One client of ours told me a sales hiring story that led them to us. The sales manager followed the conventional hiring process – post an ad, sort the resumes, interview the candidates from the “yes” resume pile. He chose a salesperson with a glowing resume who absolutely won him over in the interview.
He knew he had made a mistake a couple months into her employment. It turns out that this salesperson could not handle making calls in the presence of other people. What I mean is that her phone-intensive position was located in a cube farm with her peers all around her. She was incredibly uncomfortable talking to prospects within earshot of her fellow salespeople.
Her solution – only make calls in the conference room with the door closed. That’s right, away from her phone extension, her computer and her email. Obviously, she didn’t make nearly the number of calls as her coworkers and her low sales numbers revealed the outcome.
Not surprisingly, the sales manager had to let her go. This was an expensive lesson.
Pre-qualifying sales candidates based on their resume is a high-risk proposition. There is an effect that occurs where hiring managers make a determination that a candidate can or cannot succeed in the role. Of course, that is the purpose of hiring, but the subjective decision occurs without enough data. Since the next step in the process is a significant investment of time in interviewing, the hiring manager reviews resumes with the intent of disqualifying candidates from consideration.
We see this decision process play out with our new customers, too. We complete our lengthy sourcing process which includes multiple phone calls, emails, a structured phone screen, 4 different online assessments and a review of the candidate’s experience as stated on their resume (with consideration for the fact that resumes are basically embellished…greatly). This strong filter ensures that our determination that the candidate can succeed in the role is supported by more than just a resume.
Conversely, sales candidates who do not have the finest resume money can buy are still considered. Our emphasis is not on the resume but rather on their ability. We prefer to make our determination that a candidate cannot succeed in this role based on their interaction with us and our objective assessment of their abilities in relation to the role’s needs.
This approach can be incorporated into your hiring process today. Do not over-value the resume. Talk to the candidates on the phone and listen to their sales strategy and tactics. Drill down on their responses for clarity and you will vastly improve your hiring successes.