Struggling to Hire Sales Engineers Quickly: How Can I Overcome Candidate Reluctance?

Dear Seniors! Hope all r doin' gr8.

I'm working in a Pre Engineered Buildings manufacturing company which is new to the P.E.B industry (which itself is lately developing concept in Indian market). As part of our expansion process we have started manpower recruitment of various profiles.

However, it's been a great difficulty in finding candidates of Sales Profile for our company. Atleast those who meet the selection criteria are reluctant even to attend a personal interview showing different excuses. Some say that they are comfortable with their present job; some say that they are not currently lookin' for a change, and some indirectly hinting lack of interest in our company!!

More worried thing is our management is particularly keen to close the selection of Sales Engineers at the earliest, since they consider the Sales Profile as a base for the company's expansion and establishment in the market.

I brought to their notice about the problem, and proposed a couple of action points like, A) Hiring freshers in the industry and train them; B) Redesign and develop our website, so as to give a much professional look (since I'm not satisfied with our company's website appearance), but in vain.

To more worsen my situation, I got a target date(which is almost nearing fast) to complete the selection of Sales Engineers, in turn!!! Plsssss…. suggest me an appropriate advice how to act and come successful out of this tough situation.

Thanking you and anticipating your reply at the earliest.

Regards

Ambersaleem

Dear Aniruddha,

Not a welcome suggestion on a serious matter that I'm facing. Please. Seniors, I sincerely appreciate your productive suggestion that would really help me out of this situation.

Regards,
Ambersaleem

Dear Ambar,

You can try to source engineers from distributors or small-scale industries whose job profiles match your needs.

Aniruddha

Dear Soja & Aniruddah,

Thanks for your suggestions!

In fact, I've posted about the job vacancies on different media, even on CiteHR as well. Unfortunately, no fruitful result. Probably because of the scarcity of similar profiles, I wonder!

Anyways, for your kind reference, I'm posting our requirements below. I hope if you could refer some appropriate candidates for the same.

SALES ENGINEER: Any Graduate (Preference to Mechanical Engineers) with a minimum of 1-2 years of experience in P.E.B. Sales (Pre Engineered Buildings). Job Locations: Hyderabad, Chennai & Bangalore regions. Experience in PEB Sales is a MUST. Attractive salary offered. Salary will not be a constraint for suitable candidates.

ERECTION ENGINEERS: Mechanical Engineers with 1-2 years of experience in P.E.B. Erection. Job Location: Will be based in Hyderabad. However, shall be traveling to various erection sites as and when required. Experience in PEB Erection is mandatory.

List of Other Openings:

- Store Supervisor
- Store Keepers
- Purchase Supervisor
- Q.C. Engineers (Candidates with experience in the PEB industry preferred)
- Customer Service Coordinator (MUST have experience in the PEB industry)
- Accountant (MUST have experience in handling Excise Duty related tasks. Job Location: Kadapa)

Appreciate if you could refer suitable candidates as per the above details given.

Regards,

Ambersaleem

In this difficult financial climate, people are reluctant to change jobs and give up the sense of security they may feel in their current position. Your company is new and not well established in the marketplace, so people will be nervous about applying for jobs with you. Somehow you need to reassure prospective employees that the company is well-funded, has exciting prospects, and will be around for the long haul.

Also, your job profile fails the basic test - WIIFM - What's in it for me? Why should someone come and work for your company? Money alone won't cut it. If management is imposing arbitrary deadlines about hiring staff and not ensuring they get the RIGHT people for the job, then that rings alarm bells for me, and straight away I would identify the company as one I would NOT want to work for.

John in Oz

Discuss with your seniors and top management, and consider seeking assistance from an external recruitment agency.

Best Regards,

Sajid Ansari
Delhi

Dear Amber,

Go for headhunting, and in case you have already tried it, then try headhunting along with hiring a trainer as per your requirements. The trainer can train freshers for campus or fresher hiring.

Amrender

Hi Saleem,

I suggest that you capture the following details and present them to the management, and then collectively find a solution:

- Number of applications received
- Number of candidates you have spoken to or approached for the position
- Number of candidates who are not interested (if possible, find out the reason for the same)
- Number of candidates who did not clear the interviews
- Number of candidates who were offered but rejected the offer (if you find out the reason why they rejected the offer, it would help your case)
- Recruitment media used (e.g., job sites, newspapers, etc.)

I think that if you put numbers in place, it will help the management understand the difficulties faced in hiring. Meanwhile, you can also cross-train existing employees into sales.

At this point in time, I think hiring a consultant will be fine. Just talk to your seniors.

Also, if there are any particular training centers from which you have mechanical students, try taking references from candidates who have declined or are not ready to come for the interview. You can also implement a referral bonus for outsiders.

Internal employee referrals can be implemented.

Use various networking sites and try to get hold of candidates. Please do let us know what approach you used and the results. All the best.

Thank you all for your valuable suggestions!

I am inspired by your replies and will proceed with the manpower hunt using a well-designed tactical plan. In fact, I agree with Mr. John about his comments, which seem evident to some extent.

Thanks a lot to everyone!

Best Regards,
Ambersaleem

Hi,

I am pretty sure you must have left no stone unturned in finding a suitable candidate. There are many methods of recruitment such as posting on social websites, job portals like Naukri.com, walk-ins, media, headhunting, etc.

What I feel could be the reason for not finding the appropriate candidate is that your company is new, and the P.E.B. industry may be unfamiliar jargon to most of the candidates you have approached. My suggestion is to first make them understand the kind of industry you are in and establish yourself as a brand or a leader in this new industry. You can use local and national newspapers and magazines to make your industry known to people. It may take a few weeks to make your industry sound familiar and reliable in the market before you start hunting again. I am sure then you won't be disheartened.

Happy hunting! :-)
MuktaS