In Part 1 of this series on hiring salespeople, we explored the various reasons why hiring salespeople is so difficult.  Here, we’ll discuss some tips and tricks for properly reviewing the resume of a potential sales hire.

All managers have made a hiring mistake at one time or another.  My experience in interviewing sales talent on behalf of my clients has taught me that the vast majority of hiring mistakes can be nipped in the bud at the resume review.  There are a number of things to consider when reviewing a sales resume:

Resumes are marketing documents.  Many clients I work with assume that resumes contain the gospel truth when it comes to a candidate’s background and experience.  The only truth of the matter is that resumes are engineered to highlight (or even embellish) strengths and accomplishments while omitting clear and obvious failures.  Think about it - have you ever seen a resume that read, “Hit 56% of target sales target due to my inability to set appointments and unwillingness to consistently make cold calls”?

Treat resumes like your would any other piece of marketing collateral.  They serve to tell you the features and benefits, but come up short on the deficiencies.  That’s where a keen eye and experience come into play.

It takes a B2B salesperson 6 months to become productive.  With rare exceptions, I advise my clients to expect a six-month ramp-up period when hiring new sales staff.  The first 90 days are a write-off from a production standpoint, and the next three should yield slow but steadily increasing progress.  By month 6, they should be in full-on selling mode.  This time line affects the lens through which a manager should look at a sales resume.

If a salesperson has been at their current employer for less than 6 months and is looking for work, that’s a major red flag .  What that tells me is that either this person is failing miserably and knows it, or they made a huge mistake in accepting the position and they want out.  People make mistakes, and I’ve seen a number of cases where great resources take a job only to realize that their new employer is headquartered in the Ninth Circle of Hell.  Most of the time I find that the reason they’re leaving is because the feel like they’ll fail in the job, and are cutting their losses early.  No matter the reason, what a duration of less than 6 months on a resume tells me is that the salesperson didn’t do enough fact-finding during the interview process to make a good decision, or that they’re not cutting it and are afraid for the job (or were fired).  Both insights tell me that they’re not at the top of the game, and that I should keep looking.  I have made some exceptions to this rule, but only after really digging into the facts.

Are you so desperate to throw your company’s money at a salesperson that you’d hire someone whose resume creates doubt before they’re even in the job?  Someone better is out there, with less baggage (read:  less risk).

Great salespeople don’t leave jobs where they’re making money.  This point is pure human nature.  If you’re knocking down $250,000 a year selling WidgetSoft Systems and crushing your sales goals in the process, chances are that you’re a hero at your company.  Praise flows freely, and you get sent on trips where you sit on a beach with your family and drink rum cocktails.   You’re probably damn happy.

What you emphatically don’t do is actively look for another job.  I can’t stress this point enough - great salespeople don’t leave great jobs. Great salespeople leave that great job when the company does something stupid like cap their earnings or because they get acquired and the new regime wrecks what was working.  They don’t want to start over working for you and your giant question mark.

Here’s what that means for you as the hiring manager with regards to the resume review:  If a salesperson is looking for a job, that should immediately makes you wary.  If this person has stints of less than 18 months on their resume, that’s a warning that there’s something more to the story.  Why?  Because it takes 18 months for even a great salesperson to get to a consistent, quota-reaching level of production.  Make sure you know why they’re looking.  The answer, “for more opportunity” typically translates to “I’m not making my number.”  You need to find out why.

The intent here was to focus you in on the major themes when reviewing a sales resume.  When you’re looking at a sales resume that looks too good to be true, it probably is, to some extent.  I want you to focus you attention not on the words, but on the time frames.  Understand that resumes are just another form of marketing collateral, and the job durations tell the story.  And remember - salespeople who make great money because they’re great at their job typically do not leave unless something fundamental changes about their employer.

It’s tough, this business of hiring salespeople.  In the third post in this series, I will share with you the “must ask questions” for an in-person interview with your sales candidates.

To continue with Part 3 of this series on hiring salespeople, click here.