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Business Development, Sales and Customer Service

Sales and business development are related but separate areas. Roles may focus solely on sales or business development or be a mix of both.  Sales involves researching and following leads and converting directly or through a salesperson to close the deal.  Business development is more strategic, identifying new areas for business growth to pursue.  Employers often converge the two roles so look carefully at the job description to see what it entails in the context of that particular employer. In these roles, you can expect to work in a target-driven environment, where you may have the opportunity earn bonuses based on your performance. 

Customer Service work is in understanding and satisfying customers’ requirements, monitoring customer interactions, resolving issues efficiently and finding ways to improve customer experience. You may also lead or be part of a customer service team that deals with customer service and complaints.  

Each of these areas have in common that they can be found across the public, private and charity sectors, in all types of businesses and organisations. You may find that the skills you gain in either Business Development, Sales or Customer Service allow you to transfer easily between them, or you may choose to specialise in a certain area. Sales and purchasing /buying roles are also potentially interchangeable since the skills acquired are similar.   

Graduate training schemes offer a route into roles in Business Development, Sales and Customer Service.  A degree in business development and business management are most relevant for these, although most roles are open to graduates from all disciplines. For some more specialist or technical roles, you may need a degree in science, IT or engineering, for example. A postgraduate degree is not a usual requirement for careers in this area. 

Recruitment consultancy is also considered to be a ‘sales’ focused role too, since Recruitment Consultants essentially sell their services to find candidates. Sales skills are key to success, since in addition to growing business, consultants spend time ‘selling’ opportunities to candidates as well as promoting candidates to employers. Therefore, remember that recruitment consultancies could also be potential employers if you like the idea of ‘selling people’ rather than products or services!  

If you are interested in this work area, you may also be interested in:

Skills employers look for

Every employer is different so there are no definitive lists here. These are meant as a guide and should be considered in addition to fully exploring role requirements outlined in person specification, job description and advert for each role you consider applying for. 

  • Communication and listening skills
  • Ability to develop strong professional relationships
  • Strategic thinking
  • Commercial awareness
  • Negotiation
  • Analytical skills
  • Flexibility and adaptability
  • Networking. 

To develop these skills, remember Career Zone offers a range of Personal and Professional Development sessions which are available to book on Handshake and run at least once per term. Please also read through the sections about Gaining Experience and Further Study and Professional Development to discover how you can develop your skills through experience and by gaining further knowledge or qualifications.   

Gaining Experience

All experiences ranging from volunteering to sports to active involvement in clubs/societies can help you to develop relevant and transferable skills. You may wish to consider involvement in: 

Volunteering 

Voluntary work experience will give you an opportunity to develop your communication, organisation and other skills.  Perhaps you might also be able to find a sales assistant role in a charity shop, for example,  which would provide useful experience for a career in sales or business development.    

Club/Society Involvement 

There are lots of student societies to get involved with during your time at Exeter. These societies could help you develop the necessary skills for your first role.  Balancing your time between part-time roles, study and committee contribution in a society can really show employers how flexible and organised you are. You may be able to gather relevant experience in teamwork, sales, communication or negotiation by actively taking part in societies during your studies. 

Societies of potential interest include:  

 

 

University of Exeter Employability Schemes 

Speculative applications and where to find opportunities 

Undertaking relevant work experience will also allow you to develop new skills and gain a valuable insight into the sector. As jobs and opportunities are not always advertised, it can be useful to develop your networking skills and apply speculatively. Before visiting the sites below you may find it useful to read our Researching employers page. 

 

Finding part time work  

Many students work part-time during their studies. Part-time jobs are often in the hospitality or retail sector where you can gain transferrable interpersonal, communication and teamwork skills.   

Search for part-time work here: 

  • General job sites such as Find a Job or Indeed (filter on “part-time” and “Exeter”).
  • Identify and call into local businesses in Exeter with your CV to ask about part-time jobs.
  • Attend the part-time / casual jobs fair, held twice yearly on Streatham Campus.  There is also a part time jobs fair held on Penryn Campus.  Find these on Handshake.
  • Various careers fairs held in Exeter and in Penryn.  

Virtual Work Experience 

  • Forage provides short virtual internships in a range of sectors, with opportunities to connect with employers.  This link takes you to Sales and Client Services opportunities.
  • The Bright Network provides virtual internships in a range of sectors and fast-track opportunities for graduate programmes and internships for virtual-intern alumni. Look out for the Bright Network annual June internship week. 

Finding advertised graduate roles, placements and internships

Competition can be strong, especially for entry-level positions. Use the following resources to find advertised vacancies and research employers.  

  • Handshake – our own University of Exeter vacancies platform, where employers can target Exeter students.
  • The Bright Network, targetjobs and Prospects – jobs boards where you can filter by role, sector, location and salary for graduate jobs, placements and internships.
  • Student Circus – a jobs platform specifically for visa-sponsored jobs for international students.
  • Ecocareers UK – Discover Green Jobs and Environmental Careers in the UK.
  • Indeed – worldwide jobs platform, can search for part-time or full-time jobs in any sector. Large companies as well as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) advertise vacancies on this platform. 

For general information about finding graduate opportunities, please visit our Graduate Jobs page. 

Graduate schemes and internships 

It is likely that Sales or Business Development will feature as part of many business graduate schemes or internships and there may be some roles which are exclusively Business Development or Sales focused. 

Placements  

If you are interested in finding out more about work placements, you can also access the Work Placements SharePoint via Single Sign-On. This resource covers all aspects of credit-bearing work experiences as part of your degree, including what a placement is, how to apply for them, and bespoke information for international students or those interested in working abroad.  

Recruitment Consultants  

There are a wide range of recruiters who advertise consultant and business analyst roles and they often advertise graduate and entry-level positions. See Agency Central for a list of specialist recruitment agencies and search by sector e.g. consulting. Ensure any recruiters you connect with are members of a professional body such as the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development or the Recruitment & Employment Confederation.   

Recruitment consultancy is also considered to be a ‘sales’ focused role, too, since Recruitment Consultants essentially sell their services to find candidates. Sales skills are key to success since in addition to developing business, consultants spend time ‘selling’ opportunities to candidates as well as promoting candidates to employers. Therefore, if you do reach out to Recruitment Consultancies, remember that they may well also be interested in hiring you and could be potential employers!  

Further sources of support 

If you are an international student, visit our international webpages for help finding opportunities both in the UK and globally. 

To find opportunities outside the UK use GoinGlobal.

Further study and professional development

Some individuals decide to undertake further study to develop their skills and knowledge of the sector and related occupations. Not all roles or employers will require this, so it is important to research entry requirements and employer preferences before committing to additional training or qualifications.  

Advice 

If you are considering postgraduate or doctoral level study before entering your chosen sector, please visit our Postgraduate Study page for more information about choosing further study.    

Information and links from professional bodies 

Being a member of a professional body is voluntary; however, it can be valuable for developing networks, continuing your professional development, and generally keeping up to date with what's happening in the sector.   There are other professional bodies related to specific organisational types which might also be relevant to join, if you are keen on undertaking sales, business development or customer services within a specific field.  You can find a list here: Wikipedia - List of professional associations in the UK