My wife was at an interview last week for a medical position that is similar to her most current role. She walked into the lobby to find 4 other candidates there. They were all called in to a conference room by the HR person. They were then asked questions individually and asked to answer in front of the other candidates! The 5 of them were then asked to role play certain situations while the rest observed. Finally, they were given a tour of the clinic and then had to provide their own tour to a staff person. The point, I guess, was to see how they handled prospective patient visits.… Read More
Continue ReadingSkills Pay The Bills
I am slowly coming to the realization that many (most?) sales hiring managers are drawn to hiring experience like a moth is drawn to light. I am seeing it play out again at one of our assessment customers. The allure is to hire a salesperson with industry experience before properly assessing their sales skills. Here are some of the common statements I hear from these hiring managers: -They will pick up on our sale quickly -They know the competition -They know the nuances of our market -They know the competition -They will step in and start selling All of these beliefs stem from the hope that the hiring manager will… Read More
Continue ReadingHypnotizing The Hiring Manager
I just caught up to this email from CareerBuilder.com regarding anecdotal stories from hiring managers. These types of stories come out frequently and, honestly, I never get tired of them. Here is the bulleted list: When asked for the most memorable missteps they encountered when going through resumes, human resource managers and hiring managers reported the following: • Candidate put God down as a reference (no phone number). • Candidate listed her hobby as alligator watching. • Candidate claimed to be a direct descendant of the Vikings. • Candidate’s email address had “lovesbeer” in it. • Candidate listed “Master of Time and Universe” under his experience. • Candidate started off… Read More
Continue ReadingStrongest Performing Cities
I’m not sure what to make of this, but it caught my eye: Overall, the reading on local economies is still grim though, as home prices continue to fall and unemployment rates remain historically high, the report said. The list of strongest-performing areas included several middle American cities that were boosted by an uptick in manufacturing jobs and home price declines that were more modest than in other parts of the nation. The weakest performers were mostly sunbelt cities which saw some of the largest declines in home prices and continue to lag behind the rest of the country. Honolulu just jumps off the page for me.
Continue ReadingTexting And Lightning
The difference between the almost right word & the right word is really a large matter–it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning. -Mark Twain If you would, allow me to speculate a bit. I’ve been involved in volunteer activities with high school students over the past 2 years so I have become a reluctant texter (is that a word?). I learned quickly that their preferred method of communication is texting. I didn’t even have texting on my cell service when I started. I now have unlimited texting out of necessity. I tell you this in regards to a concern I see in this younger generation. I’ve read… Read More
Continue ReadingPandora’s Box Known As Facebook
There has been much discussion about the use of social networking for candidate background checks. I have always been in favor of allowing companies to search through anything posted online – it is in the public domain. However, this German law does provide a bit more detail: For example, employers will still be allowed to run a search on the Web on their applicants, de Maiziere said. Anything out in public is fair game, as are postings on networks specifically created for business contacts, such as LinkedIn. In contrast, it will be illegal to become a Facebook friend with an applicant in order to check out private details, he said,… Read More
Continue ReadingA Bad Marketing Day
I had a laugh regarding a web inquiry one of my customers received recently. The inquiry was the first one the company had received “in 8 months.” When the salesperson emailed the contact to set up a call, the contact said he was a victim of identity theft and had not submitted the inquiry. You know, some days just go that way.
Continue ReadingSpelling Does NOT Matter
Here is a new title from a sales employment ad: Accont Exceutive Honestly, if I could spike my coffee right now I would. Whatever price this medical company paid for the ad has been wasted before a single click.
Continue ReadingToo Many Gerunds
From a sales ad I just read (my editing): Experience in building, hiring from scratching, coaching, training and developing the RAMs in the sale of _________ products. Perhaps this is some new interviewing technique – “If you could scratch one place on your body, what would that place be?”
Continue ReadingOf Objectivity
I preach this point from the mountaintop as often as possible so I’ll continue here – sales is the single most difficult position to hire in any company. The reason is simple, accurately predicting sales success by discerning candidate capabilities is…well, often a crapshoot. This fact is why it is imperative to use assessments to gain an understanding of what the candidate has “under their hood.” A prime example is emotional control. Successful salespeople have this trait. It is a broad term so let me put a finer point on it: This is the ability of a salesperson to maintain rational and objective actions when experiencing strong internal emotions. This… Read More
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