Explore a possible path

Sales Engineers

Sell business goods or services, the selling of which requires a technical background equivalent to a baccalaureate degree in engineering.

How does this connect to your interests? →

A look at the work

  • Develop, present, or respond to proposals for specific customer requirements, including request for proposal responses and industry-specific solutions.
  • Collaborate with sales teams to understand customer requirements, to promote the sale of company products, and to provide sales support.
  • Create sales or service contracts for products or services.
  • Visit prospective buyers at commercial, industrial, or other establishments to show samples or catalogs, and to inform them about product pricing, availability, and advantages.
  • Keep informed on industry news and trends, products, services, competitors, relevant information about legacy, existing, and emerging technologies, and the latest product-line developments.
  • Identify resale opportunities and support them to achieve sales plans.
  • Confer with customers and engineers to assess equipment needs and to determine system requirements.
  • Plan and modify product configurations to meet customer needs.

A selection of source-listed tasks; duties vary by role and employer.

Interests involved in this work

These source scores describe occupational work activities. They are separate from your personal test results.

Hands-on

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

3.4 / 7

Investigative

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

3.6 / 7

Creative

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

1.8 / 7

Helping people

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

2.8 / 7

Enterprising

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

5.8 / 7

Organizing

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

4.5 / 7

Skills to explore

Source-reported importance on a 1–5 scale. Try a course, project or conversation to learn what these skills involve.

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

2022-08

4.1 / 5

Persuasion

Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

2022-08

4.1 / 5

Social Perceptiveness

Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

2022-08

4.0 / 5

Judgment and Decision Making

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

2022-08

4.0 / 5

Reading Comprehension

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

2022-08

4.0 / 5

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

2022-08

4.0 / 5

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

2022-08

4.0 / 5

Negotiation

Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

2022-08

3.9 / 5

Complex Problem Solving

Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

2022-08

3.9 / 5

Active Learning

Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

2022-08

3.8 / 5

Plan a small next step

Talk to someone doing this work, look for a supervised activity, and explore the subjects that interest you. Admission, licensing and current program requirements should be confirmed with the relevant institutions.

Source preparation category: Job Zone 4 of 5 · 2022-08. This category describes typical preparation, not your eligibility.

Source & methodology

O*NET-SOC code 41-9031.00 · Database 31.0 · Retrieved Oct 14, 2026. Dates on individual observations describe their source periods.

How interest exploration matching works →

Data: O*NET® 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Used under CC BY 4.0. StudyIndex normalizes the presentation and adds exploration features; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these additions.