Telephone Sales Staff are responsible for taking incoming calls from people wishing to place advertisements in the paper and also for telephone canvassing to gain new business. Field Sales Representatives sell advertising space by contacting and visiting businesses, shops, etc. advising them on the most effective way of advertising for their needs. Although no particular academic qualifications are required for Advertising Sales, it is important that applicants have a reasonable standard of Mathematics and English because the job involves writing out and costing advertisements. Keyboard skills are useful as all information needs to be inputted into computers but training is usually given. Self motivation and the ability to work on your own initiative is essential and therefore newspapers often prefer to recruit people with some previous work experience.
Staff can come from a variety of backgrounds.
On one newspaper Telesales staff include an ex-switchboard operator, a florist, a factory operative and a hairdresser, along with several graduates in Music, Theology, English, and Applied Biology. Many young people see Telesales as the first step into a field sales or advertising career and promotion prospects are good for the right kind of person. Confidence and the ability to listen to what people are saying, as well as talking to them, are necessary and it is not unusual to find interviewees for jobs involved in group discussions, debates, etc.