From graduate to media sales exec for a national newspaper

I wasn’t completely sure what I wanted to do after graduating, so I decided to draw upon experience gained in sales jobs during my summer holidays and joined up with a media agency. Before long they found me a media sales position with my current employer.

I was attracted to the role because it offered a dynamic, structured environment, clear career progression and the opportunity to earn good bonuses – and after three rounds of interviews I got the job.

Working in media sales for a national

Working in sales is target-driven and fast-paced. It requires excellent communication skills and the ability to form and maintain strong working relationships with clients. I work on the government team – this means that I am the day-to-day contact for public-sector clients looking to purchase advertising space in the newspaper and on the website.

My main responsibilities include calling my top 20 clients on a monthly basis to sell to them from our portfolio of recruitment products and give them feedback on the adverts they have placed with us, to find new organisations that have never advertised with us before and clients that have advertised elsewhere and tell them about the benefits of using our products.

Target-motivated, but teamwork focused

I start work at 9.30 am and leave at 5.30 pm. It’s a young department and everyone is really close, so there are lots of opportunities to socialise. I particularly enjoy the target-motivated atmosphere and the teamwork elements of my job. I also like the fact that I can chat to my clients and they are interested in our brand and products; the Guardian isn’t the hardest sell because people like what we have to offer.

The only difficult aspect is the pace at which we are required to work. We are expected to make 35–40 calls a day and sometimes this can be quite demanding. The main sales ‘myth’ I would dispel is the idea that sales people are shallow and relentless – I have found all of my colleagues to be intelligent and friendly people.

Megan Clarke is an internal sales executive for Guardian Jobs – part of Guardian News and Media (GNM). She has a BA in English literature and American studies from the University of Birmingham.