Sales jobs focus on presenting products to consumers and giving those consumers enough information to make a good decision as to whether the product is best for them. Part-time sales jobs allow the employee to work less than a full work week, which can usually last up to 40 hours per week. A person might take on part-time sales jobs to earn money while going to school or tending to other responsibilities that take up time during the week. Several types of jobs fit this category, but since these jobs are only part-time, they tend to be lower-level sales positions.
You can get started in sales by working in a retail store. Part-time sales jobs in retail stores often focus on helping customers with a wide variety of products within the store rather than just one or two. The employee is likely to be trained so he or she will have some broad knowledge about most of the products in the store, and the salesperson will be expected to help many customers throughout the course of a shift. In such a job, the salesperson may only be responsible for selling items, though more often these part-time sales jobs also involve using a point of sale system such as a cash register or computer system.
Companies will often hire employees for part-time sales jobs to represent a specific product line or even just one product. In this case, the salesperson will usually communicate with various businesses who will stock the product for resale, or with entities that may have a use for that product or product line. A medical product salesperson, for example, may be responsible for communicating with supply stores, though more often this salesperson will communicate directly with hospitals, doctor's offices, and other end users of the medical products.
An inside sales representative will usually work at the company and handle orders placed over the phone or via the Internet, whereas an outside sales representative is likely to be required to travel to various locations to educate business owners and employees about a specific product or product line. Part-time sales jobs are usually not likely to be outside sales positions, since traveling to various locations can take up a significant amount of time during a workweek. Inside sales jobs can be part-time, however, since the employee does not need to travel and can often work remotely or from home.
