| In my sales management career, I would bet that I've | | | | documentation, perhaps a request for a reference for |
| seen about 5,000 resumes for sales people. Yet, I still | | | | that accomplishment is appropriate. Checking every |
| haven't seen one that shows someone who has | | | | single accomplishment is over the top, but checking |
| achieved 40% of quota. Every single resume shows | | | | one or two accomplishments makes sense. I suggest |
| 100%, 200%, 2,000,000% of goal. Where are all of the | | | | those that seem the most impressive to you about the |
| people who have had less than stellar sales | | | | candidate be verified. If someone told me that they |
| performances? Did they all leave the sales | | | | personally doubled the size of the company in one |
| profession? If all of the resumes that I saw truly | | | | year, I would want to see proof of that! |
| represented the performance of the individual, the U.S. | | | | Title. Sales people have more titles than there are |
| economy would be thriving to say the least. Every | | | | prospects in the world. I can't keep track of all of them |
| company would be enjoying record revenue | | | | any more. However, those titles don't necessarily |
| performances. | | | | correspond to responsibility. A small company may call |
| If you have read my past articles, you've felt my | | | | their only sales person a Vice President while a large |
| passion for creating sales marriages, those | | | | company may call a person performing the exact |
| relationships whereby a mutually beneficial relationship | | | | same role a sales representative. While reviewing the |
| is formulated between a sales professional and a | | | | resume, don't limit your perusal to the title. Dig a bit into |
| company based on synergistic matches of needs. This | | | | the responsibilities that the individual had. During the |
| is not easy to do as, right off the bat, the relationship | | | | interview process, it is critical that you ask questions to |
| begins with a flawed tool, a resume. It is this tool that | | | | understand the role and responsibility that goes with |
| dupes, tricks, and stretches the truth of a person's | | | | the title. |
| pedigree. Yet, as an employer, that is what you have | | | | Where some companies get in trouble is they look to |
| to work with when hiring a sales professional so you | | | | hire a senior sales person and don't consider |
| need to find a way to mine through the information in a | | | | candidates with higher level (Vice President, for |
| quest for the complete truth. | | | | example) titles. It is important to analyze the |
| I spend a tremendous amount of time preaching about | | | | responsibilities that the individual had in their capacity to |
| the importance of honesty and integrity in sales. Those | | | | see if this individual matches your needs regardless of |
| are two words that are not often associated with the | | | | what you call this role. If the resume is unclear about |
| profession. As such, I believe that the quest to find | | | | this, ask the candidate for details. |
| sales people who represent a company's brand well | | | | Employer dates. If a sales person has a gap, or gaps, |
| starts with a thorough resume review. Plain and simple, | | | | in their employment meaning they did not leave one |
| dishonesty in a sales person's resume means they | | | | job and go directly to another one, they will show |
| don't play on my team. There are more than enough | | | | years of employment, but not months. This creates the |
| statistics to support the issue of what I call "resume | | | | illusion of continuous employment. If you background |
| inflation." | | | | screen as part of your hiring process and employment |
| I can recall a time when I ran a sales organization in | | | | verification is part of that scope, this will be identified at |
| the employment screening industry, a company that | | | | that time. However, that takes time and dollars. (If you |
| provided pre-employment background screening for | | | | haven't seen my white paper titled, "Are There |
| other companies. We made an offer to a sales | | | | Criminals On Your Sales Team?" send me an email |
| candidate who had impressed everyone he met | | | | for your copy.) But, why wait until the end of the |
| including the CEO. When we ran his background | | | | process to learn something you can know now? |
| check, our core business, we found that his claim to | | | | When you see years on a resume, ask the candidate |
| have worked for a company for two and a half years | | | | to provide months of employment too. Ask questions |
| was actually two and a half months. The funny part is | | | | to understand the gaps. You may still elect to hire the |
| when we asked him about the discrepancy, he lied | | | | person, based on the explanation. At least, you get the |
| again and said his former employer made a mistake. | | | | complete picture. |
| Fifteen minutes later, he called back (I think he | | | | Training programs. Many sales people list the training |
| remembered that background screening was our core | | | | programs that they have completed on their resume, |
| business) and fessed up. Needless to say, we couldn't | | | | but who verifies that? Guess what, no one does! |
| have this person selling our background screening | | | | When hiring IT professionals, it is common to check |
| services. | | | | training and certification completion. Not so, with sales |
| Think about this, if someone would apply for a sales | | | | people. So, what risk does a sales person have by |
| job at a company whose core business was | | | | stating that they have completed the "Miller-Heiman |
| employment background screening and lie about their | | | | Strategic Selling" course on their resume? None! A |
| background, what candidates do you think you are | | | | suggestion is to ask for a copy of their completion |
| seeing? Every day, new technologies are introduced | | | | certificate. If they have truly taken the course, you will |
| to the marketplace to make the screening process | | | | see a confident reaction. If they have only read the |
| better and easier for hiring managers. Yet, none of | | | | book, or perhaps, not even that, you will see them |
| these technology companies advocate using their | | | | squirm in their seat. |
| technology as a replacement for a strong screening | | | | College Degree. When I look at the education section |
| process. Assessments, for example, serve as a tool | | | | of a resume, I expect to see college name, degree |
| for the process, but do not replace the process itself. | | | | completed, and graduation date. However, I regularly |
| Thus, it all begins with a strong resume review. | | | | see that degree or graduation date, or both are |
| The resume review should not occur for the first time | | | | omitted. Red flag! Sure, a background check will |
| with the candidate sitting in front of you. An effective | | | | expose that too, but why wait until post-offer to find |
| interview requires preparation. As such, the resume | | | | out? When you see missing information on the |
| should be studied and areas of question identified so | | | | resume, ask the candidate point-blank, if they |
| that questions can be asked of the candidate during | | | | graduated college, what year, and with what major? |
| the interview. What areas should be perused? Here | | | | Some omit their graduation year to hide their age, but |
| are five areas of a sales resume that require detailed | | | | others do it to create the illusion of degree completion. |
| attention. | | | | Unfortunately, you will find many sales people who list |
| Accomplishments. In sales, there is an old expression | | | | a college and year, and hope you won't ask any other |
| that says if you can't prove it, don't say it. This usually | | | | questions. |
| refers to the dialogue between a sales person and a | | | | I don't believe that most sales people intend to dupe |
| prospect, but it is also applicable for a resume. As a | | | | their potential employer, but I've also been around the |
| hiring manager, you are well within your rights to ask | | | | block long enough to know that the percentage that |
| candidates for documentation of the accomplishments | | | | "inflate" is high enough to warrant a circumspect |
| they list on their resume. If they don't have | | | | analysis of the resume. |