Once you find someone whom you think will do the job, get an offer to him quickly, even if it’s the first person you interview. It’s not necessary to wait until you have someone to compare the candidate with. The right person is the right person. Move on your instincts. You want to get this…
Category Archives: Hiring Tips
An Email Reference Check is Better Than No Reference Check
I’m a big fan of doing reference checking but I don’t much care for the tendency to do them by email. Having said that, I’d rather you check references that way than not check references at all. An email reference check is where you send the reference an email that contains the questions that you…
The No-reference Reference
Lots of people are gun shy about giving references but will usually do so if they feel the person deserves it, despite company policies discouraging it. One way to use this to your benefit is to call the former employer after hours and leave a message that says, “I’m with XYZ Company and we’re considering…
C-Level Reference Checks – When You Should Get Your CEO Involved
Getting valid reference checks has been a problem for a long time and even more so when sales candidates are prepared to sue someone at the drop of a poor reference. This can cause employers to fall into the trap of not doing reference checks. The challenge is how to get people to give you…
Listen to What Isn’t Being Said
When doing reference checks, it’s wise to listen as much to what isn’t being said as to what is. If, when calling a previous employer for a reference check, they tell you that all they can do is confirm employment, beware. While it may well be the case, it can also mean that there was…
Hire Sales Skills Over Industry Experience
This hiring tip may seem counter intuitive but it has a lot of merit. Many companies still choose industry experience over sales skills because of the potentially faster ramp-up time and potential business that an industry-seasoned candidate brings to the table. While this is a reasonable assumption, you may be passing up the opportunity to…
Beware of the Gabber When Hiring Salespeople
Every now and then I get a call from one of my consulting clients who is all excited because he thinks he’s found the ideal salesperson. “Brian,” he’ll tell me excitedly, “This guy is great with people. He’s a really good talker.” And I’ll respond with: “I’ve no doubt he’s a good talker, but can…
Choosing Which Candidate to Hire Between Equally Qualified Salespeople
Now here’s a problem most sales managers and HR professionals would kill for — two equally qualified sales candidates. Assuming that both candidates scored equally on our Sales Temperament Assessment and that they are pretty well matched against your mandatory and desirable criteria list, which one do you choose? You want to choose the person who…
Stay Objective When Hiring Salespeople
It’s far too easy to either fall in love with a sales candidate (the halo effect) or develop an instant dislike (transference). What generally happens with both the halo effect and transference is that the person under scrutiny reminds you of someone who you either really like or really dislike. If you find yourself moving…
Hire a Boomerang!
No, no, no! I don’t mean the device you throw and that’s supposed to come back to you. I mean a human boomerang. What’s a human boomerang? That’s someone who left your company for supposedly greener pastures but found himself standing in the same brown stuff as before and is now ready to come back….
