I have always been a proponent of never applying online, talking to a recruiter or HR. All those routes are just ways to weed people out, in essence all they can say is, “No.” Applying online (AI bots), Recruiters, Hiring Managers, etc. don’t know anything about how sales works, why would you leave your future in their hands?!?

I also talk a lot about being unemployed and underemployed, even making a case that being unemployed is better mentally. If you don’t have a job, at least you have hope that once you do land a job, everything will be OK. If you are underemployed, busting your ass for 40 hours a week and still not getting by, you might not have hope.

Turns out there is something worse than both unemployment and underemployment. It’s even worse than applying online, which is ironic because it involves applying online…applying online to a job that doesn’t really exist!

From Business Insider…Resume Builder, which offers résumé templates, surveyed nearly 650 hiring managers in May and found nearly seven in 10 said it was “morally acceptable” to post fake jobs.

HIRING MANAGERS said it was OK to post fake jobs!?! Morally acceptable to lie. Now do you understand why you should stay clear of anyone other than the person you would report to when hunting for your first (or next) sales job?!

It’s been common for staffing firms to fish for talent with dummy listings (another reason to never talk to a recruiter). That way, when a client calls needing workers, the agency has people ready to go. But now, companies beyond staffing firms appear to be adopting the practice, which can frustrate job seekers.

We are dealing with people’s lives here. A job often defines how people look at us and certainly how we feel about ourselves. When there is a blatant, deceitful practice of lying about a job that is available, someone needs to be throat punched. Instead of destroying public schools and taking away women’s healthcare, state legislatures (or even Congress) should pass a law making this illegal.

All this to say is that when you are looking for your first (or next) sales job, take it from someone who’s made mistakes; learned from them and developed some best practices on how to go land your dream sales job.

Happy Selling!