Thursday, November 28, 2019

Livestock Feed Sales Representative

Livestock Feed Sales RepresentativeLivestock Feed Sales RepresentativeLivestock feed schlussverkauf representatives use their knowledge of animal nutrition and sales skills to market feed products to dealers and livestock production facilities. Duties Livestock feed sales representatives are responsible for marketing a manufacturers feed products to dealers such as local feed, farm, and hardware retailers. Feed sales reps may also sell directly to horse farms and livestock production facilities. Livestock feed sales reps must constantly educate themselves about the livestock feed industry and their companys specific product line. They must also aggressively seek out new prospects and work to develop additional sales accounts in their designated territory. Most livestock feed sales representative positions are field-based, requiring frequent travel throughout designated territory to market products. Sales reps also must visit retail locations to provide training and marketing mate rials to the dealers sales staff. Participation in industry trade show events or conventions may also be required. Sales reps must maintain detailed records of their sales, develop prospect lists, file expense reports, schedule visits to dealers, prepare sales presentations, and provide ongoing customer service and support to their clients. Sales reps generally have a flexible schedule, but their work hours often include nights and weekends. Career Options Many livestock feed sales representatives specialize in offering a line of feed products for one major species such as horses, cattle, sheep, or poultry. Representatives may also specialize further by offering products which target a specific segment of the species. Equine feed sales representatives, for example, may concentrate on offering feed products designed specifically for either performance horses or breeding stock. Livestock feed sales representatives can also use their skills and experience to transition into other r elated career paths such as veterinary pharmaceutical sales, known to be an extremely lucrative field. Veterinary pharmaceutical sales reps market animal drugs and supplements directly to veterinarians. It is also possible to transition to pet product sales, part of the $50 billion dollar a year pet industry. Pet product sales reps can offer a wide range of products to pet boutiques and other retail outlets. Education Training Livestock feed sales representatives can come from a variety of educational backgrounds. While there is no specific educational requirement for those entering this career, most manufacturers prefer that their sales rep candidates have a degree in marketing, business, animal science, agriculture, communications, or a veterinary related field. A masters degree further enhances your chances of advancing to a supervisory role, such as a position in sales management. Prior experience working in retail feed sales environments, such as a feed or farm supply stor es, is beneficial. A sales rep should be extremely familiar with the animal species for which they are marketing products, as they will be dealing with professionals in the field. New sales rep recruits generally go through a company-sponsored training program before entering the field. Sales training can last anywhere from a few weeks or several months. The sales management team also provides continuing education for sales reps as new product lines are developed and introduced to the market. There are several membership groups for those in the sales industry. One well-known group of sales representatives is the Manufacturers Agents National Association (MANA), which offers market research studies, continuing education opportunities, and local networking events for manufacturers agents. A highly regarded certification program is provided by the Manufacturers Representatives Education Research Foundation (MRERF). The MRERF offers certification as either a Certified Professional Manuf acturers Representative (CPMR) or as a Certified Sales Professional (CSP). Salary Compensation for livestock feed sales representatives can be based on commission, salary, or (most frequently) a combination of the two. Sales reps also usually benefit from some type of bonus structure that rewards outstanding performance upon the achievement of certain sales milestones. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the middle 50% of sales representatives earned between $48,540 and $99,570 per year during a 2008 salary study. The lowest 10% earned less than $34,980 per year and the highest 10% earned more than $133,040 per year. The median wage for sales representatives welches $70,200. Those individuals working in field sales positions often receive additional compensation and benefits such as an expense account for entertaining clients, paid airfare and hotel stays, and use of a company vehicle. Job Outlook Sales representative job opportunities are expected to grow as fast as the average (about 7%) for all careers, so competition should remain keen for available positions. According to the BLS, job prospects will be best for those holding a college degree, expertise in the field, and solid marketing skills.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Career lessons from James Corden and Carpool Karaoke

Career lessons from James Corden and Carpool KaraokeCareer lessons from James Corden and Carpool KaraokeOne of the most anticipated segments of late-night TV in recent years is Carpool Karaoke on CBSs The Late Late Show with James Corden. In case youre unfamiliar with the recurring segment, host Corden usually drives around an A-List singer past or present as they sing along to said singers prerecorded hits. Its simple, addictive and brilliant.And since life lessons pop up in the most unexpected places, Carpool Karaoke might also provide you with some career inspiration.Delight your captive audienceIf you think about it, on some level both Corden and the singer in question are trapped in a car together. The fact that they manage to transform the experience into instantly viral entertainment is the magical part. It is called captive market syndrome, said Maiden Manzanal-Frank, Founder, CEO Senior Consultant of Global Stakes Consultant. People ride on the car/limo or bus and there are entertainment, connections, and harmony that forms between strangers because of being stranded in one place. Its an interesting notion to think that while you cant choose your co-workers and are for all intents and purposes stuck together for the foreseeable future, you can decide whether you harmonize or create dissonance instead.Make them feel secureWhile Corden frequently pokes fun at his singing abilities, he also belts em out with the best of them. Its interesting to try to guess whether its Corden who makes his guests feel comfortable enough to sing naked without autotune or editing or vice versa. In the work world, you might be the geschftszimmer star or the one who still soaks it all up and hopes for that next big promotion. Its important to realize though that while reflected glory can be fleeting, making those you work with feel comfortable enough to shine is a valuable talent in and of itself.Show your admirationLets face it, James Corden is famous. He even has his own TV show The thing is though, that he has no problem being a fanboy either. Whether hes belting it out with Sir Paul McCartney (and weeping at times) or trying to keep up with Adele, hes clearly second fiddle in the equation and hes just fine with it. While kissing-up is never a great career move, letting someone know you think theyre great is always a smart move.Let the cracks showIn his song Anthem, the late great Leonard Cohen famously sang There is a crack in everything, thats how the light gets in. Perfection is overrated. Dont believe me? How much more fun is it to hear Corden and celebs warbling their tunes together and missing high notes rather than hearing the shiny packaged radio version? So much more fun If you struggle with something it doesnt make you a failure, it makes your ultimate success that much more impressive.Choose your greatest hitsLike most singers, we all have B-sides or the songs that never quite became hits. On Carpool Karaoke, Corden rarely picks the son gs no one knows and instead focuses on the top 10 nearly every single time. While you may have had a passion project at work, it might not be the best idea to highlight it in your year-end review if no one else ever heard about it. Instead, try listing the projects or papers or career highlights that set you apart as a star.But reinvent them from time to timePlay your best tunes over and over and over again in different formats with a different audience, said Manzanal-Frank. While tooting your own horn can be annoying, testing out your formula for success until you hit the perfect recipe can help you fine-tune it.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Ask Recruiters How to Nail Your Email Responses and Phone Interview

Ask Recruiters How to Nail Your Email Responses and Phone Interview Ask Recruiters How to Nail Your Email Responses and Phone Interview Receiving direct contact from a recruiter is an exciting part of the job search and a welcome break from rejection elendices and non-responses. Out of hundreds of applicants or thousands of LinkedIn profiles, the recruiter decided you were one of the few worth reaching out to congrats The next step is to validate their instincts. Whether youre responding to a recruiter email or participating in an initial phone interview, its critical to show that you are professional, skilled, and a strong communicator.We reached out to four recruiters to gain insight into what theyre looking for in these initial interactions.Samantha Harmon, AjilonAdam Karpiak, Karpiak ConsultingLizbeth Hernandez, JobscanTabitha Trent Cavanagh, ThinkingAheadHow to Respond to a Recruiter EmailA recruiter could be sending an email or LinkedIn InMail to you for a couple reasons. Typic ally, theyre either doing cold outreach for a role (sourcing) or responding to your job application.What to do when a recruiter contacts you unexpectedlyWhen a recruiter finds your LinkedIn profile and messages you out of the blue, their primary objective is to open a dialogue.Im hoping to be able to hear something that isnt a complete shut down, said Karpiak. I just want a sliver of daylight where I can try to figure out what kind of value I can add for them.I hope to establish a mode of communication to keep us on their radar and convert them to apply, said Hernandez.Recruiters are generally happy to receive any response at all during cold outreach. Jump way up their list by going beyond a simple tell me more and showing genuine interest in the role.I feel confident about them when they take the time to look up the company before they even draft their response to me, said Hernandez. If they respond with anything that shows that theyve researched the company, our founders, our mis sion, or my background, thats always good news.Ultimately, the best responses to those messages include something like, Yes, I am interested. When can we set up a time to connect? said Harmon. It shows interest on their part, and it demonstrates the lets meet halfway mentality.Harmon added that only following up with questions about the client or pay things an agency recruiter might not even be able to disclose at that point can suggest that they arent actually interested, or that they may not binnenbinnensee what we do as valuable. Those people are likely not going to become candidates.Some job seekers might not have a high opinion of recruiters after slogging through a job search, but there are great recruiters out there who will become your advocate if you let them. When a recruiter comes calling, its not a time to vent your frustrations. Be professional and courteous.Unless they are downright rude, nothing would really deter me from wanting to have an initial conversation, sa id Cavanagh.I can tell sometimes if a candidate will not get along with me or treat me like a cog, said Karpiak. Im not a cog. Im a partner in the process. If they just want me to blast them out there or are disrespectful to me because Im a recruiter, Ill pull the plug.Get more recruiters to your inboxHow to Scan a Resume with Jobscan (208)How to Scan a LinkedIn Profile with Jobscan (253)??Text Tutorial Try it NowApply for jobs with a resume optimized for the exact applicant tracking systems recruiters use.Text Tutorial Try it NowBring recruiters directly to you by optimizing your profile for LinkedIn search.How to respond to a recruiter phone interview requestIf youve applied for a job and a recruiter responds, its likely to schedule a phone screening. Replying to these messages can be nerve-racking for job seekers who suddenly see their dream job within reach. The key to these interactions isresponsiveness.When I email a candidate to schedule a phone screen, what I mostly care ab out is, Are they being a pain to schedule? said Karpiak.We look for clear and professional responses, but we really look for responsiveness in general, said Harmon. That dictates how smoothly our process of working with them will go and how invested they are in their job search at this point.The real tests come during the phone call.What Recruiters Are Looking for in Your Phone InterviewThe phone interview is your opportunity to validate the recruiters instincts and show off the depth of your skills.We ask basic questions about the candidates skillset to make sure that were on the same page about experience and requirements, said Harmon.Hernandez wants to know how theyve applied the skills and qualifications from their resume into their actual work.Instead of reciting the skills on your resume, its much more important to intelligently discuss what it is you do, exactly.Its easy to list things on a resume, Hernandez continued, but when I ask you to tell me about your background, I wa nt to see how confident you are in verbally articulating that skillset and how you market yourself.A set of corporate recruiters weighed in on this in a previous article. You want to know how good they are conveying their past experience to someone that theyve never met, said non-profit recruiter Andrew. In that initial conversation, Im gauging what their communication skills are like.Recruiters cover a lot of ground in a short phone interview.Confirming that your skills align with the job description is a primary concern for recruiters at this stage yet they have more ground to cover during the 15-30 minute phone interview.This is the recruiters first good opportunity to start assessing culture fit and long-term expectations.Culture fit is big, but at a startup, I also look for things that a candidate can add to the team or potentially even teach our team, said Hernandez.I care about their interests, their passions and their WHY, said Cavanagh.Hernandez added that this candidate mi ght be my coworker one day, so I am screening for someone who will be respectful, friendly, and mindful towards the team.This also includes how a candidate fits in not only with the current team, but the companys long-term goals.Tell me what you want down the line, said Karpiak. Then tell me why you cant achieve that at your current job.Where do you see yourself eventually may be cliche and perhaps overused, said Hernandez, but it actually lets me know whether or not we can offer you the ability to pursue that goal and, from a business perspective, whether our joint goals align.Hiring someone is a big investment. While you dont necessarily need a structured five year plan, having a clear idea of what youre working towards can inspire confidence in the recruiter, especially if you make a point to align it with company values.How to respond to a recruiter (and nail it)To recapBe responsive. Dont make the recruiter work for it.Show your interest by researching the company and the role .Articulate your skills and experience clearly. Know why youre good at what you do.Show that youll be a good coworker by being friendly, professional, and courteous.Prepare a long-term vision for your career (preferably one that aligns with the company).Additional readingWhat Do Corporate Recruiters Want? We Asked ThemUnderstanding the Recruitment Process The Key to a Successful Job SearchHow to Answer What Are Your Salary Expectations?