Yes, the title is a bit quirky, but it is true. A significant portion of successful hiring involves being a good detective. I have always taken that approach when helping our customers find the right salesperson for their position. To be a good detective, you need to be a bit skeptical. Sales candidates blow sunshine. Few have ever missed quota, most state their primary weakness is being a workaholic and all have earned everything they have accomplished. Right. In reality, most have missed their sales quota at some point, many have real weaknesses discussing money and handling rejection and most have benefited from somewhere be it marketing, territory, company market… Read More
Continue ReadingGeography Matters
I just read an ad for a mid-level sales position. Interesting part was the location listed in the ad: Milwaukie, WI The hiring company is based in Fresno, CA which is, I suppose, in relative proximity to Milwaukie, OR. However, the Wisconsin town of the same name is spelled “Milwaukee.” In hiring, details matter. (And wouldn’t you think Monster would have a checker of some form for these errors?)
Continue ReadingThe Illegality Of Facebook Due Diligence
Well, there isn’t any precedence yet, according to this StarTribune article. Clearly the proper use of social networking sites during background checks for candidates is going to be a tremendously important legal topic soon. This topic has been percolating for some time. The article references an obvious starting point: “We can suggest to employers that they include in their application process some statement that says ‘we do reference checking including use of information in the public domain’ and to make it broad enough that if they discover something online it’s fair game,” Ridley said. I have always been one to note that the Internet IS a public domain so anything… Read More
Continue ReadingInterview Myths
This article from Yahoo’s Hot Jobs contains 5 hiring myths designed to help candidates perform better in an interview. Myth #1 is excellent for the hiring manager: Myth #1: Be prepared with a list of questions to ask at the close of the interview. There is some truth in this common piece of advice: You should always be prepared, and that usually includes developing questions related to the job. The myth here is that you must wait until it is “your turn” to speak. By waiting until the interviewer asks you if you have any questions, “it becomes an interrogation instead of a conversation,” says Greene. Greene recommends that you… Read More
Continue Reading2010 Unemployment
9.3 to 9.7% That’s right, that is the expectation for the 2010 unemployment rate from the Federal Reserve based on this abcnews.com story. I find that number shockingly high, but it is realistic. Then there is this bit of information from Reuters (emphasis mine): Speaking at American Economic Association’s mammoth yearly gathering, experts from a range of political leanings were in surprising agreement when it came to the chances for a robust and sustained expansion: They are slim. Many predicted U.S. gross domestic product would expand less than 2 percent per year over the next 10 years. The depressed economy combined with the high unemployment numbers has started to change… Read More
Continue ReadingSwamped By Applicants
I am hearing more discussions about incredibly large responses to sales job postings in this present economy. Some of the companies I talk to are overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of resumes they receive. I went back to look at an old article we wrote back in 2005 when the economy was in a much stronger position. In today’s economy, the points are even more applicable: If your ideal sale starts at the VP level, state in your ad that a needed skill is the ability to communicate at the VP level. If your sale involves many competitors, state in your ad that the successful candidate is able to close… Read More
Continue ReadingSalespeople – Born Or Made?
The nature vs. nurture debate is one for which I am most intrigued. My Bachelor’s degree is in psychology and this topic was a popular debate topic in my courses. Yesterday I came across this article from CNNMoney.com – Are entrepreneurs born or made? As I look at the stats, I tend to interpret the result as saying entrepreneurs are made: Shane and his fellow researchers compared the entrepreneurial activity of 870 pairs of identical twins — who share 100% of their genes — and 857 pairs of same-sex fraternal twins — who share 50% — to see how much of entrepreneurial behavior is genetic and how much is environmental.… Read More
Continue ReadingA Forecasted Position
Here is an ad item I have not seen before: **** is A Forecast Positing for Minneapolis, MN area *** Do you get the feeling that line was an internal communication? With a spelling error? Whatever the reason, it single-handedly derails the ad…and wastes the money spent on it. Any sales candidate who sees “forecast” for the position instantly knows that it is unqualified. My guess is that the funding for the position is not approved yet. The fact that I can make that assumption neutralizes the ad.
Continue ReadingWhen Will It End?
The Great Recession roars on during this holiday season. Our company is focused on sales hiring, both assessing candidates for our customers and running full recruiting processes. The hiring outlook is of great importance to us and a topic I try to track closely. That being said, this abcnews.com article provides a mixed bag (emphasis mine): The November outlook by the National Association for Business Economics, which is set to be released Monday, shows economists expect net employment losses to bottom out in the first quarter of next year. Employers are seen starting to add to their payrolls after that. I would be more comforted by these economists if I… Read More
Continue ReadingSubtle Morons…I Mean Oxymorons
I have seen versions of this statement appearing in quite a few sales ads: The ability to work well independently and within a collaborative environment I think I understand what they are saying, but it is a poorly constructed bullet point. Independent salespeople tend not to work well in collaborative cultures. The same is true of collaborative salespeople, they tend to struggle in an independent role. For me, this type of writing is either lazy, unfocused and/or wishful. The better approach here is to define what a typical sale looks like in your company. Use that information to determine if you need a salesperson with an independent mindset or a… Read More
Continue Reading