How to Hire a Salesperson by Ignoring Their Resume

Consider the resume for what it is – a print advertisement. It’s simply the use of colorful language to enhance the look of an applicant’s experience on paper. The more professional-looking the resume, the more impressed with the applicant we tend to be.

Yet, what does a crisp resume with glossy font really say about the applicable skills of salesmen and saleswomen for your job listing and your company? If you truly care about how to hire a salesperson, it’s time to realize there are much better ways to find the right fit.

Pre-Employment Assessment Test

Successful sales managers should look away from the resume and give more attention to the applicant’s pre-employment assessment test results instead. This sales test is becoming a common and essential practice among professional sales companies.

There are several different types of pre-employment tests. These tests can provide the following important information about each sales job candidate.

·         Emotional response – How would this applicant respond in certain situations where emotions can run high? Are they able to keep their cool and think rationally?

·         Quick thinking – Many sales situations require salesmen and saleswomen to think fast on their feet. When you’re facing a rejected sale, can this applicant turn things around on the spot?

·         Employee loyalty – How to hire a salesperson with integrity requires some carefully worded questions to assess their loyalty. Would this applicant be prone to lie or otherwise deceive you or your clients? A sales test can measure the odds.

·         Management potential – If you also desire the formula for how to hire a salesperson that you’d like to promote quickly into sales management, the sales test can help assess that potential.

·         Job aptitude – Pre-employment testing can determine a job candidate’s readiness for the sales role you hope to fill with a top-performer.

·         Relationship red flags – Would this applicant’s personality clash with that of the sales manager? Do they tend to react negatively to certain kinds of people? These tests will raise any red flags that might be issues in work relationships.

When choosing a pre-employment assessment test, make sure it has been approved by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). A sales test not meeting the EEOC requirements might not be a legal testing process. Make certain the sales test is job-related only and does not in any way address an applicant’s personal details like age or ethnicity.

Proper test analysis is an important element toward learning how to hire a salesperson for your high-performing sales team. Consider hiring a testing company to conduct this service, if your company budget will allow the expense. Having professionals administer and analyze the pre-employment tests can be well worth the investment if it increases your sales team’s success.

Recruitment of top-performing salesmen and saleswomen only begins with the resume and interview. How to hire a salesperson goes beyond accepting an applicant’s prepared answers. Pre-employment testing puts their sales instincts to work. Those instincts would be sale-closing benefits to your sales team for years to come.