Hire the Fire

All too often, hiring managers look for the wrong qualifications in candidates.  At a minimum, too much emphasis may be placed on things that simply don’t translate into sales success.  The two most obvious examples of this flawed approach are “related sales experience” and “four year degree required”.

Right about now many of you reading these words are convinced that Mike has finally lost his mind.  How can a desire for related sales experience be a recruiting flaw?  How can high tech businesses not require well educated sales professionals?  The answers to those questions lie in the evidence provided by the real world (that’s the one we live and work in everyday – and the only one that counts!).  My personal experience has shown that a four year degree and a proven track record of success in a related business only guarantee that an individual may be capable of accomplishment, not that they are a lock to succeed in my organization.  In fact, some of the most disappointing hires I have ever made had related, proven sales experience. The mistake occurs when we fail to look deeper at the individual because we are blinded by their past accomplishments.  Certainly, past performance may be an indicator of future potential, but only if the individual remains committed and motivated to achieve.

I have had the pleasure of working with or around a number of people that would never make it past the preliminary screening process of many hiring managers.  Two of the best sales reps I have ever known looked horrible on paper.  One had never attended a day of college and had been selling tires before coming into the wireless business.  The other did have a degree, but was a route salesman for a tobacco company prior to joining the communications industry.  What both of these individuals possessed that many “experienced” or “degreed” candidates lack was a “fire in their gut”.  They were destined to succeed because they refused to fail.  They both had the characteristics that can’t be taught in school and aren’t learned through sales experience – desire, determination, persistence and optimism.

Now, I’m not proposing that you stop hiring candidates with college degrees, or shy away from individuals with sales experience.  I am saying that a lack of those two things should not eliminate a candidate from consideration and should not be the primary basis for selecting them.  Look for the intangibles, the qualities in a person that can’t be taught.  Drive, curiosity, healthy competitiveness, strong ego (not egotism), honesty, results focus, passion and sincerity are all key components of success in sales.  They are observable behaviors if you have your eyes open during the hiring process and can be uncovered through effective interviewing skills.

When your recruitment efforts are successful you get a crush of resumes.  Most of those resumes do not, and should not make it through your initial screen.  But what, other than related sales experience and a college degree, should you look for that might give you a clue about the “fire” that a person may possess?  Since resumes are basically advertisements for the individual they most certainly are slanted to make the person look good on paper and truthfully, very little can be gleaned from this type of document.  However, there are some things to consider.

1. Was the individual intelligent enough to read a book or go on line to learn about effective resume writing? There is absolutely no excuse for submitting a resume that is sloppy, poorly laid out, full of typos, etc.
2. Did the individual include a cover letter or opening paragraph that mentioned your specific opportunity? This indicates, at a minimum, that they know what they are applying for and have given it some thought.
3. Does the individual recognize their own accomplishments – and are they legitimate. Examples for candidates with no sales experience might include: “Paid for 100% of my college education, carrying a 3.6 GPA while working full time”.
4. Does the candidate have a track record of progress in their past jobs?
5. Did the candidate use the right “buzz words” in their resume? Descriptors like highly motivated, energetic, top performer, closer, customer-focused, or team player do not guarantee that the person really possesses those traits, but it does indicate that they at least understand that those qualities are desirable to employers hiring sales professionals.  It also gives the interviewer a great basis for asking questions.

The bottom line is that the information on resumes is very limited in its value.  We screen potential superstars out because their resume isn’t truly reflective of the individual, and we interview candidates that never should have made it past the screening phase because we use qualifiers that rarely relate to success in the position we seek to fill.  My recommendation is that we re-tool our thinking a bit.  If something on a resume catches your eye, but the individual does not have sales experience or a college degree – spend the extra 30 minutes and get them on the phone for a preliminary discussion.  You might just come across your next superstar when you least expect it.  Change your recruiting approach and make a commitment to “Hire the Fire”.