Interviews are stressful for candidates as we posted this morning. If you want to gain an even more in-depth knowledge of the candidate, take them out for a meal as part of your interview process. Selling Power has a quick article worth the read – Out to Lunch?

In case you were wondering what to watch for at the meal:

Business etiquette expert Barbara Pachter says that by taking a candidate out to a restaurant you will be able to observe interpersonal skills that you may not be able to witness during a more formal interview. First, is the candidate on time? How do they treat the server? What do they order? Are they decisive or indecisive when ordering? Do they keep changing their order? Do they send their meals back? Some red flags to watch for include treating the server as a second-class citizen, ordering the most expensive thing on the menu, ordering alcohol during the meal, and having bad table manners do you really want this person talking with his mouth full or licking his fingers in the middle of a $3 million deal with a potential client?

Licking the fingers – classic. I have sat with some salespeople who smack while they eat which, to me, is about as unprofessional as it gets at any meal.

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Here’s What to Say When Boss Asks: ‘Why Isn’t This Done Yet?’ I’m sure none of you have been asked that question before. I, being an incredible putz, have been asked that question many times.

U.S. office workers get interrupted on the job as often as 11 times an hour, costing as much as $588 billion to U.S. business each year, according to research.

I wonder how they get to that staggering dollar amount.

A typical manager is interrupted six times an hour, one recent study showed, while another found the average cubicle worker is interrupted more than 70 times a day.

The telecommuting trend has a new study to support it. 70 times a day seems incredibly high to me so I suspect it includes emails, IM’s and phone calls. Of course in sales incoming phone calls are usually welcome. Many salespeople are so eager to receive a phone call instead of cold calling they will take an obscene phone call.

This one is going to leave a mark:

Putzier puts the blame on younger Generation X and Generation Y workers. “They are the big-time abusers. If they need something or want something, they don’t pick up the phone and ask for an appointment. They just barge in, and it’s all about them,” he said.

It would appear that Mr. Putzier does not subscribe to open-door management.

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Sales, in its most basic form, is convincing others to change their behavior. One of the aptitudes we use to objectively assess this important trait is Influencing Others.

Influencing Others
This is the capacity to convince others – to present ones viewpoint in such a way that it is accepted by another person.

A salesperson with strength in this capacity can not only see but talk from another’s point of view. A salesperson who has the ability to understand other’s objections and concerns can then respond to them in an effective manner.

A weakness in this area can indicate a salesperson who is insensitive to others – not knowing what they want to hear. This weakness can also be generated by having excessive role confidence and in thinking that the other person needs to hear what they think is important.

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CareerJournal.com offers this article – Facing Down the Fear Factor When You’re in a Job Interview. We talk about the fear factor in face-to-face interviews often. Personally, I like to see a touch of fear, or maybe nervousness is a better way to put it, in a sales position interview.

Of course, there are limits at both ends of the spectrum. An overly-nervous candidate does not project confidence and is difficult to imagine them running a successful demonstration in front of a grade A prospect. If the candidate is too smooth and calm, the slippery sales schmoozer image is conjured up in my imagination. It is a fine line to walk in a pressure-filled interview.

This quote from the article defines the interviewer’s perception of an overly nervous candidate:

“Anxiety can be compounded when they perceive they can’t meet the threat that faces them,” says Dr. Binning. Thinking that you’re only average may be one source of your anxiety, he says.

One note I should make is that entry-level sales positions are usually filled by young, green salespeople. They often display a nervousness in the interview that we would not want to see in a more experienced salesperson. However, we do consider their experience when completing our post-interview debriefing.

Some good advice for job seekers:

Since you tend to panic during interviews, running through the basic questions a couple of times before turning on the television is not good enough. You need to be prepared to the point where you can list your best qualities in staggering detail while parallel parking a Cadillac in a tight spot.

Again, taken too far and the canned answers will be a detriment. Best to have a general outline in your head and be able to support your comments with actual examples. Another sound bit of advice is to have some specific questions prepared to ask the interviewer. When we are interviewing, we always note the questions and question patterns that are asked by the candidate.

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