Salesforce Recruitment and Selection

Who is Responsible for Recruiting?

• Depends on size of sales force and kind of selling involved• First-level sales managers often handle recruiting for:

– Straightforward sales jobs– Jobs where new recruits need no special qualifications– Jobs where turnover rates are high

• When a firm must be selective a recruiting specialist may assist in the recruitment process

• If the sales force prepares individuals to be sales or marketing managers, personnel executives or top-level managers often assist with recruitment

Job Analysis and Selection Criteria

• Conduct a job analysis to determine what activities, tasks, responsibilities and environmental influences are involved

• Write a job description that details the findings of the job analysis

• Develop a statement of job qualifications describing the personal traits and abilities needed to perform in the job

Who Conducts the Analysis and Prepares the Description?

• Current occupants of the job• Sales managers who supervise people in the

job• Current staff should be observed and

interviewed to determine what they actually do

• Use the job description creation process as a means of reaching consensus on job content, activities and training needs.

Content of the Job Description

• Nature of the product(s) or service(s) being sold

• Types of customers• Specific tasks and responsibilities• Relationship between the sales position and

other positions within the organization• Mental and physical demands of the job• Environmental pressures and constraints

Determining Job Qualifications and Selection Criteria

• This is the most difficult part of the recruitment and selection process

• Need specific criteria to guide the selection• Methods deciding on criteria include:– Examining the job description – Evaluating personal histories of the current sales

force to identify differentiating characteristics among high performers

Characteristics of Salespeople who Fail

• Instability of residence• Failure in business within the past two years• Unexplained gaps in the person’s employment

record• Recent divorce or marital problems• Excessive personal indebtedness; for example,

bills could not be paid within two years from earnings on the job

Recruiting Applicants• Successful firms depend upon a well-planned and effectively

implemented recruiting effort.• Recruiting should be step one in the selection process.• Internal sources of candidates consist of employees in other

departments within the firm.• External sources of candidates include:

– people in other firms – educational institutions– others attracted through advertising or employment agencies.

• Recruiting issues facing sales managers grow exponentially as companies expand globally and seek salespeople in new international markets.

Inside Recruiting

• Advantages:– Company employees have established performance

records and present themselves as a known entity– Recruits from inside require less orientation and training

due to familiarity with current products, policies and operations

– Recruiting within bolsters company morale because employees see opportunities for advancement

• Facilitating internal recruiting starts with fully informing human resources of sales staff needs

Selection Tools and Procedures

• Application blanks• Personal interviews• Reference checks• Physical examinations• Psychological tests– intelligence– personality– aptitude/skills

Selection Tools and Procedures

• Composites of psychological test scores offer the greatest assessment validity and predictive value for evaluating a candidate’s potential and possible future job performance.

• Personal interviews offer the lowest predictive potential but often carry the greatest weight.

Personal Interviews• Structured interview– applicants are asked the same predetermined questions– potential weakness is that interviewer may fail to identify

or probe a candidate’s unique qualities or limitations• Unstructured interview – induces free discussion on wide ranging topics – afford the applicant opportunity to talk freely with minimal

direction and may yield unexpected insight– requires experienced interviewers with interpretative skills

Physical Examinations

• Sales jobs require sound basic health, stamina and the physical ability to withstand stress

• Caution should be exercised in requiring medical examinations and other specific tests for such things as drug use or the HIV virus

• A physical exam can be performed only after extending a job offer

• Managers deem using a standard physical examination for all positions ill-advised

Tests • Well designed, validated and administered tests provide a

valid selection tool– Intelligence– Aptitude– Personality

• Possible reasons to use test cautiously– Tests may no validly predict future success in a specific firm– Some creative and talented people may deviation from expected

norms– Intelligent and “test-wise” individuals may be able to manipulate

results– Some tests may discriminate against people of different races,

genders, et al – thus becoming illegal

Guidelines for the Appropriate Use of Tests

• Test scores should be considered only a single input of several in the selection process

• Applicants should be tested only when abilities and traits tested hold relevance to the job

• When possible, tests with internal checks for validity should be used

• The firm should conduct comparative, longitudinal studies to validate the predictive value in their setting

Illegal/Sensitive Questions

• Nationality or race• Religion• Sex and marital status• Age• Physical characteristics • Height and weight• Financial situation• Arrests and convictions