‘Stereotypes’ Causing Graduates to Turn Their Backs on Sales Jobs
One in three Graduates say that they would never take a sales job, with only one in eight saying that they would take a job that would involve any sort of selling.
According to the survey, old fashioned perceptions of sales roles are partly to blame, with a third of graduates claiming that sales staff are always a certain ‘type’ of person.
Although sales roles usually offer strong starting salaries, 23% of respondents said that they believe all sales jobs are the same: always involving cold calling and hard sell tactics – something they aren’t keen to get involved with.
One in four admits to having a negative perception of sales jobs, which puts them off the sector in terms of employment. This stereotype seems to have altered the views of those in higher education who now do not class sales as a ‘profession’ – insinuating that it’s not a sufficient level for a graduate. However, this is not true; many B2B sales roles will insist on a degree-level education. So these graduates are potentially missing out on fulfilling and rewarding careers due to being discouraged to go down sales routes due to the stereotypes.
With sales role offering strong starting salaries, Graduates are usually able to go in to a role on a higher salary than the national average; Graduates within sales experience faster progression rates than those that can be found in other Graduate opportunities, with management positions being attainable within the first two years of employment on salaries of £60k+.
Sales roles can help to develop an excellent range of skills and experience to boost prospects in a diverse range of careers – so graduates should be very wary of ruling out certain career choices based on stereotypes.
Source: ri5.co.uk
