Graduate Sales jobs & schemes 2024

The Employer - Jim Selley (Training & Recruitment Manager - L&C)

What competencies do you like to see in candidates?

Our job is about communication. In the vast majority it is verbal because we are a phone-based advice service. With the written word it is about brevity, some CVs are just too long and they go on and on. Our industry requires the passing of exams, and if graduates can show they can pass, that's a big one. We want graduates to prove that they can work really hard. A final thing we look for is that graduates have a clear idea about goals, expectations and drivers. Just so we can see what makes you tick and motivates you to come to work.

Can you talk us through the application process?

There are 5 stages. Firstly somebody submits a CV to us and we look at that with a view to pass or fail it. We then send successful people an online test which has two elements. One is a psychometric and the other is a maths and reasoning test. This consists of 39 quick-fire questions in 30 minutes and we want 25 of them passed. After that there is a telephone interview which lasts around 30 minutes. This allows us to find out a bit more about the candidate and tell them more about the role. Then, there is a sales role play, again over the phone, discussing something everyone has bought. Then finally, it is a face to face interview in the office.

What is the most common mistake you see in an application that leads to candidates being rejected?

What scares me is people that just have education and have got no work experience. A second thing is that some people do terrible things on covering letters where they put very generic messages on them. Graduates should just take a minute to relate it to what they're applying for. You get people writing in saying they're interested in positions that don't exist. People that do take time and do it well have a positive slant immediately put on their CV.

What is the main piece of advice you would give a graduate entering the sector?

If you're going for a sales position, don't be afraid to say you want to earn some money! We have people that say they are really interested in the exams we offer and what we do. However, the only way the business is going to make a lot of money is if they bring in a lot of money. We want people that are going to say 'I know you've got a commission structure and I know that I'm going to get rewarded for the effort I put in.'

What's the main challenge graduates face when they start?

I think sometimes it is about having the confidence to be an advisor. Graduates sometimes worry that the customer might know more than them because they are buying a house but then we remind them that they have had the necessary training and must make people believe they are an expert in it. As they do more and more of it they do get a better understanding.

Where do you see company in two years' time?

I used graduate-jobs.com when I was recruiting for our office in Bath and now I'm using graduate-jobs.com to recruit for a new office here in Newcastle. Currently we have 46 people here and by the end of the year we hope to have over 80. We've ridden out the toughest times and I don't see any explosions round the corner but just steady growth.

If you weren't Training and Recruitment Manager, what would you be?

I always wanted to be a sports journalist. I'd be getting paid for going around watching and writing about sport. That would be brilliant!

The Employee - Melanie Baker (Mortgage & Protection Associate - L&C)

How did you find your graduate job in Sales?

I applied through graduate-jobs.com. I wasn't too sure what I was looking for at the start. I looked at the skills I'd picked up through university and the work I had done alongside my degree. My degree wasn't anything related to anything I'm doing now, but I was happy to go into financial services.

Why do you think you were successful at L & C?

I worked all the way through university which gave me a lot more skills. I worked in retail and it gave me the confidence to speak to people and assist their needs which is related to what I'm doing now. I also worked doing promotions for a nightclub which gave me some experience of selling and being driven.

What do you actually do?

Like university projects that needed to be handed in to deadlines, mortgages work in a similar way. If a deal is withdrawn, we need to get the applications in. We need to make sure people are in the position to move forward, they've got all the information ready and we can start to push the work through.

What skills do you need?

Communication is the key one and probably time management. Being productive with your time is a really big selling point and we work to a commission basis. So if you are pushing to reach those targets it can really benefit you in the long run.

What is the best thing about your job?

The best thing is that I'm helping people. They come to us asking for help with their mortgage and I make sure that I find them the best price possible, which can save them a lot of money. It might sound cheesy but it certainly is the most rewarding part!

What is the worst thing about your job?

The training at the start is really intense. We were working really long hours and it takes a while for things to come through. Like in the industry, mortgages take a while to process so we get our business when the sale actually completes.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I'd like to progress to at least supervisor level. The office has expanded from Bath to Newcastle and we were the first intake. The office isn't massive up here, but we are hoping to expand and I'd like to be a part of that at a supervisor level.

What advice would you give to graduates applying to London & Country?

Make sure they are not scared of hard work. It is quite intense at the start. Make sure they are coming with some experience that is going to give you a head start. All of the graduates are coming out with degrees, so make sure you've got some work experience alongside that. If you've got some experience in sales that's even better.

If you want to find out more about graduate jobs with London & Country, please take a look at their company profile.