1. INTERVIEWING SKILLS FOR THE HIRING SALES MANAGER
If you’ve been in a position to hire you know first-hand how daunting the process of unearthing
the right talent can be. How do you really know if you have the right person? What if you make
a wrong hiring decision? What if this person fails?
With all of the emphasis on the acquisition of the right talent and how it ties directly into a
company’s bottom line (not to mention the cost of turning over the wrong people) it makes sense
to take a closer look at the interview process. I chose to focus on sales positions as that is where
my experience has been. Having been in charge of hiring sales resources for the past twelve
years, particularly in the staffing industry, I have found it to be an especially challenging process
as sales is not for everyone and has a high turnover rate.
How many times have you heard that the candidate will come in and do whatever it takes only
for them to turn around three months in and say it wasn’t what they thought it would be? Have
you hired what you were sure would be a superstar and 9 months later they’re still struggling to
put consistent deals together?
The interview process should not be rushed and should only involve those that recognize and
value the importance of hiring the right people. Hopefully this will include the managers and
executives of the company but don’t be afraid to reevaluate the current panel of interviewers that
your company is using.
There are three (3) important components of a strong interview process:
• Identifying the competencies of the position and the key success indicators
• Establish interview questions based on those competencies
• Effective evaluation of the answers to those questions
Let’s visit each point more in-depth:
Identify Position Competencies
This can be an involved process but well worth the time considering the payoff of hiring the right
individual for your open position. Every job function can be broken down into specific
activities that if completed will result in a successful performance. Does that job function
require a self starter? Problem solver? Fact finder?

2. There is a methodical approach to unearthing the competencies behind the functions of a job:
-Start with a comprehensive job description consisting of measurable objectives
-Survey current employees as well as those that have been successful in the position previously
(*this will likely require several passes of surveys in order to cross reference and identify the
common denominators)
-Measures of success in the position. The key here is that each point is definitive and measurable
so it is not left to interpretation or subjectivity.
It should also be noted here how important it is to factor in the working environment and the
profiles of the coworkers of the open position in order to get a clear description of the type of
resource you need.
Once this is complete you are able to establish questions that will enable you to determine if you
have the right candidate.
Establish Interview Questions
Keeping in mind what’s legal and what isn’t, I do feel that it’s necessary to step outside of the
box when asking questions of your potential candidate in order to get to the root of who they are
and what they are capable of.
Do they have a track record of success?
Have they overcome adversity at some point in their life? If so when and how?
Have they ever stepped outside of their comfort zone in order to accomplish a goal?
Are they self aware? Can they list their strengths and weaknesses and what their friends would
say about them?
Are they accountable or do they blame others? What could they have changed to have been
happier/more successful in their last position?
What will surprise you about them, good or bad, one or two months into hiring them?
Are they succinct? Articulate? Do they make eye contact?
What embarrasses them?
What are they most proud of? What are they most grateful for?
How would they establish a sales pipeline?
Do they know their numbers from their last position? How were they measured? Where did
they rank?

3. Did they close you at the end of the interview?
Evaluate the Candidate
So you have all of this information from the interview, now how do you know if you still have
the right resource? Now is the time to ask some tough questions of yourself:
-Would you replace someone on your staff with them? Would you spend your own money to
train them? Is there a practical skills test (i.e. phone trial) that you can put them through as your
final step?
Conclusion
Your ability to select the right talent will have a profound effect on the success of your
organization all around. Take the time to question around the competencies and attributes you’re
looking for, regardless of how many steps that will require the process to be.