Skip to main content

Hiring profile for:

Sales Associate

HighMatch’s team of workplace psychologists break down the critical qualities, skills, and knowledge Sales Associates need to be successful.

Employment Outlook

0%+
avg Growth rate

4.1M+
job openings annually

$29K+
median pay

Role Snapshot

Sales associates help customers find products they want and process customers’ payments. Many sales associates also process the payment for the sale, which typically involves operating cash registers.

Sales associates may help stock shelves or racks,mark price tags, take inventory, and prepare displays. In addition, sales associates must recognize security risks and understand their organization’s procedures for handling thefts.

common work activities:

Greeting customers and offering them assistance
Recommending merchandise based on customers’ needs
Explaining the use and benefit of merchandise to customers
Answering customers’ questions
Totaling customers’ purchases and accepting payment
Informing customers about current sales, promotions, and policies

Common Challenges

equality

Women make up 59% of Sales Associates yet earn only 96% of their male counterparts.

Diversity

The majority of Sales Associates are older (avg. age: 40) and White (58%).

retention

Most Sales Associates stay at their job for less than a year.

Personality Measures

There are several personality traits that often align with success in this role, however every role is unique.

Our workplace psychologists personalize the assessment to your role, adjusting the weighting and target ranges of each trait to align with your needs.

Priority measures:

Dependability: being reliable, responsible, and dependable
Attention to Detail: being careful and thorough in completing tasks
Cooperation: being pleasant and good-natured with others
Integrity: being honest and ethical
Self-Control: maintaining composure even in difficult situations

They Trust HighMatch:

The HighMatch Sales Assessment

HighMatch’s Sales Assessment, personalized to your specific role and company culture by our I-O psychologists, is the modern alternative to legacy off-the shelf assessments.

HighMatch’s highly configurable assessment solutions are delivered on our fast, mobile-first platform for the ideal candidate experience.

With HighMatch, you get relevant insights into what matters most in your roles and culture, in your preferred language.

VIDEO TESTIMONIAL

Wayne Homes uses HighMatch to Identify Qualified Applicants

Hear from Michael Luckie-Ewing, former VP of People and Culture at Wayne Homes, a custom home builder serving 5 states for over 40 years.

Michael and his team used HighMatch to better filter applicants for the qualities and skills that contribute to success across every role in their organization.

Cognitive Measures

Our workplace psychologists have identified several cognitive measures that help identify if a candidate has the ability to be successful in this role.

Our workplace psychologists personalize the assessment, adjusting the weighting and target ranges of each ability to align with your needs.

Priority measures:

Oral Expression: verbally communicating information
Oral Comprehension: understanding verbal communication
Speech Clarity: speaking clearly
Problem Sensitivity: telling when something is likely to go wrong

Responsiveness Assessments

Working with customers to understand their needs and wants and find a satisfactory solution requires different levels of enthusiasm and reservation from sales associates depending on their work environment.

A responsiveness assessment, which asks candidates to react to real-life scenarios they are likely to encounter, can help hiring managers understand how they are likely to react to similar situations when on the job.

Skill & Knowledge Measures

Our workplace psychologists have identified several cognitive measures that help identify if a candidate has the ability to be successful in this role.

Our workplace psychologists personalize the assessment, adjusting the weighting and target ranges of each ability to align with your needs.

Priority measures:

Microsoft Excel: a quick, mobile-friendly assessment designed to test a candidate’s knowledge of MS Excel
Computer Literacy: This fast, mobile-friendly test assesses candidate’s understanding of basic computer use
English Fluency: This fluency test assesses a candidate’s understanding of the English language

HighMatch can also quickly create short, personalized skills tests covering topics like Cash Handling or Listening Skills, all powered by our modern, mobile-first assessment engine and tailored to your role and organization.

Gen Z is Changing Talent Acquisition

Generation Z is changing the way we think about recruiting. These youthful employees aren’t as similar to millennials as talent acquisition professionals would anticipate.

To understand how to recruit Gen Z’ers effectively, we surveyed talent acquisition professionals to learn their proven tactics.

Our report reveals what talent acquisition professionals have done to recruit and retain Generation Z employees successfully.

Need a different guide to improve your hiring process?
If so, then look no further!

Whether you are new to recruiting or an experienced hiring manager, our guides have something for you.