Five Proven Tips to Screen a Sales Resume
I’m not sure if George Washington had to screen an avalanche of resumes first in order to hire his first cabinet back in 1789…but I do know that you have to.
Just in case you missed that post on GW, click here
Enclosed are five proven methods to help you to screen out resumes for your open sales positions, so that you can first interview (or phone screen) the best people, then eventually hire the best people…just like George did.
1. How’s the layout?
The first and most important part of the resume is the layout.
This can give you good insights into broad characteristics of the candidate.
Every resume is a reflection of the candidate, so scrutinize the layout for how the descriptions, achievements, dates, descriptions and accolades flow together.
2. Accolades?
The presence of specific accolades in a candidate are about the closest thing you can get to guaranteeing they will succeed at a high level. Unike the mutual fund industry, when it comes to sales reps “past performance is indicative of future performance”.
3. Where are the accolades?
When screening a resume the big thing to look for is not only do they have accolades, but almost as importantly, where are they placed in the resume?
Are they at the bottom of each paragraph? Are they at the top?
The closer to the top usually means the more important they are to the candidate…you want that candidate.
4. Are the accolades consistent in each job they have had?
You need someone to produce consistent results.
Anyone can catch “lightning in a bottle” once and have one really good year…but can they perform at a consistently high level for you year in and year out?
As the saying goes; “One warm day in April does not make a summer”…and one lone Pinnacle Award from 1998 does not make a great salesperson.
5. Typographical Errors
Any typos really means the person does not have the attention to detail that you absolutely require as a top-performing sales manager.
It also means they can’t write!
How can the candidate close sales, write up sales proposals and complete the necessary customer follow up when they cant even hit the “spellcheck” button prior to sending their resume to you?
Needless to say, typos are a big no no.
Post a comment to this post and tell me what methods work best for you in screening top sales candidates?
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