do sales jobs follow different hiring rules from other jobs?

by Alison Green on December 20, 2012

This question came up in the comments on a recent post: Is sales really an exception to the “don’t call to follow up” rule?

I’ve written numerous times about how — in most industries — you shouldn’t call to follow up on your job application, because it’s annoying and won’t help your chances … and that more broadly, job seekers need to get rid of the idea that they’re supposed to demonstrate “persistence” or “tenacity” in the job search. Usually, though, I mention that the sales industry is an exception to that rule. (Retail and food service often are too.)

However, a commenter recently asked whether sales really is an exception to this rule, and I realized that I’m skeptical that it truly is. I started adding it because people kept telling me that sales is an exception, but never having worked in sales, I have no first-hand experience to say for sure … and frankly, it sounds implausible to me that sales managers would respond to pushiness any more than any other hiring manager would.

So: People who know, is sales really an exception to the “don’t call to follow up or otherwise be pushy or aggressive in job hunting” rule or is that a myth?

And for everyone else: Here’s your periodic reminder that hiring managers in most industries are not looking for persistence — you cannot make them contact you by repeatedly calling or emailing them, and you’ll annoy them by making repeated overtures without an expression of interest in return.

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{ 54 comments }

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  1. KarenT*

    I will always remember a candidate we were interviewing for sales who was aggressive and pushy. I don’t work in sales, but our sales reps are usually hired by committee because the right fit is crucial.
    Our sales manager told him to stop calling. He did not. She called him to tell him that all that accomplished was showing her that he doesn’t listen. She told him she wouldn’t hire him because she would not risk him treating our customers the same way.

    It’s very important for our reps to follow up with our customers, but it’s crucial that they not aggravate, intimidate, or even just annoy our customers.

  2. Becky*

    I technically work in sales, although it’s mostly in passive sales (established customers contact us or refer us new work). I have been involved in the hiring process here for sales 3 times in the past year. I can tell you that if someone called more than once to follow up we would be annoyed, and that would go for any job. Even one follow-up is annoying, but it’s forgivable, because so many people are told to do it.

    I have a feeling that it depends on the kind of sales; outside sales may require a more forceful/tenacious personality, although even there I wouldn’t want someone to call more than once.

  3. fposte*

    I wonder if some of this is just the changing times, and that even some places that might have found somebody to be a go-getter forty years ago know that their customers won’t tolerate the pushiness now.

  4. Amanda*

    I wasn’t overly pushy when I was job searching, but when I applied for an insides sales job, I did find the manager’s e-mail address and contacted him directly when I didn’t hear back from the general application. He brought me in the next day for an interview and offered me the job on the spot saying I showed “great initiative”.

    I also did that with a few other applications that I felt fell into the abyss of online applications. A few times, a manager would answer back with a different job opportunity that they thought I was better suited for in the company or to keep in touch because they went with someone else.

    However, I applied to so many jobs after college, that in most cases, it didn’t help me at all. I would note that most of these positions were in advertising, marketing, and sales, so that could be why it worked sometimes, but I wouldn’t advise everyone to do it.

  5. morgan*

    Sales don’t follow different rules. No one wants to be bothered incessantly, whether from a sales rep or not, so following up more than once won’t get your foot in the door. We want assertive people in sales roles, yes, but we also want our sales force to have some common sense and common decency.

  6. E.R.*

    I’ve never hired in sales, but I’ve worked in sales for a few years. It has just never occurred to me to be pushy to hiring managers – I sell myself to hiring managers with my professionalism, communication, and track record of success in my industry. I did have one interview a while back with a manager who I think would have responded well to the stereotypical pushy sales rep, and was disappointed that I didn’t fit the bill. There just wasn’t a fit there, in that case.

    Sales is a huge field that covers many industries. If you want to work on a sales team that respects its clients and values the traits I mentioned above (rather than gimmicks and pushiness), then being pushy isn’t going to get you want you want, whether you get the job or not.

    Broadly, I work in media. I recently got an exciting new job, and in the interview I explained that I’m an introvert who excels at sales because I love listening to my clients, building relationships, and helping them, while being at the forefront of changes in the industry. I detest pushy sales people who don’t listen. As it turns out, so does my new employer.

    But with that said, I’m sure there are plenty of sales jobs out in the world where managers want people who are aggressive and relentless above all else. If this is the kind of job you want, then being pushy in the interview process could conceivably impress them.

    1. Katie*

      ” I’m an introvert who excels at sales because I love listening to my clients, building relationships, and helping them, while being at the forefront of changes in the industry.”

      This is a wonderful perspective and a really great line! It made me think of sales in a completely different (and much better) way. No wonder you just got an exciting new job!

      1. E.R.*

        Thanks, Katie! how are you liking your sales job so far? If I recall correctly, you were on the fence about it a while ago. Sorry in advance if I’ve confused you with someone else. :)

  7. Duv*

    I am in sales and no I didn’t call for follow-up nor did I try to be pushy. Actually I applied to a very behind the scenes, not wanting to be on the phone with customers, department in my company. They decided I would work better in sales.

  8. AnotherAlison*

    Being pushy wouldn’t get you anywhere in my industry, but being creative might, such as if you were able to arrange a meeting with a key contact that we didn’t have access to before.

    I have to believe the rules are different for some industies, though, because certain sales reps don’t take no for an answer, and I mean you’re trying to sell me a service/product for South America and we don’t do business there, never have, and don’t have plans to and I’m telling you I don’t need it kind of no.

    1. T.*

      I’m curious about ” if you were able to arrange a meeting with a key contact that we didn’t have access to before.”

      Isn’t that something that would come after you’re hired? You wouldn’t want to waste a connection by giving it to a company who hasn’t hired you yet. That’s only if you had the contact in the bag, which seems like an arrogant assumption to me.

  9. NUM*

    I think that demonstrating the skills, aptitude, and attitude for sales in a face-to-face interview (preferred) or phone call is far more important than a gimicky exhibition of the stereotype sales personality. If the hiring manager believe you will be a successful salesperson or have the potential to be successful in sales, she will (!!) follow up to move to the next step.

    In fact, if the hiring manager likes you, you can almost be sure that she will schedule the next step during the interview. If she doesn’t believe you have that potential, no amount of persistent follow-up is going to change her mind.

    One idea to try: if a person really wants to demonstrate potential, do it during the interview. Try being a little more aggressive by (gently) closing the sales manager – “I’m very excited that we both see the value I can bring to this organization. You’ve mentioned the next step is A. Would you like to schedule that now, or shall we schedule a time to talk about that next week?”

      1. AP*

        Adding: I don’t really do a lot with sales and in general am very timid and would be terrible at it, so maybe I should be learning something here…

        1. E.R.*

          I’m not a fan of that close, either. I will end an interview, if appropriate, with “are there any concerns that you might have that I could address before leaving?” and have gotten great feedback from that. I hate the sneaky close. In NUM’s question, you are making the assumption that that they want to move you to the next level. At best, I might say, “is there a time that it would be okay to follow up with you about Next Step A if I don’t hear from you?”, fully prepared to hear that they don’t want you to follow up at all if you don’t hear from them.

          2. Liz T*

            Yeah, I would be onto that immediately (especially since I’ve done telesales) and would swiftly put up a wall.

  10. Joey*

    My wife manages medical sales reps and she hates pushy applicants just as much as I do. She says it reinforces the idea that their sales technique is one dimensional. Pushiness doesn’t get get good business.

    1. KarenT*

      Pushiness doesn’t get get good business.

      +1

      When I think of pushy sales, I think instantly picture people selling used cars, gym memberships, or time-share real estate.

      I think for the most part, the sales profession has realized that customers don’t respond well to pushiness or aggression. I will not get a personal trainer at my gym solely because of how aggressive the sales manager was when he tried to sell me one.

      I used to work in retail, and our cosmetic counter ladies were on commission. When I worked the returns counter, I’d be refunding cosmetics all day hearing customers were returing items they’d purchased because the sales person “made them.”

      It makes sense to me if sales people are changing their role to be less aggressive that that behaviour wouldn’t be tolerated by a hiring manager.

      1. AdAgencyChick*

        I’m curious, did the returns count against the commission of the salesperson who sold the returned product? I hope so (having been on the receiving end of pushy cosmetics salespeople myself).

        1. KarenT*

          They technically do if the return is entered correctly, but the cosmetics staff were known to manipulate cashiers into “accidentally” keying in the wrong employee number so the return wouldn’t be deducted.

  11. Another Jamie*

    I think the idea that sales is the exception is that “selling yourself” via the hiring process is a good indication of how well you’ll sell the product or service. But how many people really buy things (big things) because the salesman badgered them into it? Landing a sale is a lot like landing a job; it’s more about the right fit.

    I picture an overly pushy job candidate like those sales people in the mall kiosks during Christmas that will NOT leave you alone once you’ve accidentally made eye contact. It’s to the point where I don’t care what ANY of them are selling, I’m going to pretend to be talking on my cell phone as I speed walk store to store.

    1. Elle*

      I agree in a retails sales position however in both my B2B sales roles, persistence really pays off. The first role had sales cycles where I only had one shot sometimes and yeah, I’ve won because I’ve been able wear them down. The key is to call on clients with a reason and not “just to check on your decision”. These were transactions for companies anywhere from $10k to $100k for a location and usually clients who were stalling from making a decision.

      My current role involves multiple opportunities and again, if I don’t get the first meeting or sale, I have to keep trying to get meetings or sales.

      It depends on personality, I can tell when I’m dealing with an introvert who doesn’t like that so I will back off but if it’s an extrovert or anyone who rates as a D or I on the DISC profile, I will eventually wear them down.

      I had to do a mock sales call during my 2nd interview and they evaluated how I closed the call and whether I followed up after that meeting.

      1. snuck*

        I pretty much hit the DI in DISC (and an extrovert) and I tend to show pushy sales people the door! I doubt you’d wear me down. I either want your product, or I don’t, and no amount of hammering on the door is going to change that!

        I have been known to ask for Sales reps to be replaced for this sort of behaviour… Just saying basically, that it doesn’t always work!

        1. Elle*

          Right, because it has to have value – a good sales rep will be persistent but know how do deal with this type. A clueless sales rep will keep knocking and spinning their wheels.

          1. snuck*

            I agree – a good sales rep will know when to back off, when to say “I see you aren’t into this right now – can I follow up with you in a few months and see what you might need then” and leave it there. And in a few months when I’m still not interested then say “well here’s my card, I’ll add you to my mailing list if you don’t mind to let you know of things that change in case you have a similar need and we have a similar product in the future” and I’ll smile, thank them, and get back to everything else I have to do.

            A bad one will email, ring, try to organise coffee, send pens in the mail, drop by ‘because they were next door’ etc… and eventually I’ll tell reception to stop letting them in, I’ll put their email on spam, I’ll bump all their calls, I’ll give their pens to the courier sign book. All after I’ve told them firmly and politely that I’m not able to see a need for their product.

  12. aname*

    Not about hiring in Sales but dealing with them on actual work matters: No, they don’t admire persistance and would rather you left them alone to deal with it in their own time.

    I don’t think they’d act much differently when it came to recruitment either – certainly not the ones I’ve know.

  13. E.T.*

    It looks like I have a different experience than everyone else here. I used to work for the largest commerical real estate company in the world (the one with the green colored logo; you can Google to find out which company I’m talking about). Our local branch office manager wouldn’t bring anyone in for an interview for a sales job unless the applicant called and left voicemail at the office numerous times. I think the magical number was 5 times. After the interview, the person who called the most to “follow up” usually got the job.

    This was pretty common knowledge amongst the salespeople. In fact, if anyone was recommending a friend for an open position, they always made it a point to tell the applicant to CALL AS MANY TIMES AS POSSIBLE about the job, because that will get them the job. Not so much their resume. Not so much their credentials. But their persistency.

    The only times the office manager deviated from this hiring procedure was if the applicant was from a background that would bring business to the office. For example, he hired an admin with very minimal computer skills (she didn’t even know the sigma sign in Excel summed up your numbers, and would instead add individual cell by cell to get totals on her spreadsheet), but was from a family that owned a bunch of office buildings in the region. The admin was pretty useless around the office, but once she was hired, her family signed over their entire portfolio to the company to manage.

    However, I left this company 5 years ago. I don’t know if their hiring procedures are still the same. The same office manager is still there though.

    1. Ask a Manager* Post author

      Out of curiosity, was this manager good or bad at managing? (I’m guessing bad based on what you’ve written here, but I’m curious because my theory is that pushy tactics like this screen for bad managers.)

      1. E.T.*

        Most administrative staff found him to be not very personable, and trying to get his attention on matters was like pulling teeth sometimes. The salespeople didn’t really care, since they rarely interacted with him if they met their commission goals.

        It seems like most managers in commercial real estate are like that. The turnover is pretty high in that industry.

        1. Ask a Manager* Post author

          “trying to get his attention on matters was like pulling teeth sometimes”

          This is exactly what I would have suspected! Someone organized is going to hire candidates on their own merits, not based on who’s the squeakiest wheel.

  14. Kat*

    Please don’t be pushy in retail. Unless the store you are applying to is large enough to have some sort of in-house HR (who have their own things to do anyway) the hiring manager IS the manager, or one of them. Constantly answering phone calls and in-person inquiries following up on applications from the same people takes these managers away from customers and tasks that must be done to run the business. This is especially true when the company still uses paper applications. For awhile I would actually hunt through these apps to find them and let the applicants know the status and why they wouldn’t be coming in for an interview- usually relating to not following directions or only wanting to work 9-5 Monday through Friday. These same people often would be “persistent” and argue with me… totally not worth it.
    Once I did bring someone in for an interview who called and followed up many times. Her application was lackluster but I figured she was enthusiastic and gave her a shot. Ironically this persistence did not apply to actually working as she never showed up for a single shift.

    1. Charlotte*

      Even if they have an in-house HR person, don’t follow up. Just like every other sane, logical, organized HR department, we understand that your application means you’re interested in a job. In 3 years of doing HR in a retail environment, I remember one person who strengthened his candidacy by calling in after applying. You’re not doing it well. Don’t so it.

  15. harsh*

    I would like to have some feedback from everyone if possible. I recently applied for a financial sales job sometime in end of nov. done the thank you note got positive reply to contact in few weeks. Mailed after 3 weeks this monday to check if I am still in the race .. haven’t heard anything and it is friday. should I call as everyone will be going on holiday soon?

    1. snuck*

      Should you call because everyone is on holiday soon?

      No. They are going on holiday soon… you could send a polite “checking in” email but right now they are trying to juggle the Christmas party obligations of work, home and wider family, on top of end of year deadlines, picking up the pace because even though they have a few days off there’s no one covering to get everything done on those days, and dealing with staff leave to boot.

      So an email they can shoot you a 10 second reply to easily enough, at their leisure. A phone call says “hey look at me, right now, I don’t care if you are busy, I don’t care it’s an insane time to follow up, answer ME.”

      And given the time of year they probably will reply that they’ll continue looking at the applicants in the new year anyway… so you won’t be any the wiser. New year can be first or second week of Jan as far as I’ve been concerned in the past.

  16. Elle*

    Have been in B2B sales for 7 years, the first one for an older male dominated industry and for this one, they wanted you to call and chase the sales managers who were hiring to see how persistent you were and how you would react with being told that they were busy and need to call again etc. It was a really tough industry so they mimicked being our customers and honestly, it worked because we couldn’t handle having anyone on the team who was too scared to call us back even if we told them too. The next one was for media and again, our manager probably would be fine with one phone call to follow up but not repeated ones. I think you have to feel out who is doing the hiring, if it’s a very corporate structure with an actual hiring manager – most likely not appropriate but sometimes in a smaller office where the sales manager is hiring and the industry is about face to face and/or phone interaction, a follow up does look good.

  17. Chaucer*

    I think it depends on the type of sales job that is being advertised, and based on that, I think the “rules” are different not necessarily due to the industry itself, but rather based on how “desperate” a company is in looking for reps.

    Ever since I graduated college, the vast majority of jobs that I seem to run into, or at least are the most visible, are commission-only jobs that require either selling door-to-door, hounding friends and family or cold calling random people and businesses. Most people don’t want to do those kinds of jobs, and because of that most of those “companies” just want warm bodies. If it’s commission-only, and the “employee” is actually not an employee but simply an independent contractor, the business doesn’t risk anything if the sales rep can’t sell.

    If, however, the company is a reputable one that treats their employees well and gives them good training and good base pay, then those rules don’t apply because they’re not desperate.

  18. Juana*

    I work in Consumer Packaged Goods supporting a sales team, although not a salesperson myself. In my experience, hiring for the sales positions follows the same set of rules as any other job opening. The hiring managers are busy and travel quite a bit, so I’m sure they’d be annoyed with the “high pressure” tactics we’ve discussed here!

  19. Not So NewReader*

    I will go one step further- if you bring an application in personally the person who receives it marks their impression of you right on the app.
    Thumbs up or thumbs down. You get a thumbs down- your app is in the garbage right when the boss glances at it.
    Retail is a people biz. You have to be able to develop a good relationship with everyone.

  20. FreeThinkerTX*

    I’m 46 and have been in sales for my entire adult career, except for 5-6 years when I was in IT. Every single Sales Manager / Director of Sales / VP of Sales / CEO that I have ever interviewed with appreciated “closing for the next step”; i.e., asking at the end of the interview if they would be recommending me for the next stage in the interviewing process [if I’d had a telephone interview with an HR screener, would s/he recommend me to the hiring panel; If I’d met with the Sales Manager, would s/he recommend me to the Director of Sales; If I’d met with the Director, would s/he recommend to the VP of Sales; If I’d made it to the VP or CEO, would her/his next step be an offer letter, etc.]

    And I followed up each interview with a Thank You card, immediately. None of them would have appreciated weekly follow-ups. However, when I asked about next steps, I also asked about follow-up dates and if/when it would be OK for me to contact them. And if I hadn’t heard from them by that time, I’d send them a “Just Checking In” email.

    Mind you, that was in B2B “enterprise” software sales positions*, and I took the same approach with my prospective clients. I use a “Go/No-Go” sales style: I have something to offer which I think (based on my extensive research) might be of value to you and your company, but I won’t know for sure until I have a chance to talk to you for at least 20-30 minutes. After that conversation, you and I mutually agree to “Go/No-Go” to a deeper level of exploration. If you and I both think there is some mutual value, then we schedule a longer meeting / demonstration / site visit / whatever. If you need to round-up information or people on your side, then I ask for a time in the future to check in with you if I haven’t heard from you.

    I think interviewing for a sales position is similar. It’s not about being pushy, it’s about showing that (A) You think you genuinely have something of value to offer the company, and (B) You respect the company’s time – and yours – so you ask for permission to move to the next step [basically, you’re asking if they’re even interested in moving to the next step], and you ask when would be a good time to follow up…. and then follow up when you say you will.

    *After a bout with cancer, I re-entered the workforce as a sales/marketing person for a mom-and-pop property restoration company. To get that job, I had to hound the Pop. He told me later that’s why he hired me… because I showed persistence. He was not a professional sales person and how no idea how Professional Sales actually works. So if you’re applying for a position where you sell to individual consumers (not businesses), or with a mom-and-pop outfit, being polite-but-persistent can pay off. Just be sure to end each contact with a question about when it would be OK to follow-up… and then contact the person after that time has passed. But do NOT invent your own timeline for contact!

  21. The Retail Raptor*

    Retail is absolutely not an exception.

    The hiring managers are generally the store managers, and they are VERY overworked. Imagine managing inventory, communicating objectives with a staff, taking care of IT operations, purchasing, special orders, tracking sales figures, scheduling, store maintenance and merchandising, training and coaching existing staff, all while taking care of the store’s top priority (I.E. the customers). I don’t have time to take calls from applicants that we have declined to interview. Especially multiple calls. Especially when we don’t even have any positions available.

    Also, an employee like this, in my experience, tends to be relatively high-maintenance in other areas. In retail especially, high-maintenance is BAD.

    1. Hari*

      I totally agree with that. Although my career is in advertising I did decide in order to make some extra cash, and to get a good discount for the holidays, to get a seasonal retail job this year. I only sent out one application via online, to a lux retailer (hint: blue box) and then never heard back. Having never worked really worked retail before (my experience in retail is in corp branding), and having friends in retail tell me hiring is based on availability need first I thought I was out of the running. Not to mention the fact they sent me an email after I submitted my application to fill out a personality sales test that my email directed to spam and I didn’t fill out for 2 weeks! A month later I heard back and was brought in for an interview and hired on the spot! It was at a different location than I originally applied for but I still took the job. Its a small store and we get slammed with request daily, not to mention a bunch of sales that are made are telephone orders too. So clogging up lines and annoying managers with request for hiring would not fly well at ALL for this company.

  22. Michael Barnes*

    As a hiring manager in a retail store with over a hundred employees, I completely agree that retail should not be an exception either. On the average week I would receive 150 applications. It is hard enough to screen the applications and get them through three interview in a timely manner without having candidates that we were not interested in leave several pushy messages. I completely get wanting to know the status of where you are in the hiring process, but unfortunately, it just leaves a bad taste and makes you wonder how puhy of an employee they will be. And unless they had something of significance to say, I would not go back and review their application. It’s just a waste of time for everyone.

    1. jennie*

      Although I agree it shouldn’t be the case, I found working in retail the frontline managers were often harried and inexperienced in hiring, so appearing in person and speaking with them directly could be effective in putting you top of mind. Seeing a relatively qualified person at the right moment can spare them from sorting through dozens of resumes. But this can just as easily backfire if they’re busy/annoyed/rational.

      1. Michael Barnes*

        I actually totally agree with your sentiment. I truly never had any problem meeting with anyone who was turning in an application at the moment they were handing it in. In fact I preferred they ask for myself or the manager on duty so that they could sell me on what they had to offer. My thought was more along lines of individuals calling to check on the status of their application and I had no idea who they were because they did a drop and run with the application which happens more often than it should. It never hurts to ask if the hiring manager is in…

    2. JohnB*

      “… without having candidates that we were not interested in leave several pushy messages.”

      I know you are super busy and all that, but why don’t you simply let those candidates know that they aren’t in the running? That’s all we want, a yes or a no. Companies these days are so incredibly rude in the way they treat applicants.

  23. snuck*

    Caveat: I’ve never hired in sales…

    I do think it might be related to the sort of sales techniques someone is looking to hire into their team.

    If they want someone pushy who will just hammer the customers over the head and drive the deal home over and over (think mobile phone kiosks, charity collectors, gym memberships) then maybe they’d appreciate the ‘at all costs I must be annoyingly eager’ attitude.

    If they want someone with a bit more finesse, a bit more corporate or professional dignity and some actual selling skill then why would they hire someone who doesn’t have the ability to show that?

    That said, even quietly professional sales people will follow up, they just know when and how to do it in a way that’s not obtrusive, annoying or rude. A simple followup email after an agreed contact date or as a thankyou note replacement etc is probably sufficient.

  24. Anon*

    Yup, folks, close to 40 people have advised not to be “aggressive” in following up after interviews. I have followed up not aggressively, but every so often in the past, and it does not one bit of good. Interview, send a thank you, and move on to working on the next opportunity. You will hear something eventually, and if you don’t, YOU DON’T WANT TO WORK THERE. And gently following up via email won’t encourage people who had no intentions of following up to do so. It’s rude, but some people/organizations are like that. Move on. It will just drive you batty.

  25. Pam*

    In my industry, there’s a clear line between a good sales person and a bad one. The bad ones will let your request sit for a day or two while either working on other projects or trying to get an answer. The good ones respond immediately, even if it’s just “I’m not sure, but I’ll get back to you by x with an answer” and follow through on that promise.

    So likewise, when we interview sales people, we aren’t looking for aggressiveness as much as we are looking for signs that the candidate has good customer service skills. Understanding that some people prefer phone calls over emails, having a grasp on how long it’s acceptable to let an email sit unresponded to, etc. So maybe not following up specifically, but we do take how the candidate handles themselves in communicating with us into consideration.

  26. Elizabeth West*

    I hate sales. Don’t want to work in it, don’t want to be the victim of it. As a receptionist, I’m very good at getting rid of salespeople, on the phone or in person. Your tricks don’t fool me. If I want to buy something, I will call YOU. And you will not talk me into it if I don’t want it, so don’t even try. (Not ever having any money can actually be an advantage ha ha.)

    As far as following up, I don’t want to make calls or answer them. Email is just fine. I didn’t get the email of a recent interviewer, but I went to the company website and found the managing partner’s email and copied the format and sent her a short follow-up. Hopefully she got it; it didn’t come back. But that’s the only one I’m sending. Ball’s in her court now.

    She did tell me not to panic if I didn’t hear anything for a couple of weeks. She said she wanted to get someone in there by the first of the year, but that may have been wishful thinking on her part. As Alison has said, it often takes longer than you think it will. And in this place, there would be multiple interviews–AND it’s the holiday season.

  27. jennie*

    Ugh… I was on a hiring manager panel to help job seekers and one of the panellist managers said – unprompted – that persistence is the best way to get her attention and candidates should follow up *in person* at her business to move their application to the top of the pile. I countered that in my business people who don’t follow the instructions in the posting to apply online and call or show up in person go to the bottom of the list. But obviously the poor job seekers got mixed messages.

    1. jennie*

      BTW she was not specifically in sales but did hiring for a manufacturing company and was referring to all positions.

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