In the past several weeks I have been working with one of our clients on a sales position that they are desperately trying to fill. On numerous occasions they have said it needs to be filled quickly. I can appreciate this approach, however the actions of the client are not congruent with their words. Let me explain.

We have a strong candidate that has interviewed several times in-person and on the phone. Unfortunately, he has been waiting 2 weeks for a follow-up call from one of the managers to set up what he was told would be the final interview. Before you pass judgement think back over your latest hires. Have you always followed through on your statements to candidates?

Now this instance might be a little extreme but I felt that this was a great example to illustrate a point. Remarkably, there is one area for which it seems we are often stuck prompting our clients - keep the process moving by following through on their promises.

If you tell a candidate you will get back to them in a few days, make sure it is within a few days. It is easy to let normal business activities overwhelm you, but the candidate is watching you through this process too. The candidate assumes that this is the company at its best. They are thinking if it takes you several weeks to set up an appointment to meet with them, how long will it take you to get back to them when they need something from you when a big order (heck, even a small order) is on the line? They want to work for a company that follows through on its word.

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If you have been sourcing salespeople recently, you have probably noticed some short tenures among the Gen Y candidates.  We are sourcing for an intermediate-level sales position that has garnered a noticeable response from Gen Y (or young Gen X) candidates.  The remarkable trend is that many of the candidates have 2-4 years in each position before they move on to the next opportunity.  Many of our Baby Boomer managers are questioning that “job-hopping” history.

This concern is valid but it is also systemic in the younger generations.  They are looking to move up in their career and loyalty to one employer is far less frequent than just 20 years ago.

The strength in this job-hopping approach is that these salespeople have had to adapt to different cultures, approaches and managers.  There are many less-than-spectacular sales positions out there.  Oftentimes, young salespeople have to do their time in those roles before moving up to a more challenging position.  If the candidate has the skills and talent we are looking for, we move them through our process.

The underlying issue in this youthful approach is retention.  The strong salespeople will still be looking to expand their abilities and grow into greater responsibilities while maintaining their desired work/life balance.  The modern-day manager has to juggle these variables while meeting department goals.

The days of task-focused management are gone.  The new generation will require managers who are adept at handling a wide range of personalities while adroitly rewarding these salespeople beyond a simple paycheck.  The perks of telecommuting, horizontal org structures, vacation time, onsite gyms, etc. will all become an integral piece to top performer retention.

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One guy closes with this line:

P.S. - I haven’t taken a sick day in years - I don’t get sick.

I don’t know why, but that line caught my attention and made me laugh.  Not a bad technique to stand out in a crowd.

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Here is an urban legend we encounter frequently in our sales hiring activities - customers don’t walk with the salesperson.  What I mean is customers rarely follow a salesperson to a new company.  If the salesperson quits one company and goes to a competitor, it is a rare occurrence in which the customers move their business with the salesperson.

Yes, everyone can provide an example of when it happened, but we deal with many salespeople in many industries and it just is not common.  Sales candidates, on the other hand, will go out of their way claiming that they can bring the business with them.

Unfortunately, many companies who do not have a strong sales hiring process will get caught up in the possibility of gaining new business for little investment.  This blinding desire often masks the obvious weaknesses the sales candidate possesses.  Beware of this pitfall!

The best approach is to assess sales candidates based on their abilities, aptitudes and performance within your hiring process.  The strongest candidate may not be directly from your industry which will not be surprising if your run a talent-based process.  And if your final candidate is from your industry and brings a customer or two with them - terrific, they are the exception not the rule.  Just don’t make your hiring decision based on that hope.

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This text is from an online ad to assist job seekers in their quest (my emphasis):

—I am able to get job interviews anywhere I want. This is key because once you get the interview, you can get the job

— I CAN SHOW YOU WHAT TO DO AND WHAT NOT TO DO!!!!!! I can school you on behavioral interviewing. Also, I can provide a background check for you– so you know what your potential employer will see.

I have had MANY interviews and job OFFERS (entry level and mid level) from some of the most hard to get into firms in the Twin Cities…

I can also show you how to use, but not really “use” job placement firms.

Nice, isn’t it? These types of services are the reason why it is most important to run a hiring process that smokes out the pretenders. Do not rely upon the face-to-face interview and your gut to make a hiring decision or you may fall prey to a well-coached candidate.

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Ok, earlier today I posted on mistakes made by candidates in the interview.  Now it is time to look at mistakes made by hiring managers in the interview.  From CareerBuilder.com’s article Five Common Hiring Blunders and How to Avoid Them:

Experience is important, but life experience is sometimes better

Yes, you want to make sure your candidate has relevant experience in the field, but don’t place all your eggs in that one basket. Some candidates lack the desired amount of relevant experience, but they make up for it with their life experience. Military experience, studying or working overseas, volunteering a year of their life to saving the whales, or taking a year off of work to write a novel; these all offer valuable learning experiences and experiences other candidates can’t duplicate. In tough times candidates can draw upon their life experience to develop a solution, or use it to look at problems from different view points. Anyone can work long enough in your industry, but not anyone can boast about blistering cold while living in a thermal tent somewhere in the Antarctic.

We preach this truth often since it is the number 1 hiring mistake we encounter.  My guess is that a hiring or sales manager who does not understand how to properly assess a sales candidate will simply revert to hiring experience.  If the new employee is a bust, the manager can simply state, “I’m not sure what happened - they had extensive experience selling in our industry.”

I wouldn’t necessarily promote life experiences as an alternative.  Instead, I would encourage you to assess the candidates and see what the iceberg looks like below the waterline (a strange metaphor that makes sense if you visit our assessing page).  It is far more insightful to assess a candidate and interview them with that information at your disposal than attempting to divine abilities from an embellished resume.

Another common mistake we see in interviews:

Too much talking, not enough listening

During the interview process, slow down and make sure you are letting the candidate speak. Spend more time listening to them and less time talking about your company or the position interviewing for. You need to make sure that you fully understand their background, experience, and qualifications and if you’re the one doing all the talking. It is important for you to find out if the candidate does in fact have an opinion of their own, and if so, does it correlate with the opinions already in place at your company?

Don’t spill your candy in the lobby.  What I mean is that even bad salespeople can be good communicators.  If you are talking extensively about the position, company or culture, you are tipping your hand in a way that can be used by schmoozers to adjust their answers.  Remember, the person asking the questions is in control of the conversation.  Ask questions, drill down on their responses and allow the candidate to do the vast majority of the talking.

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We attempt to keep track of the interview tips that are offered all over the web to candidates to assist them in their job search.  Some tips seem clever, others seem robotic.  This StarTribune.com article - Ten Things Not To Do In An Interview - provides a general, helpful list of interview faux pas.

For instance:

3. Don’t speak badly about previous employers or co-workers. Make sure you’ve practiced an honest answer but one that doesn’t show that you’re angry with the previous employer or circumstance.

Very true and yet I have encountered many candidates who cannot resist the urge to denigrate previous managers.  I worked for my share of bad managers, but I have not brought them up in an interview since I knew it was a big red flag for an employer.  Again, I still encounter candidates who seem to take enjoyment from discussing the lameness of their previous boss.

Good tip here for sales candidates:

9. Don’t tell the interviewer you have no questions. This shows a lack of interest, curiosity and depth. Have 5- 10 questions prepared, and it’s OK to pull out the list if you need to.

Salespeople should be asking questions to qualify the opportunity.  This is simply good sales behavior.  We not only want to hear their questions, we pay attention to what questions they ask.  Questions regarding vacation, work hours, etc. are less desirable than questions about sales cycle, targeted markets and average-sized deals.

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Salesopedia has this article on their home page this week - Six Common Mistakes in the Sales Hiring Process. Obviously we are going to read that one. First off, great quote from Zig Ziglar in the article:

“Sales people are really the only people in business who pay the bills!”

That provides some perspective on the importance of strong sales hiring. Here are the 6 mistakes as outlined by the author:

1) Assuming the hiring manager knows how to qualify people
2) Not defining EXACTLY what you are looking for in a new hire
3) Assuming specific business functions know how to hire like talent
4) Over emphasizing a hire candidates personality or looks
5) Not effectively checking previous employment references
6) Hiring in your own likeness

In our process, number 2 is by far the most important. You cannot find the right person if you do not know what the sale requires.

Number 5 is important, but not in the context of the article. Here it is in its entirety (my emphasis):

If you consistently miss critical insights into a salesperson’s capabilities, motivations or character prior to hire, it is generally because you chose not to or did not effectively investigate a candidate’s previous employment history. Given the potential cost of a poor hiring mistake, it makes financial sense to spend a nominal amount of money and have a professional check out a candidate’s references.

References are important at the end of the process, but they do not provide accurate insight into a salesperson’s capabilities (aptitudes) or motivations. How objective do you think that reference is going to be? Safe to assume the candidate will not provide a bad reference. In terms of the verification agency, the laws are fairly stringent as to what a previous employer can say in a reference check call.

Use an objective, validated assessment to discover the aspects of the candidate that lie below the water line.

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More fun from the resume pile:

Sales, If your looking for a rock star.

I’m looking for a sale carreer with a strong base and benifits. I’m the best looking for the best.

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Straight from the resume pile:

Got Sales Leads? I Can Close Them!

If that hasn’t piqued your interest, I’m sure the rest of the cover email will:

-References
-Quick product knowledge
-Reliable transportation
-Available immediately

A salesperson with confidence is a prerequisite, but they have to be able to back it up with more than “reliable transportation.”

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