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    Better Hiring Today

    You are Browsing the April 2009 Archive:

    How to Hire Salespeople, Part 4: The Offer

    [Author's note:  This article is Part 4 of 4 in a series on hiring salespeople.  In Part 1 and Part 2, we discussed why hiring salespeople is so difficult, and what to look for when reviewing a sales resume.  In Part 3, we covered the proper approach to interviewing salespeople.]
    You’ve finally identified a sales candidate that you’d like [...]

    How to Hire Salespeople, Part 3: The Interview

    In Part 1 and Part 2, we discussed why hiring salespeople is so difficult, and what to look for when reviewing a sales resume.  Here, I’ll share with you the “rubber meeting the road” part of the process - the interview.
    Sales interviews are a challenge to run if you’re not sure what to ask.  That’s why I recommend coming armed with [...]

    How to Hire Salespeople, Part 2: Reading a Sales Resume

    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 [...]

    Five Ways to Become a Better Interviewer

     
    “How do I get better at hiring?”  That’s the question I’m most often asked.  Here are five suggestions that will dramatically improve your hiring skills:
     
    Practice!  Do more interviews.  Interviewing is a skill, and the only proven way to improve a skill is through practice, practice, and more practice.  Don’t expect to make a quantum leap in your hiring [...]

    5 Signs Your Hiring Process Needs Help

     
    It’s a widely accepted maxim of the business world:  Great companies begin with great people.  When you have the benefit of top-shelf talent at all levels of your organization, then the possibilities are limitless.  There’s just one small problem - great people don’t just show up in your lobby, ready to get the job done.  You have [...]

    Preventing the Last-Minute Surprise in Recruiting

     
    You’ve just completed an exhaustive interview process with your candidate - a telephone screen, two personal interviews, reference checks, and the 30-60-90 day plan.  You talked to the candidate on Friday, and they verbally accepted the position.  “That all sounds great,” they said after hearing your verbal offer, “I look forward to reviewing your offer over the [...]

    How to Conduct an Interview, Part 3

     
    Now that we’ve talked about preparing for the in-person round of candidate interviews, let’s take a look at the actual interview script, and a a subset of the questions contained within.  In this post, I’ll walk you through the high-level topical questions that you’ll want to ask a candidate on an in-person interview.  These questions should be [...]

    How to Conduct an Interview, Part 2

     
    The first interview is all about the candidate’s job history.  The second interview is where we attempt to poke around inside the candidate’s head and find out what makes them tick.
     
    After completing the first round by interviewing a minimum of 3-5 candidates, you’re in a position to carry forward the best 2-3 candidates for the 2nd and final round.  [...]

    How to Conduct an Interview, Part 1

     
    In a previous post, I’ve discussed that the goal of the phone interview is to make a go/no-go decision on your candidate.  It’s not to decide whether or not to hire them, no matter how tempting that approach may be.  Here we’ll discuss the next step in the process - the face-to-face interview.
     
    The goal of a face-to-face [...]

    Anatomy of a Telephone Interview

    Consistency is key when conducting telephone interviews - you want to make sure that you follow the same script for every candidate so that you eliminate variability from your interview process.  I teach my clients to follow the following outline when conducting a telephone interview:
     
    1.  The Introduction.  A proper introduction is important in any interview [...]