Who’s Interviewing Whom?

By Dave Tester


The state's unemployment rate nearing double digits actually means good news for employers. I'm in the process of recruiting a new sales team right now. I must tell you the talent pool is as good as I've ever encountered in the region. Good people are either out of work or working at jobs that are below their skill set. That has many top-notch folks interested in new opportunities in the sales field.

Here our some tips whether you are hiring a sales professional or interviewing for a sales position yourself.

Make sure you dress the part. I have always believes a business suit is standard operating procedure. However, during my latest round of interviews, I encountered candidates dressed more casual. Even if the job may not required higher end business attire, the interview does. If I need to tell you what to wear you shouldn't be interviewing for a sales job. (Check out one of my archived columns in the IBR, "Who Waived the Dress Code.")

I always ask candidates the question "how did you prepare for the interview today?" This is a favorite because most don't even take the time to Google the company name or my name. If candidates haven’t taken time to do their homework on you and your company, they probably aren’t real motivated.

Another great question is "what are you reading ?" If you are in sales and not reading sales books or motivational tools don't bother showing up for the interview. Remember this, over 70 percent of Americans never pick up a book after graduating either in High School or College. (Sad, huh?) If you’re going to work in sales, you need to be a constant reader.

Most of the people I interview come without a list of questions to ask me. That's not a good sign either. I enjoy it when a job seeker takes over the interview. It shows you have initiative, are detail oriented. Most importantly, it shows you’re prepared to sell yourself!

Here's are five more fantastic tips for getting the right sales job:

1. Is the “director of first impressions” helpful and enthusiastic? If the receptionist is not, that might not be a good place to work

2. Ask the question: "do you focus on time and effort or results?"

3. Ask: "can I be innovative and create new systems here?"

4. "Do you consider me an investment or a cost of sales ?"

5 Make sure you’ll get all the support you need for achieving success with: "do you educate, train and market here and can I see those programs ?"



Be prepared to ask the right questions at your next job interview, it might be the difference between getting a job and continuing to look for a job.