At SalesForceSearch we communicate with many companies across Canada and the United States who are in the process of trying to fill their vacant sales jobs - each with varying degrees of success. In many conversations, companies have expressed their frustration about their ability to find good sales professionals and the length of time it takes. What’s surprising though are the reasons we hear for companies not moving forward with candidates. In many cases it’s not that the candidates don’t meet the qualifications of the position, but, rather, they fail in other aspects of the search.
Based on the feedback we’ve heard from companies, here are the top six reasons why candidates are not hired:
1. Their cover letter and resume were terrible. Candidates often miss the point of a cover letter - it is not to regurgitate what is already on the resume. Furthermore, cover letters that only contain generic fluff like “I believe I am a suitable candidate for this job because I am a self-starter” do more to hurt their chances than help. Cover letters should be customized for each job, and specifically state why the candidate is interested in the particular position and how their qualifications match the job requirements. As for resumes, especially for sales jobs, the focus should be on numerical results, and should list the companies the candidate has sold into or managed accounts for. Also, ensure all of the little things are correct - one spelling mistake on a resume usually means the end of the road for that candidate.
2. They did not dress appropriately. Anytime a candidate meets with a recruiter or potential employer, they need to dress the part. A job interview is no time to make a fashion statement. Wear a dark blue or grey business suit - no exceptions.
3. Poor “demeanour”. We have heard many stories about candidates slouching, yawning, and mumbling their way through job interviews. In an interview, candidates need to show their energy and passion for the job and the company. Any sign of disinterest will hurt the candidate’s chances of moving forward. For sales jobs in particular, when interviewing the employer will be picturing the candidate in front of their clients and deciding if they really want this person to be the face of their company.
4. They didn’t know anything about the company or the job. In almost every interview the candidate will be asked what they know about the company and why they want the job. Saying they’ve “heard of the company before” or they are pursuing the role “because it seems interesting” is not going to cut it. Those types of answers tell the employer the candidate did not prepare for the interview and that they’ll pretty much take any job they can get. Candidates need to research the compay prior to the interview, and be able to provide a concise outline of what the company does and its products, strategies and competitors. Also, candidates should prepare a list of questions about the company and the job to demonstrate they have done their homework and they are interested in learning more.
5. Innapropriate interview conversation. People say strange things in interviews: Cursing, innapropriate jokes, personal information that is ‘too detailed’, or bad mouthing their former boss. Candidates should not get too comfortable in the interview - it’s not a night out with the buddies. Be courteous, be professional, be normal.
6. Post-interview follow-up. It is a good idea to send a follow-up note after the interview. However, when doing so candidates need to make sure their note does not do more harm than good. At SalesForce Search we have encountered situations where candidates, about to receive an offer, have been rejected because their note was too long and wordy, contained strange or inappropriate content, or had spelling and grammatical errors. Follow-up notes should be short and simple: ‘Thank-you for your time, I’m very interested in the role, and I look forward to next steps’.
All of these things seem obvious and straight-forward, but for some reason many of these get ignored. Candidates may have the qualifications, but without the intangibles they will never get hired. Whether candidates are looking for junior sales jobs or executive sales jobs, they need to focus on how they present themselves throughout the recruitment process. Doing so will help increase the chances of landing that next great sales job.
SalesForce Search is a sales recruiting company which specializes exclusively in the recruitment and placement of sales professionals. To contact us please call 1-800-461-SELL (7355) or email us at info@salesforcesearch.ca
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Tags: Sales Job, Sales Recruiting, Sales Resume, Sales Talent