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FAQ's for Career Seekers

Your Questions, Answered.

Explore answers to common questions about our sales recruiting services, processes, and more. Discover how we can help you find top talent or land your dream job. Get clarity on everything from application procedures to interview tips.

Getting Started

No, we do not charge any fees to represent you and help you secure your new position. However, if would like to utilize any of our resume services, there are costs involved. We do not “push” our resume services on anyone and in fact will show you ways to tighten up your resume without spending a dime!

You will need to provide your recruiter with your contact information including name address, phone numbers, past compensation structures as well as quotas, achievements and performance history. We will also need to understand your entire work history which includes your current position. 

WE DO NOT, AND WILL NOT EVER CONTACT YOUR CURRENT EMPLOYER.  Our business is based on discretion and confidentiality. The information you provide to us is used solely to conduct an effective job search. This means any missing information (or purposefully omitted details) will hinder our process.  We aren’t here to judge you, we are here to help find the best opportunity for you.  Understanding who you are both personally and professionally is how we ensure long-term empoyer/employee relationships for our candidates and clients. 

You will never be asked to provide information prohibited by law. You are welcome to volunteer and explain any issues (arrests, DUIs)  that may come to light during a background check, but you are not required to so by law.

No! You can reach out to us with your current resume and we will gladly offer a few suggestions to get it in shape. It benefits you tremendously if we can recommend some verbiage we know our clients will find appealing! There are also resume tips and samples on the resources page.

NOTHING! Once you have sent us your resume and/or application, we receive a notification letting us know. This indicates you have started a new job search and we will either contact you (should we have an immediate match) or keep our eyes out for any potential opportunities that align with your skill set.

We receive literally hundreds of applicant submissions every week. During peak times of the year (May/June, September, and January) these numbers can almost double!!! It is impossible for us to respond to everyone.  We will not reach out if none of our current job openings align with your background. We truly wish we could place everyone, but unfortunately, it simply isn’t possible.  Once your information has been submitted, you will get a notification confirming we have received it and has been entered into our database. You do not need to follow up to ensure we have your resume. If we have a current or upcoming position that matches your background, we will contact you immediately! 

Working With Your Recruiter

Please understand that our clients request all of their openings be kept confidential. We are not trying to be evasive when questioned about an opportunity you may have seen posted online, and we are contractually bound to not divulge certain information. Additionally, it doesn’t make much sense for us to tell you all about this (or any) particular opening this early in the process. Even if we shared every detail about the open position, it would not be relevant, as you have not even been through our initial screening process or been approved to meet with the client. It’s simply not an effective use of time for either party and is in many ways “putting the cart before the horse”. You may be thinking “Well how do I know if I am even interested in that job”? You won’t know that just yet but will soon enough. We have over 100 openings at any given time and even if you do not fit for the position you applied for, there are likely others that match your skill set perfectly!

First, consider why you want to get into government sales. Do you believe it is easier than the private sector? Are you looking for Federal sales or State and Local sales? These are important considerations and demand information before making a qualified decision. It can be challenging to break into any kind of government sales.  Typically, the easiest way to get into government sales is to stay within your industry (where you already know the product or service) and join a new organization that has both a commercial AND government sales division. Your industry knowledge will appeal to the potential employer (shorter learning curve) and their government sales division allows you the opportunity to take that knowledge and apply it to a different customer base (in this case, government).

Circumstances dictate most things in the job market from day to day. It could be that when your friend got into medical/software/cyber security  (insert the newest hot industry here), they were lucky enough to interview during a “pilot program” or some other kind of oddity that allowed them to break into the field. It could have been a manager with a vacant territory who had been interviewing for months was willing to compromise on experience to get the position filled as quickly as possible. You never know!!!! Comparing yourself to a friend who landed what you believe to be your “dream job” will endlessly frustrate you. Instead, spend your time focusing on what is available for YOU in TODAY’S market and adjust your expectations. This will ensure you have the best chance of landing a great opportunity offering longevity and growth.

Timing is everything! We hear this all too often and wish we could offer a better explanation than the fact that things are always changing. We can never predict what sales openings will be available when you begin your job search. It is likely that your friend was in his/her search at a time when the market was more fruitful or had something else in his/her background that our clients found appealing. Sometimes it can be due to where you reside (in relation to the territory), earnings history, and most likely market conditions at that time.

While it may appear that “entry level” is defined as ‘virtually no experience’ it goes beyond that. One of the main reasons companies searching for entry level candidates won’t consider you is two words: Flight Risk. They fear an applicant who accepts a position at a significantly lower level will continue to search for something better, at a more relevant pay grade. They often ask us: “Why would someone who has earned over $90K want to take this job for a base of $50K and a first -year earnings of $60K????”  The employer thinks this is merely a stop-over position that won’t stand the test of time. This is not always the case, and we strongly encourage our clients to consider candidates with various backgrounds.

It’s impossible to fit every piece of hiring criteria into a small job posting. We make every effort to include the basic requirements our client has given us, but keep in mind, there may be many other qualifications not listed. Additionally, our role is to determine cultural fit and personality matches to ensure positive employee/employer relationships.  A large part of our success is understanding who will work well together long term.

Your recruiter is not avoiding you and is actually that busy! The nature of our job is to be on calls or conducting interviews. If we are doing anything else, we aren’t doing our job!!!! We understand it can be frustrating and for this we apologize, but please know that our being busy means talking to clients and securing interviews for you! If you are actively interviewing with one of our clients, you will be speaking with your recruiter almost daily if not multiple times per day.  If you need to reach your recruiter, use whatever mode of communication you can. Leave them a detailed voicemail but don’t be afraid to shoot them a text or an email.

This is probably the most common concern we hear from career seekers. During the initial interview with your recruiter, they should have explained the process moving forward and what to expect in terms of follow up. As a practice, we do not “touch base” with our active candidates with updates on the search process. We focus our time on securing interviews, following up with our clients and negotiating offers on behalf of our candidates. Reaching out to just “touch base” without any new information to share, only slows down the process. We understand there is an emotional component to searching, but please know we are working hard on your behalf, even if you haven’t heard from us. It is imperative we keep the momentum going and focus our efforts.  However, If anything in your search criteria changes or you have a question, be sure to leave them a detailed voice mail, text or email. They should get back to you within a reasonable amount of time.  No recruiter on our team will stop representing you without your knowledge, so if you don’t hear from us, we’re still working diligently to find you a new job!  In return, we ask you to let us know ASAP if you secure a position on your own, so we can focus our efforts effectively. 

Areas Covered/Relocation

The “RIGHT job” is very subjective, and it’s difficult to determine what that will be for each person. More importantly, it goes without saying that most sales professionals would relocate for a huge pay raise and their dream job. Putting aside your “ideal/dream job” are you really ready to pick up and move tomorrow? Would you be willing to finance the cost of relocation yourself? Have you considered selling your home in this market? Breaking a lease? Your spouse’s job (if applicable)? Changing schools for your children? The cost of living difference in that area? 
In reality most companies have a a substantial pool of candidates locally that do not require the additional cost and complication of moving someone to their area. While some people are genuinely ready to pack up and be there tomorrow, most are not.  If you are genuinely open to relocation and have addressed the above mentioned hurdles, we consider that as we begin your search.  We only ask that you take these factors into serious consideration before throwing that into the mix. This ensures we are not wasting our client’s time and avoids potential issues should we get to final stages in the interview process.

One of the most common reasons people make a job change is because they’re faced with a lengthy commute.  Unfortunately, companies have been burned by this time and time again and simply cannot risk hiring anyone who resides too far from the office or territory. While many say they are comfortable with lots of windshield time, we know  it only leads to a frustrated employee who eventually leaves for something closer to home. Again, please understand the restrictions on where someone must reside come from the clients and not The Porter Group. We must respect their wishes and stay within the specifications they give us.