Many career opportunities in sales await you in the Bronx in New York City. Here is a quick and simple guide to sales jobs in the Bronx, New York.

What educational background do you need to land a job in the Bronx?

Entry-level sales positions generally do not require a college degree of any kind. A high school diploma or GED is usually enough to get your foot in the door, although having an associate or bachelor's degree might make it easier to get hired. More advanced degrees like a master's or doctorate might be helpful if you are applying for higher-level administrative positions, but work experience is also an extremely important factor in hiring for these positions.

Depending on what it is that you would like to sell, you may also need to acquire a license before you may begin selling that product or service. Selling insurance, real estate or financial instruments in the Bronx, for example, will generally require you to complete some kind of state-accredited course or courses and then pass a licensing exam. Additional courses may be required every few years to renew your license, though this will vary depending on the type of license under consideration.

How can I land a sales job in the Bronx?

To land a sales job in the Bronx, you need to have well-organized resume topped off with an appealing and attention-grabbing cover letter. Your resume should highlight your education, skills and work experience as well as any licenses you have that may be relevant to the position you’re applying for.

In sales, you will almost certainly be interacting with customers a great deal. It’s therefore very important to show off your people skills and personal charm during your interview. Find out all you can about the company's products or services so that you can answer questions about them intelligently and also ask some good questions to emphasize your interest in the job. This applies equally whether your interview will be conducted over the phone, via video or in person.

For a phone interview, take the call somewhere that's free of background noise where you're unlikely to be interrupted. To prepare for a video or in-person interview, learn the dress code for the job you seek and dress at that level or a little higher. To prepare for a face-to-face interview, practice answering in-depth questions in a way that showcases your strengths and problem-solving ability. It's also a good idea to be ready for hypothetical questions about how to sell one of the company's products or services to a certain type of customer or client.

You can think of applying for a sales job as marketing yourself. If you want a sales job in the Bronx, the best way might be to just walk into a retailer, real estate firm, insurance company branch or wherever else you’d like to work and sell your skills and personality to your potential employer. Salespeople will appreciate your initiative.

What are common jobs in this area?

The most common sorts of entry-level sales jobs in the Bronx are those of sales development representative and sales representative. Here, you will be spending most of your time prospecting and interacting with potential customers. The major difference between these two is that the sales development representative focuses on finding potential customers and convincing them to be open to purchasing a product. The salesperson then passes the customer up the chain. The sales representative is the one who actually makes the sale to the customer.

Mid-level sales jobs in the Bronx include that of account executive where you will focus on making sales presentations to customers. Account manager is another important mid-level sales position in which you oversee a portfolio of clients to whom you have made sales. You will address their concerns and questions and alter their accounts for them as needed.

Senior-level sales positions include major managerial and administrative roles like that of regional sales manager in which you manage teams of sales representatives and account managers in your geographic area. There are even higher-level and more remunerative sales positions like those of sales director or vice president of sales. Here, you rarely interact directly with customers. Instead, you meet with and set objectives for your subordinates.

What are the biggest industries for this field in the Bronx?

Many industries and businesses all over the Bronx are interested in hiring people for sales job, including car dealerships, department stores, real estate firms, insurance companies, tech companies and financial firms.

What kinds of shifts can I work in this field in the Bronx?

Sales positions in the Bronx offer a wide variety of different possible work shifts. Sales representatives at retail stores can work either part-time or full-time shifts, day or night, depending on the specifics of the job.

Other sales positions tend to come with a great deal more flexibility in work scheduling. For instance, insurance sales representatives and real estate agents can often set their own hours, working either part-time, full-time, seasonally or in temp roles, as happens to suit them.

Aside from retail, night shifts are relatively rare in the sales world. Since most potential customers are out and about during the day, prospecting and other sales work tends to happen then. There might be occasional exceptions to this, like if you’re looking to sell an insurance policy to a nightclub or making an evening appointment for a prospective customer's convenience.

External resources

It's a good idea to read Crain's New York Business to monitor developments in advertising and marketing, banking, education, health care, hospitality and tourism, real estate, retail and other fields you might consider for your sales career.

Though salespeople don’t have a formal union of their own, the United Food and Commercial Workers union has many salespeople in its ranks.

If you need to get a certain license before you being your sales career, Lehman College in the Bronx offers courses for those preparing to take the New York real estate licensing exam. Companies like A.D. Banker provide the courses necessary for the New York state insurance exam.