Great article here from SellingPower.com – The Best Ways to Turn Off a Star. I am a big fan of showing people how not to do something. That is a powerful format for teaching. In that light, here are 6 tips from the article (in a “what not to do” vein): Talk about yourself and your company. You really don’t need any information about the candidates; it’s all on their resumes anyway. Wait for them to call you. Make them wait. Hey, if they really want to work for your company, it’s worth waiting through your 40-minute phone call to your old college roommate. Bribe them. Offer a free microwave… Read More
Continue ReadingJob Change Motivators
I like to say that people are the ultimate variable – there are almost limitless possibilities, variations, surprises, etc. One aspect of hiring that often gets overlooked is motivation. In sales, money is the common, assumed motivator. In many cases this is accurate, but money motivation can manifest itself in different forms. Our website illustrates some subtle differences between motivators. Selling Power has an article that speaks in slightly more general terms. I think these 4 are quite accurate in terms of my own interviewing of candidates. The second one is quite prevalent amongst Gen Y: Situations. This usually doesn’t have anything to do with the actual job, says Radin.… Read More
Continue ReadingAre You Really Running A Behavioral-Based Interview?
Behavioral-based interviewing has been the buzz in hiring for the past few years and rightly so. This technique brings real-world clarity to a sales interview as opposed to theoretical, positional answers. Selling Power provides a good article to assist you in your interview strategy. In order to ensure you are using a behavioral-based approach (emphasis mine): “A lot of people think that they are conducting behavioral-based interviewing when they’re really not,” says Wolf, who defines behavioral-based questions as questions that allow candidates to relate real situations and demonstrate how their strengths and weaknesses are exhibited on the job. “Many times hiring managers are asking theoretical questions, such as, ‘How would… Read More
Continue ReadingCover Email?
We are sourcing for a sales position and are running some ads in different locations. I received an email from a candidate that listed the title of the ad in the subject line – good move. But this is all that was in the body of the email: Would like to learn more, thanx!
Continue ReadingFinding Fibs On A Resume
In reviewing the HRGURU newsletter I ran across a good article on finding fibs in resumes. It gives some sound advice to follow so you are not discovering these lies on the resume after a person starts. The 5 tips: Get an early read about the candidate’s visible profile. Look for a candidate’s public profile by reviewing announcements, articles and other material that often can be found easily online. You do need to gauge how much stock you’ll put into whatever you find—good or bad—because you can’t always believe what you read. Confirm academic credentials early. Gain consensus on the reference checking process. Who is going to perform it and… Read More
Continue ReadingTips For Interviewing Sales Candidates
Too many times the process of hiring a sales person rarely takes priority in a sales manager’s duties – they have enough to do already. Unfortunately, the hiring tasks get pushed to the margins of their day. Any sales manager knows how important it is to hire strong sales people, but it all too often doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Dave Stein has 11 spot-on quick tips that can help you set the right priorities and increase your success rate. His tips are: Make sure you know what you are looking for. Prepare your questions in advance. Remain objective during the interview. Trust but verify. Don’t lead the candidate. Push… Read More
Continue ReadingHow To Size Up Candidates
ManageSmarter has a great article titled, The Ideal Job Candidate: Myth or Reality? that touches on a subject that we have posted on many times. I cannot begin to tell you how many conversations we have around this subject with clients and prospects. Jeff Schmitt has 3 points he writes about when it comes to hiring. As a a hiring manager, I would recommend that you keep these points in mind as you begin a hiring process: Examine yourself. Look at your recruiting effort. Are you still reposting that same job description after another fruitless round of interviews? Unfortunately, this doesn’t change one element: the problem is you haven’t adapted.… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Power of Humbition
Interesting article here from BusinessWeek.com titled Talent and “Humbition” that discusses a common problem with hiring superstars – they tend to have a me-first mentality. Part of that mentality is what makes them successful, but there are stars out there who approach their work with a humbleness that is inspiring. Here is a good point in regards to this approach: First, to CEOs, HR directors, and the founders of startups: The best-run companies I know are indeed obsessed with filling their companies with great people. But they also believe that recruiting stars doesn’t mean succumbing to a me-first star system. They understand that what it means to be great is… Read More
Continue ReadingTopgrading The Sales Force
That is an excellent turn of phrase from Dave Kurlan’s recent blog post. He provides an excellent explanation of how hiring processes regress to the stereotypical approach that leads to “safe” hires that don’t produce sales. I know Kurlan is accurate because we see this regression occur first hand. Companies often become frustrated with the process itself. Some would rather hire anybody than wait for the right person to come along. When they get frustrated they don’t follow the process and won’t listen to expert advice, defaulting instead to their old position of taking somebody they like, who fits the industry profile, rather than the other compromise, taking someone who… Read More
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