Four steps for an effective interview process
By nature of the business, the makeup of a sales team fluctuates regularly. Whether it’s by organic turnover or structural changes in the organization, successful sales managers balance current team dynamics with always having one eye on the needs of the team at least a couple of quarters out.
One aspect of the job that a new sales manager can easily overlook is the need to build and maintain a strong talent pipeline. To do so, running an efficient and effective interview process is critical to get the right candidate signed and on the payroll as soon as possible.
But when the reality is that not every employer has access to psychometric or similar behavioral tests, how can hiring managers accurately predict a candidate’s behavior in the role and how they will perform within the business? How can hiring the wrong candidate be avoided—a mistake that can cost employers upwards of 30% of an employee’s first-year earnings?
The interview process is critical for both company and candidate to test each other out. Numentum recommends a strategy based on moments of dual evaluation to ensure that, when the chosen candidate accepts an offer, it is because they’re in it for the long run.
Step one: Network evaluation
Following the principles of the Connected and Empowered Enterprise means starting the interview process by speaking to trusted mutual connections in the network of the candidate. In short, get references. These informal conversations can shed light on important factors such as work ethic, achievements, and what qualities the candidate can bring to the team.
For more seasoned sales candidates, conducting a quick LinkedIn check of their network can be worthwhile. This harks back to the days of hiring a seller based on their Rolodex. Has this person intentionally connected with and built out a professional network that they can leverage for warm introductions into the target account list they’ll receive after onboarding? Have old coworkers, customers, or business partners recommended their skills? Until a few years ago, a seller who knew to maintain a presence on LinkedIn was a nice-to-have. These days, however, it’s a must.
While this step shouldn’t be the only deciding factor in moving a candidate to the next step, it is useful to help determine a shortlist and surface any red flags early on. When a candidate is vetted, connected, and ready for the next step, we recommend giving the reins to an experienced seller on your team.
Executives can support their sales leaders with the following six best practices to ensure a healthy pipeline of candidates that can be seamlessly brought into the business when the time is right.
Step two: Building a connection with another seller
There are three main advantages to assigning someone on the team to be the first person a new candidate meets with:
The seller has the chance to take on leadership responsibilities, develop their interview skills, and feel they are part of building the future of the team
The seller has an innate knowledge of the dynamics of the team and can help identify hires who will add to the culture
The candidate gets to interact with someone already successful in the role they are applying to
The right person for this initial interview opportunity needs to be on-brand, careful, and diligent. Numentum best practice is to limit this meeting to no more than 30 minutes, as it should act as a further gut check (for both parties) on whether to proceed to the next step in the process.
Step three: Vet suitability with an interview
Hiring managers should work with their HR business partners to build a list of questions that accurately reflect the job description and what’s needed to succeed in the role. Regardless of the position, there are interview principles that should remain the same:
Prepare in advance with a refresh of the candidate’s resume and LinkedIn profile. Both parties will get more out of the interview if less time is spent explaining previous roles and responsibilities. Interviewers should go in with an understanding of what a candidate has achieved already to more accurately grill them on how they’ll bring similar success to the hiring organization.
Have a plan but leave questions open-ended. The best interviews feel more like a conversation. There should be some structure to cover the core competencies in the role, but leaving questions open will encourage longer and more descriptive answers—the key to getting to know a candidate and making a confident decision on their suitability.
Take proactive measures to reduce unconscious bias. Even the best-intentioned interviewers can fall prey to giving preferential treatment to those they feel an affinity with, or make the best first impression. Implement ways to minimize the risk of bias, such as panel interviews and acting like a juror not a judge. If everyone on your team looks and speaks the same, that’s not “culture”—it could be a product of bias.
Step four: Test performance with a presentation
Nothing will prove a candidate’s ability in a role more than having them demonstrate it. Here at Numentum, we are strong advocates for testing candidates to see what they’re capable of delivering on the job.
A simple but effective way to do this is by assigning a presentation as part of the main interview. The task can be to research the business they hope to join and speak to its challenges and opportunities. This will quickly reveal an individual’s research skills as well as their ability to think in innovative ways and present persuasively to an audience.
It’s also important to remember the vetting process goes both ways. This is an incentive for the candidate to take a deeper look at their potential future employer. Some might find the research unearths a company they don’t want to join. If so, better to find that out now than after they have been hired.
An effective interview process leads to better hires
Our approach to the interview process begins with a look at a candidate’s network for third-party validation, leans on the expertise of your existing team to peer-review a new hire’s suitability for the role, and ends with giving the candidate the opportunity to showcase the skills they will bring to the job.
But at the end of the day, all the interview strategies in the world won’t replace one thing: Does this candidate engage naturally and connect with others in an authentic way? We live in a digital world where the buyer experience is largely in crisis. Building a team of highly competent sellers who can marry advanced digital skills with human connection is the key to succeeding in today’s competitive market.
Revenue Forward
Numentum is a B2B enterprise sales training company that integrates social selling into existing sales processes to engage today’s hyper-informed buyers. Our programmatic approach maximizes the utility of brand, marketing assets, and sales technology to generate predictable pipeline and revenue. We partner with forward-thinking brands to bring focus, routine, and accountability to their sales teams. Our customers include SAP, Workday, Vodafone Business, Verizon Business, Broadcom, and RELX.
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