When you are looking for a new sales person to add to your team, what is your hiring criteria? We know hiring a new sales person for your team is one of the hardest decisions a manager has to make. There are so many variables that go into making the right decision. Do they have the experience necessary is usually the number one criteria. Next, do they fit the team culture? So often hiring managers search for the “perfect” new employee to add to their team. Sometimes managers can wait months to find the right person and often pass up great candidates waiting for that right person. But wait, why not think outside the box and be open to hiring in a different way. I’ll share my best tip with you for finding the right person for the job.
Many times the hiring manager will choose the candidate with the most experience for the position. That may not always the best person for the job. Finding the right person for a job is a complex process. You should be looking for the candidate who is the best overall fit, with the attitude and behavior you need to get the job done within your specific culture. That may not always be the person with the most experience. Our motto at A Sales Guy Recruiting is to find you the best sales person that “CAN DO THE JOB”. It may not always be the person with the most experience or the candidate that fits in the box you are expecting. We know that measuring talent for a hire goes beyond years of experience. Some organizations look for the person with the perfect resumé. Others know that in today’s competitive environment, they need to just find the best people. So the question to ask yourself is, can this person do the job?
I love it when one of my clients gives me the opportunity to prove that my “outside the box” candidate who may not have the exact experience they want, but we know can do the job ends up being the best fit for the job. These candidates have a fire in their belly, a hunger to prove themselves, a desire to win and the motivation to do the job. If you find the right less-experienced person they tend to work harder to impress, and approach problems from a unique perspective. They can be a great addition to your existing team.
I have seen less experienced sales candidates beat out more experienced for positions and those are the people I love finding; the diamond in the rough. Just this week I had a client tell me that one of the sales people I recently placed with their company with less experience than they were looking for is proving to provide the most success to their team. A few months ago I had a company pass on a candidate but the candidate didn’t want to give up. When I told him they were going to pass on him, he asked what he could do to get one more chance. He didn’t make it past the first round of people but really wanted to talk to the hiring manager, so I asked the hiring manager to talk to him. My candidate killed the interview. He was hungry and so prepared that he blew away the hiring manager. He got the job offer.
So, when you’re looking for that “A” player to add to your team, take a moment and remember, think outside the box and you may just find your best candidate that way.