When Hiring It’s About You Selling Them, Not Them Selling You

Dear Stephen,

I’m a VP of Sales for a manufacturer, actually I don’t even want to say which industry I’m in - assume it’s lighting, furniture, floor covering. . . all the areas you guys recruit in, meaning we sell something related to interiors.

We are a great brand, with a strong reputation and competitive compensation packages. I’m not afraid to use recruiters, but we’ve been very fortunate that a lot of candidates upload their resumes to our website or respond to our LinkedIn job postings.

My problem is this: I’m just not finding that hunter or rockstar. And the people I’m interviewing never seem to ask the right questions about our product, or company. What happened to the days of the candidates asking for the offer? Closing me!

On resumes (or LinkedIn) the candidates look good – they seem to drive revenue where they are, yet when I meet them for the interview none of them seem that hungry for the position we are trying to fill. Half of them are not even looking. I’m just not used to this type of job market where it seems the candidates are controlling everything, so I’m having a hard time pulling the trigger on an offer when someone’s not begging for it.

Due to this I have positions open for long periods of time and we’re losing revenue across the United States in various territories. Now, my boss is breathing down my neck asking me why I can’t get any of our open positions filled, which is not good for me!

What am I doing wrong? Can you give me some advice?

Signed,

Desperate to Hire a Hunter

Dear Desperate,

What are you doing wrong? Let me start with sharing that “rockstar” and “hunter” should have left your vocabulary at the same time your blackberry left your pocket. I cringe when I see that on a job posting, so changing the adjectives you use could be a good place to start. “Rockstar” or “Hunter” alone can turn candidates off, even more so than having a crappy medical plan or being told you don’t reimburse business expenses. People aren’t stupid, everyone knows you want revenue.

Besides, are you really yearning for the days when a candidate would “close” you at the end of the interview? Every hiring manager has stories about the perfectly dressed person with all the right lines, the timely smiles and facial expressions, to the point where the manager was spellbound by the end of the interview and offered the individual the job. Two months later they discovered they had hired a beautiful cardboard cutout with nothing behind it!

Secondly, what’s the deal with hiring managers today expecting the candidates to be begging them for a job? Especially if they’re currently employed. Do you think you’re the only great company out there to work for?

Right now is the lowest unemployment in over 50 years and like you said, candidates are controlling the market. Get used to it. The days of the candidate closing you are almost laughable not to mention long gone. If you want a quality salesperson these days, or any individual in any hiring situation for that matter, you need to be selling them on your company; it’s great culture, why you are a great leader & mentor who is going to help them grow their career. It sounds like your company offers all these things, don’t be too arrogant to showcase them. Meet the candidate halfway - you sell them, and they’ll sell you back.

There is nothing wrong with being on equal footing with the person you’re interviewing, which means make the interview warm and friendly. Do not start off with questions like “why are you looking for a job?” You’re the one who said most of these candidates aren’t even looking. Even if they are unemployed, no one is going to beg you for a job in 2025.

When interviewing, it is fair to ask a candidate why they might be interested in working for your company, but why not start by explaining to them that your company is a great place to work and ask them if they would like to be a part of that culture? Build the chemistry.

Reminder, prospective employees want to hear about your fabulous medical and dental plan. They want to know about your terrific 401K. Not to mention your super flexible PTO and vacation days. . . If you don’t believe me, or can’t adapt to this hiring market, you will have openings you can’t fill in your company and high turnover for a very long time. Soon you’ll be sending me a resume because your boss will be firing you!

Is that the advice you were asking for?

Signed,

Stephen

Stephen Viscusi is the founder of www.viscusigroup.com, an executive search firm that specializes in the interior furnishings industry. Hires made through The Viscusi Group are guaranteed a one-year free replacement. Please share your story or comment on this article and send your workplace questions to [email protected]. Or give us a call at (212) 979-5700 ext. 101.

(C) Stephen Viscusi