Great article from Yahoo Finance. I think I have worked with some salespeople in the past who had this same compensation program: Anthony Armatys is facing up to six years in prison for his dumb move. But he’s not the only dummy in this story. Armatys accepted a job in 2002 with telecom equipment maker Avaya but then changed his mind before he started. He was already in the payroll system however, and the company started depositing his six-figure salary into his checking account. For five years, Armatys did not notify Avaya of its error, but his attempt to make an early withdrawal from his 401(k) prompted an investigation that… 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 ReadingBad Ad Writing
From a sales ad I read this morning: Blackberry device is needed, but optional. Apparently coherent writing is needed, but optional.
Continue ReadingHappy Thanksgiving From Select Metrix
Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving from all of us at Select Metrix!
Continue ReadingWhat Is Gen U?
“Generation Unretired” according to this BusinessWeek.com article. That is a new term to me. According to the article: The AARP says that 8 out of 10 baby boomers will work part- or full-time past retirement age. That’s 64 million unretiring Americans, the biggest demographic shift in the American workforce since WWII—and 93% of the growth in the American labor market from now until 2016, according to the Pew Research Center. This trend is one that has been in the making for some time. The current recession and housing bubble burst has only exacerbated the trend. Clearly there will be new management techniques needed to handle the Gen U employees. The… Read More
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 ReadingStates With Low Unemployment
From ABCnews.com: The 10 states with the lowest unemployment rates, by percentage, are: 1. North Dakota 4.2 2. Nebraska 4.9 3. South Dakota 5.0 4. Montana 6.4 5. Vermont 6.5 6. Utah 6.5 7. Virginia 6.6 8. Iowa 6.7 9. New Hampshire 6.8 10. Kansas 6.8 I’m guessing many of these states are dominated by agricultural professions which are obviously less effected by corporate employment.
Continue ReadingThe Non-Employed
Every week more numbers come out to reveal another level of ugliness in this economy. Today comes this article from CNNMoney.com. The state that speaks volumes: Every state had an unemployment rate in October that was higher than a year ago, and every state has lost jobs over the course of the year. The recovery from this recession is going to take a long time as the hole keeps getting deeper. I think it is safe to say that the unemployment rate is higher then what is being reported: Unemployment rates, which are taken from a separate survey, tend to rise even as the employers start hiring again, because the… Read More
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