How to Get a Vendor Job
A vendor is someone who sells services or goods for money---a middleman who supplies a particular commodity or necessity and makes a profit while doing so. Examples can be suppliers who sell and deliver soda and chips to convenience stores or arenas; an insurance broker; or someone with a bread-delivery route.
While you may not need specialized training to find a job as a vendor, there are a few ways to stand out from your competition and land a vendor job.
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Instructions
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Decide what product or products you wish to market. If you'd like to become a food vendor, for instance, do you want to market snacks or beverages? Do you want to sell tobacco or health supplements? Know ahead of time what items you wouldn't be willing to sell: If a company offers you a job but expects you to market those types of items, you may be faced with a moral and ethical dilemma.
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Contact companies that fit your criteria. When you call a company, ask to speak with its human resources recruiter or department and then inquire whether the company is hiring, explaining your interest in becoming a vendor for that company. If the company isn't currently hiring, ask if you could still submit an application and a resume. Be persistent---if a vendor at the company quits the next day, you may be at the top of the list to contact, simply because you didn't take no for an answer.
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Submit an application and resume that are complete and professional. If you need assistance writing a resume, hire a resume-writing professional. Or find a template in a business book at the library or online at a site such as ResumeTemplates.org. The application and resume need to be updated with your most recent information and spelled correctly.
Don't send a generic resume; tailor it toward the company you're contacting so the hiring manager can see how your experience translates to that particular position. Do you have a trucking license? Explain your previous sales experience. How do previous jobs give you experience with the public?
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Prepare for the interview. Research the company online by perusing the company's website or by searching your local library; become knowledgeable about the company's products and history.
Have a friend or family member give you a mock interview so you'll feel more comfortable when you walk into the actual meeting. If you have difficulty giving a response off the top of your head, a mock interview can be especially helpful in having prepared answers to the usual interview questions. Be prepared to answer tough questions about past jobs where you quit or were fired, why you moved from job to job, how you would handle a difficult customer or what weaknesses might interfere with your job performance. If you've had no previous experience that would benefit you specifically as a vendor, explain how you can still be a valuable representative of the company with the experience you do have and your ability to learn quickly.
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Be professional. A vendor will be facing the public on a daily basis as a representative of the company. Even if your day-to-day job would only require jeans, wear a suit to the interview. Make sure you're clean and well-groomed (this is also how you should come to work every day). You want to show a potential employer that you're calm, pleasant and capable of getting along with everyone.
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Follow up a few days after the interview to see if the company has made a decision. Be courteous and polite, even if you can't get an immediate answer. Be persistent; if the company is interviewing several people and you're the only one to call back, that may be the factor that gets you hired.
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Tips & Warnings
When asked, turn former mistakes into positives by explaining what you learned from the situation and what you wouldn't repeat.
Never embellish your experience or pad your resume. If the company checks every single detail and discovers you lied about even one, your chances of getting hired will likely disappear.
