their communication to their audience. They listen actively. They read the room. They know when to push and when to pause. They can translate complex ideas into simple language.

Every interaction in your job search is a communication test. Your emails, your video applications, your interview answers, your follow-ups. All of these demonstrate your communication ability.

Pay attention to how you structure your stories. Do you ramble or get to the point? Do you tailor your message to your audience or use the same pitch for everyone? Can you read signals about whether someone is engaged or losing interest?

Demonstrating These Traits Without Perfect Experience

Here's the crucial insight: you can demonstrate all four traits regardless of your background. A recent graduate can show curiosity through thoughtful questions and research. A career changer can demonstrate coachability by articulating what they're learning in their transition. Someone with gaps in their resume can show grit by explaining how they maintained momentum during challenging periods.

Traditional hiring processes struggle to assess these traits because they rely on proxies like past job titles and years of experience. But when companies use better assessment methods (like the structured behavioral interviews and psychometric testing we use at meritt), these traits become visible regardless of your background.

Your job is to make these traits impossible to miss. Structure your resume and interview answers to highlight them. Prepare examples that showcase them. Make them the through-line of your personal narrative.

Your Path In: Strategies Based on Where You're Starting

The job search strategy that works for you depends on where you're coming from. The experienced sales professional, the career changer, and the recent graduate all face different challenges and need different approaches.

For Experienced Sales Professionals: Standing Out When Everyone Looks the Same

You have a track record. You've hit quotas. You understand the sales process. So why aren't you getting the offers you want?

The problem is that everyone at your level has similar credentials. Your resume looks like dozens of others. You're competing with people who have comparable experience and results. You need differentiation.

Go Beyond the Numbers

Every experienced sales professional can recite their quota attainment percentages. That's table stakes. What makes you different is the story behind those numbers.

Instead of "Consistently exceeded quota by 120%," try "Exceeded quota by 120% by identifying that our longest deals were stalling during technical validation. I built relationships with our solutions engineers and created a new qualification framework that helped us identify and address technical concerns earlier, reducing our average deal cycle by 23 days."

The second version shows strategic thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and curiosity. It gives the hiring manager something to ask about. It demonstrates the traits that predict success.

Position Your Next Move Strategically

Hiring managers want to understand why you're making this move. "I'm looking for new opportunities" isn't enough. Neither is "I want to work with better technology" or "I'm seeking career growth."

Be specific about what you're optimizing for. Are you moving from mid-market to enterprise because you want to develop longer-term relationship skills? Are you shifting industries because you want domain expertise that positions you for leadership? Are you joining a smaller company because you want more influence on GTM strategy?

The clearer you are about your reasoning, the easier it is for hiring managers to evaluate fit. Vague career goals suggest you're just shopping around. Specific objectives show strategic thinking.

Leverage Your Network Strategically

At your experience level, referrals and warm introductions are your best path past the ATS. But most people approach networking passively.

Instead of asking "Do you know of any openings?" be specific about what you're looking for and why. Reach out to people at companies you've researched. Reference specific challenges the company is facing and explain why your background is relevant. Make it easy for your connection to advocate for you.

Example: "I noticed [Company] is expanding into the healthcare vertical based on their recent hiring. I've been selling into healthcare for three years and built relationships at seven of the accounts listed as their target logos. Would you be open to a 15-minute conversation about whether there's a fit?"

This approach gives your connection something concrete to work with and demonstrates the curiosity and communication skills that matter in sales.

Address the Elephant in the Room

If you have something in your background that might raise questions (job hopping, gaps, lateral moves, industry shifts), address it proactively with a clear narrative.

Don't apologize or make excuses. Explain the context, what you learned, and how it positions you for this next role. Hiring managers are less concerned about imperfect backgrounds than they are about candidates who can't articulate a coherent story.

For Career Changers: Breaking the Experience Barrier

You have skills that translate to sales, but you lack the job title that says "sales" on your resume. This is both your biggest challenge and potentially your biggest advantage.

Identify Your Translation Story

Every successful career change into sales starts with a clear translation story. This isn't about pretending your previous experience was really sales all along. It's about articulating which aspects of your background demonstrate the traits that predict sales success.

If you're coming from customer success, your translation story might focus on how you identified expansion opportunities by deeply understanding customer needs (curiosity), adapted your approach based on different customer communication styles (coachability and communication), and consistently worked through challenging customer situations (grit).

If you're transitioning from teaching, you might emphasize how you tailored lesson plans to different learning styles (communication), sought feedback from students and colleagues to improve your methods (coachability), stayed current on educational research and new teaching techniques (curiosity), and managed classroom challenges with persistence (grit).

The key is making the connection explicit. Don't assume hiring managers will see the parallels. Spell it out for them.

Target Companies That Value Your Background

Not all sales organizations are equally open to career changers. Some are rigid about requiring sales experience. Others actively seek diverse backgrounds.

Target companies that:

• Have structured training programs for new sales hires
• Hire for traits and potential rather than just experience
• Have leadership that came from non-traditional backgrounds
• Operate in industries where your domain knowledge is valuable

Research companies before applying. Look at the backgrounds of their sales team on LinkedIn. If everyone came from traditional sales paths, you'll face an uphill battle. If you see diverse backgrounds, that's a signal they value different perspectives.

Build Credibility Without Sales Experience

While you're job searching, build sales credibility through low-risk activities:

• Take a sales methodology course and get certified (MEDDIC, Challenger, Sandler)
• Write content about the intersection of your background and sales
• Offer to do mock cold calls or discovery calls with sales professionals who will give you feedback
• Volunteer to help early-stage startups with their sales process
• Join sales communities and contribute meaningfully to discussions

These activities serve two purposes. First, they give you concrete examples to discuss in interviews. Second, they demonstrate your commitment to the transition and your coachability.

Prepare for the "Why Sales?" Question

This will come up in every interview. Your answer needs to be authentic, specific, and demonstrate self-awareness.

Bad answer: "I've always been interested in sales" or "I'm a people person" or "I want to make more money."

Good answer: "I've spent the last three years solving complex technical problems for customers. The part of my role I found most energizing was the discovery process—understanding their business challenges and identifying creative solutions. I realized I was most engaged when I was selling internal stakeholders on new approaches, not just implementing solutions. I want to move into a role where that consultative problem-solving is the primary focus rather than something I do occasionally. Sales is where I can spend my time on the part of work that energizes me most."

The good answer is specific, shows self-awareness, connects past experience to future goals, and demonstrates curiosity and communication.

Accept That Your First Sales Role Might Not Be Your Dream Job

Career changers often need to take a step back to move forward. Your first sales role might be an SDR position or an inside sales role, even if you had more senior responsibilities in your previous career.

View this as strategic. You're investing 12-18 months proving yourself in sales, building credibility, and learning the fundamentals. From there, you can move into more senior roles much faster than if you tried to skip the foundational experience.

The key is choosing a first role at a company where there's clear progression. Look for places that promote from within, have structured career paths, and can articulate what advancement looks like.

For Recent Graduates: Competing Without a Track Record

You're facing a paradox: every job wants experience, but you can't get experience without a job. Here's how to break in.

Reframe Your Academic Experience as Sales-Relevant

You have more relevant experience than you think. The key is translating academic projects and experiences into language that demonstrates sales traits.

Group project where you had to coordinate different team members with competing priorities? That's stakeholder management and communication.

Research project where you had to identify a problem, develop a hypothesis, and test it? That's curiosity and strategic thinking.

Extracurricular leadership where you had to recruit and motivate volunteers? That's grit and influence.

The mistake most graduates make is treating their academic experience as less legitimate than professional experience. Stop apologizing for being early in your career. Instead, demonstrate that you've already developed the traits that matter.

Target Companies with Graduate Programs

Some companies have structured graduate or rotational programs designed to develop early-career talent. These programs are explicitly built to hire people without extensive experience.

Research companies known for investing in graduate development:

• Tech companies with SDR development programs
• Companies with formal sales training academies
• Organizations that have dedicated early-career recruiting efforts

These companies have already made the decision to invest in developing talent. You're not fighting the experience requirement because they've designed roles specifically for people at your level.

Use Your Flexibility as an Advantage

As a recent graduate, you probably have more flexibility than experienced candidates. You can relocate more easily. You're more open to different industries. You have fewer salary expectations that might price you out of entry-level roles.

Position this flexibility as an advantage rather than a weakness. Express genuine openness to learning and growing with a company. Show enthusiasm for building a career rather than just filling a job.

But be careful. Flexibility doesn't mean desperation. You still want to be thoughtful about which first role sets you up for the career you actually want.

Prepare for Competency-Based Questions Without Work Examples

You'll face behavioral interview questions designed to assess past behavior. But what do you do when you don't have years of work experience to draw from?

Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result), but draw from academic projects, internships, part-time jobs, volunteer work, or even personal situations that demonstrate the relevant traits.

Question: "Tell me about a time you faced significant rejection and how you handled it."

Weak answer: "I haven't really experienced that yet."

Strong answer: "During my final year, I applied for 15 research positions at different labs. I was rejected from 12 before landing one. After the first few rejections, I asked one of the professors for feedback. He told me my applications were too generic. I revised my approach to research each lab's specific work and explain why I was interested in their particular focus area. My next three applications resulted in two interviews and one offer. That experience taught me the importance of personalization and learning from rejection rather than just accepting it."

The strong answer demonstrates grit, coachability, curiosity, and communication using an academic example.

Consider Alternative Entry Points

If you're struggling to land traditional sales roles, consider alternative paths that build credibility:

• Sales Development Representative (SDR) roles at growing tech companies
• Inside sales positions with clear progression paths
• Business Development roles that combine research and outreach
• Customer success roles at companies that promote CS reps into sales

These roles let you build sales skills, prove yourself, and transition into your target role within 12-24 months. Sometimes the fastest path to your goal isn't the direct one.

Address Age and Experience Concerns Proactively

Some hiring managers have concerns about hiring recent graduates: maturity, commitment, understanding of business, ability to handle rejection.

Address these concerns before they're voiced. Demonstrate business acumen through your research and questions. Show commitment by articulating why you're choosing this company specifically. Display maturity in how you handle the interview process and follow up professionally.

The Job Search Strategy That Actually Works

Now that you understand the landscape and how to position yourself based on your background, let's cover the tactical execution of your job search.

Building a Resume for Robots and Humans

Your resume needs to pass the ATS while still being compelling when humans read it. This requires strategic thinking about structure and content.

For the ATS:

• Use standard section headers (Experience, Education, Skills)
• Include keywords from the job description naturally throughout your resume
• Use simple formatting without tables, graphics, or complex layouts
• Save as a .docx or PDF (test which format works with the specific ATS)
• Include both acronyms and spelled-out versions of key terms

For humans:

• Start each bullet point with strong action verbs
• Quantify results wherever possible
• Focus on impact and outcomes, not just responsibilities
• Structure bullets to show problem-solving: situation, action, result
• Tailor your experience section to highlight the most relevant projects

Example of weak resume bullet:"Responsible for managing customer accounts and ensuring satisfaction."

Example of strong resume bullet:"Managed portfolio of 45 enterprise accounts worth $2.3M ARR. Identified early warning signs of churn through usage data analysis and proactive outreach, reducing customer churn by 18% year-over-year."

The strong version includes specific numbers, demonstrates curiosity (analyzing usage data), shows strategic thinking (identifying early warning signs), and proves impact (reducing churn).

One More Resume Strategy: Video Introductions

This is where traditional applications are evolving. Some platforms (including meritt's) allow you to submit video introductions alongside your resume. This is a massive advantage for candidates who communicate well but might not have the perfect resume.

A 90-second video lets you:

• Demonstrate communication skills immediately
• Show personality and cultural fit
• Explain context that doesn't fit on a resume
• Differentiate yourself from paper applications

If you have the option to submit video, use it. Practice your introduction until it's natural, not scripted. Cover who you are, what you're looking for, and why you're excited about this opportunity. Let your curiosity and enthusiasm come through.

At meritt, we've seen candidates with non-traditional backgrounds land interviews specifically because their video introduction demonstrated traits that their resume alone couldn't capture. This is the future of applications, and early adopters have a significant advantage.

Bypassing the ATS Through Strategic Outreach

The best way to avoid ATS rejection is to avoid the ATS entirely. This requires being proactive about building connections and getting referrals.

Start by identifying companies you want to work for, not just jobs you want to apply to. Research these companies thoroughly:

• What challenges are they facing?
• Who's on their sales team?
• What's their sales approach?
• What recent news or developments might create opportunities?

Then reach out strategically. Find sales leaders, hiring managers, or team members on LinkedIn. Send personalized messages that demonstrate you've done your homework.

Bad outreach: "Hi, I saw you're hiring for a sales role. I'd love to be considered. Here's my resume."

Good outreach: "Hi [Name], I noticed [Company] recently announced expansion into the financial services vertical. I've been following your approach to consultative selling and am impressed by how you've positioned [specific differentiator]. I'm currently exploring sales opportunities where I can develop domain expertise in fintech. Would you be open to a brief conversation about how [Company] is building its sales team for this expansion?"

The good version shows curiosity, demonstrates research, explains why you're specifically interested in this company, and makes a specific ask.

The Interview: Demonstrating Traits in Real Time

Interviews are where you prove you have the traits that matter. Every question is an opportunity to demonstrate curiosity, coachability, grit, or communication.

Prepare for standard questions, but don't memorize scripts. Instead, prepare stories that showcase the four traits. Use the STAR method to structure your answers clearly.

Common interview questions and what they're really assessing:

"Tell me about yourself." → Communication (Can you tell a coherent story?) and Self-awareness (Do you understand your strengths?)

"Why sales?" → Curiosity (Have you thought deeply about this?) and Authenticity (Is this answer genuine?)

"Tell me about a time you failed." → Coachability (Can you admit mistakes and learn from them?) and Self-awareness

"How do you handle rejection?" → Grit (Do you persist through challenges?) and Resilience

"Why this company?" → Curiosity (Did you do your research?) and Communication (Can you articulate your reasoning?)

Beyond preparing answers, prepare questions that demonstrate sales thinking:

• "What does your ideal customer look like, and what challenges do they face?"
• "How do you measure success for this role beyond quota?"
• "What's your typical sales cycle, and where do deals usually stall?"
• "How does your product differentiate from [competitor]?"
• "What does the onboarding and ramp look like for new reps?"

These questions show you understand sales, think strategically, and are curious about the business, not just desperate for any job.

Following Up Like a Salesperson

Your follow-up after interviews is itself a test of your sales skills. This is where you demonstrate communication, persistence, and attention to detail.

Send a thank-you email within 24 hours. Make it specific and personal, not a generic template.

Bad follow-up: "Thank you for the interview. I'm very interested in the role and hope to hear from you soon."

Good follow-up: "Thank you for the conversation today. I was particularly interested in your point about the challenge of shortening the sales cycle in enterprise deals. After our conversation, I was reflecting on how the discovery framework I used at [previous company] might apply to identifying technical blockers earlier in your process. I'd love to explore this further if you think it's relevant. I'm excited about the possibility of contributing to the team."

The good follow-up references specific conversation points, demonstrates you continued thinking about the problems they face (curiosity), offers value, and maintains enthusiasm without seeming desperate.

If you don't hear back within the timeline they provided, follow up once. Be polite but direct: "Hi [Name], I wanted to check in on the timeline for next steps. I remain very interested in the role and would appreciate any update you can share."

One follow-up shows persistence and interest. Multiple follow-ups risk appearing desperate or unable to read signals.

Managing Multiple Opportunities

If you're fortunate enough to have multiple opportunities progressing simultaneously, manage them strategically.

Be honest about timelines without creating false urgency. If Company A makes an offer and you're waiting on Company B, it's acceptable to say: "I'm very excited about this opportunity. I'm in final stage interviews with another company and expect to have clarity by [specific date]. Would you be comfortable if I got back to you by [date]? I want to make a thoughtful decision rather than rushing."

Most companies will respect this if you're professional about it. The key is being specific about timelines and actually holding to them.

When to Walk Away

Not every opportunity is right for you. Watch for red flags during the interview process:

• Vague answers about compensation structure or quota expectations
• High turnover on the sales team (check LinkedIn)
• Unrealistic expectations about ramp time or results
• Pressure tactics or artificial urgency in the hiring process
• Misalignment between what they say they value and how they treat you

The interview process tells you a lot about company culture. If they're disorganized, disrespectful, or dishonest during recruiting, that's likely to continue after you're hired.

After the Offer: Setting Yourself Up for Success

You got the offer. Congratulations. Now comes the part most candidates don't think enough about: negotiation and transition.

Negotiating Your Compensation

Everything is negotiable, but you need to approach it strategically. Research typical compensation for your role, level, and market. Sites like Repvue, Glassdoor, and industry-specific salary surveys give you data to work with.

Understand the full compensation structure:

• Base salary
• On-target earnings (OTE) if you hit 100% of quota
• Commission structure (when it kicks in, how it accelerates)
• Benefits (health insurance, retirement matching, equity)
• Non-cash elements (flexibility, training budget, career development)

When negotiating, focus on the full package, not just base salary. Sometimes companies have more flexibility on OTE structure, signing bonuses, or equity than on base.

Be prepared to articulate your value: "Based on my research and comparable roles in the market, I was expecting a base salary in the range of [X-Y]. Given my experience with [specific relevant skill] and the value I can bring in [specific area], I'm hoping we can land closer to [Y]."

Be professional, never aggressive. Express enthusiasm for the role while being clear about your expectations. Most companies expect some negotiation and respect candidates who advocate for themselves.

Understanding What You're Walking Into

Before accepting, make sure you understand:

• Quota expectations and what percentage of the team is hitting them
• Ramp period and how expectations scale during your first quarters
• Territory or account assignment process
• Training and onboarding structure
• Tools and resources you'll have access to
• Manager's coaching style and team culture

Ask to speak with someone currently in the role if possible. They'll give you the unvarnished truth about what the job is actually like.

Planning Your First 90 Days

The work doesn't stop when you accept the offer. Start preparing for success before your first day.

Research your company's products, competitors, and customers. If you're selling into specific industries, start learning about those verticals. Read your company's recent earnings calls, press releases, and customer case studies.

Identify who you need to build relationships with: your manager, successful peers, product teams, sales engineers, customer success. Plan to schedule coffee chats with key people in your first few weeks.

Set learning goals for your first 90 days. What do you need to master? What skills do you need to develop? Where do you have gaps you need to fill?

Come in with a learner's mindset, hungry for feedback and coaching. The reps who succeed fastest are the ones who actively seek input, ask questions, and iterate quickly based on what they learn.

The Traits That Got You Here Will Keep You Growing

Landing your dream sales job is a major accomplishment. But it's just the beginning. The same four traits that helped you get hired, curiosity, coachability, grit, and communication, are what will drive your success once you're in the role.

Stay curious about your customers, your product, your market, and your craft. Keep learning. Ask questions. Dig deeper than surface-level understanding.

Stay coachable. Seek feedback actively. Try new approaches. Admit when something isn't working and adjust quickly.

Maintain your grit. Sales involves rejection and challenges. The difference between people who burn out and people who build long-term careers is resilience and the ability to persist through difficulty without losing yourself in the process.

Keep developing your communication skills. Sales is ultimately about understanding people and helping them make good decisions. The better you get at listening, adapting your message, and reading situations, the more effective you'll be.

A Note on Fair Assessment

The job search process described in this guide is challenging, and frankly, parts of it are unfair. ATS systems eliminate great candidates. Bias affects hiring decisions. Many companies assess the wrong things entirely.

That's exactly why we built meritt. We use AI psychometric assessment to evaluate the four traits that actually predict sales success, curiosity, coachability, grit, and communication. Every candidate who applies through our platform gets real feedback within 48 hours, not ghosting. And we focus on potential, not just past job titles.

We believe great salespeople come from unexpected backgrounds. The teacher who's naturally curious and an exceptional communicator. The customer success manager who's coachable and persistent. The recent graduate who's got the raw traits but needs the opportunity to develop them.

If you're tired of applications disappearing into black holes and want a process that actually assesses what matters, that's what we're building. Check out our job board where you can record a video introduction and complete a sales DNA assessment that gives you insight into your strengths while showing employers your potential.

But whether you find your next role through meritt or elsewhere, we hope this guide gives you the strategies and confidence you need to navigate the process successfully.

Your Next Steps

If you've made it this far, you're ready to approach your job search strategically. Here's what to do next:

1. Identify which persona you are (experienced professional, career changer, or recent graduate) and focus on the strategies most relevant to your situation.
2. Prepare your trait-based stories. Write out examples that demonstrate curiosity, coachability, grit, and communication. Practice articulating them naturally.
3. Update your resume to pass the ATS while highlighting impact and traits, not just responsibilities.
4. Research 10-15 target companies thoroughly. Understand their challenges, their sales approach, and why you specifically want to work there.
5. Start strategic outreach to bypass the ATS and build relationships with people at your target companies.
6. Practice your interview answers out loud. Record yourself and watch for communication habits that might be undermining your message.
7. Consider platforms like meritt where you can demonstrate your potential beyond a traditional resume.

The job search is hard. It's frustrating. It often feels unfair because it is. But with the right strategies, clear positioning, and persistence, you can navigate it successfully.

You've got the traits that matter. Now go show them what you're capable of.

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