10 Secrets for Hiring in Today's Tech Market

People in charge of sales hiring* typically say they are:

• Struggling to find candidates, stalling productivity
• Terrified of a failed hire and the cost of turnover
• Overwhelmed by other responsibilities?
• Concerned about the time it takes to sort good resumes from bad
• Frustrated at the competition for sales talent?

Sound familiar? This list is for you.?

Not everyone is ready or willing to engage with a recruiting agency, but we deliver for our clients on these things when the time is right.

Here are ten challenges that recruiters help tackle with hiring managers, and yes, some of it is pros of working with a recruiter.

#1 Use a Recruiter.?The data bears out. Bear with me.

a) Resumes. The garbage the average hiring manager receives is incredible—filtering out unfit resumes has a measurable impact on staff hours, especially for internal recruiters with limited time. A good recruiter will deliver only relevant candidates.

b) Guarantee.?Ever hired someone who looked and interviewed like a star but couldn't get out of the starting blocks to save their life? A good recruiter will guarantee a window that your hire won't leave within a certain amount of time and replace them for you.

c) Advice. Good third-party recruiters see more variation than anyone in the hiring marketplace. You have a faster time to hire when you know what the competition is doing. It's like having insider information on every aspect.

d) Interviewing. A good recruiter gets the nuts and bolts questions out of the way before your first interview so you can dig into what's beyond the resume. In addition, a good recruiter will coach your candidates, making them less nervous, more prepared, and more likely to show you who they are.

Beyond that, here are elements we find help in the hiring process:

#2 Get technical.?We live in the age of Zoom, and like it or not, you need to up your audio/video game. When candidates interview with dozens of other companies a week, what stands out are those, who take the time and invest in how they look. Get a good camera, microphone, and lights. Look good—sound good.

#3 Use an assessment. (wisely).?A personality assessment can enlighten everyone involved about the fit they might or might not be. It's incredible when you can discuss candidate strengths and areas to improve. It is beneficial to find this out before they are on your payroll. (Again, a good recruiter can provide this service)

#4 Be prepared and allow plenty of time.?When you show up harried, it adds stress. Stress means that you are not seeing the authentic candidate. Make space and time for them. I know this is challenging for a lot of overworked hiring managers.

?#5 Know why.?What is the mission or goal of your candidate's job? Your competition will win when they identify the purpose and meaning that your role will deliver to the right candidate. Trust me, candidates not only care but will trust a company that has meaning over additional comp.

#6 Keep an open mind.?Things change. Candidates are humans, and there are plenty of reasons they have moved around a lot or don't look like what you expect. Hiring managers win when they demonstrate they are thinkers and not automatons looking only to hire the old way.

#7 Be skeptical.?Keeping an open mind doesn't mean you should believe everything a candidate says. Your questioning techniques here will pay off, asking dynamic questions to get to the root of the topic. Too often, interviewers rely on boilerplate questions that let candidates off the hook.

#8 Interview quickly.?Time kills all deals, and the fact is, you will lose out on great talent if you wait too long to start the interview process and have a long, drawn-out interview process. (Our top companies have a 2-3 step process that is complete in 2-3 weeks from the time of submittal).

#9 Don't rush.?I know what I just said, and I think this is common sense, but use those 2-3 weeks to deliberate carefully.

#10 Give it your full attention.?I might have put this one first. You have 1000 things on your plate, which are critical. I argue that not only is a bad/failed-to-hire the most costly mistake a hiring manager can make but also having the right person on your team will have a positive multiplier effect. Far too many companies give the hiring process only the amount of time it takes to interview.?

Takeaway:?When hiring teams can ensure quality resumes through conscientious interviewing, the chances of a successful, long-term hire are high. In many cases, these things I have listed are considered luxuries or just glossed over.?

The Math

An average sales hire (Account Executive at $100k base) might cost a $25,000 placement fee. Sounds high! However:

Replacing this employee costs 6-9 months of their annual salary**. So our failed AE just cost you?$50k -90k!?

Consider the cultural cost as well. For example, I have trained sales teams where, once one quits, others start to dust off their resume. The statistic above, when compounded, creates chaos.

NOTE: I create this content to develop long-term healthy relationships with forward-thinking hiring managers. I hope it's helpful on its own.

If you are curious how what I do might benefit you, book a 15-minute call. I won't try to close you; I will try to convince you you don't need me.?

Then, when it makes sense, we will both realize it together.

Good luck out there.

Curious? Book a call with me?here?or message me on LinkedIn.

*Hiring Managers can be anyone from a CEO to an internal recruiter. Typically we work with sales leaders with the most significant stake in adding headcount to their team.

**https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/9066-cost-of-bad-hire.html

**https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/employee-relations/pages/cost-of-bad-hires.aspx

**https://www.forbes.com/sites/falonfatemi/2016/09/28/the-true-cost-of-a-bad-hire-its-more-than-you-think