I just read an employment ad for a company looking for a top-level salesperson. The over-written ad lists “Required Qualifications:”
A bachelor’s degree in business or marketing and a minimum of 5 yrs of related experience; or, in lieu of the degree, a minimum of 9 yrs of related experience with ____________ and/or consulting is required.
Avoid this nonsense – successful selling has more to do with hardwired abilities than it will ever have to do with degrees and years of experience. There is no formula for experience equaling sales ability so a statement like the one above screams HR dept. instead of the sales dept.
The last bullet point (out of 11) appears to be almost a throw-away item:
Leadership skills.
That’s it. No description of what these skills are and what they entail. I could argue that Larry Ellison (Oracle) and Bill Gates (Microsoft) both have leadership skills. Of course, they are two very divergent leaders. Which style is the better fit for this position?
If you cannot describe the traits you desire, do not attempt to “cover that topic” with an ambiguous, catch-all phrase. List the traits, skills and style that specifically define the person you are attempting to find.