Top Sales Manager Blog

I have no idea if George Washington was ever stuck at the job of screening resumes when he put together his cabinet members in 1789. After all he was the president. But as a sales manager, I know you’re going to have to deal with this kind of work one way or the other.

The question is, are you as prepared as the applicant sitting at the other side of the table?

There are five time-proven methods on how to effectively screen an applicant. With these tips, whether you’re doing an interview or a phone screen, you get to hire the best people, just like George did.

The countdown…

1. How’s the layout?
On a resume, how something is written is just as important as what is written on it.

The thing to remember is that every resume is a reflection of the candidate. When you sit down to study a resume, don’t read anything just yet. Scan the layout first for how the descriptions, achievements, dates, descriptions and accolades flow together. This should give you a good insight of the candidate’s knack for organization.

2. Accolades?
A list of accolades is the first thing you ought to look for when you sit down to look at a candidate’s resume. Specific accolades pretty much guarantees that you’re hiring top talent into your sales team. In sales, unlike the mutual fund industry, “past performance is indicative of future performance.”

3. Where are the accolades?
Same thing applies here. Where the accolades are written on the resume is as important as what they are for.

Are the accolades listed at the bottom of each paragraph? Are they written at the top?

A candidate who lists his accolades near the top is someone who values his achievements and isn’t afraid to showcase it as proof of his good performance. You want this candidate.

4. Are the accolades consistent in each job they’ve had?
One good hair day doesn’t mean anything. Tomorrow you’re back to looking like you’ve just had you finger inside an electrical socket.

Anyone can have a “good sales day.” But to consistently churn out a high level of performance, one year after the other, that’s something else. As a sales manager, you want someone who brings his A game year in and year out.

5. Typographical errors
A typo in a resume isn’t a sign of something good. If anything, it’s a sign of the candidate’s lack of attention to detail.

It also means he can’t write. Period.

So what are your methods in screening top talent into your sales team?

To learn more about motivating your sales team, get our free video on the sidebar of this post or by clicking here.

Post a comment to this post and tell me what methods work best for you in selecting top sales candidates.

Filed under: Hiring by ralphburns