New to HR: How Do I Effectively Shortlist Candidates for a Sales Role?

Hi Friends,

I am new to the HR world. Can you please guide me on how to shortlist candidates for a sales position and achieve the required target for recruitment? In short, I need to know the recruitment process.

Thanks & Regards,
Priya

Hi Priya,

For any of the recruitment process, the first important thing would be correct resume shortlisting. Our CiteHR member Sanket posted a topic yesterday with the subject "Common Resume Mistakes." This topic is all about preparing the correct resume. But Priya, if you see it from the other angle, you would come to know the correct resume shortlisting. So, first of all, do read that topic.

I believe that once you read that topic, you would be able to shortlist at least 75% correct resumes. So, once you shortlist the candidates, it is now your turn to carry on with the interviews and get out with the best of the candidates. So, as per your saying you are going to recruit guys for sales, so, do make a list of qualities he needs to possess to be successful in that area. I can tell you some qualities...

1) He should definitely have an excellent presence of mind (So, plan some of your questions in the interview to check out his presence of mind, for example, asking him a sudden question like "what is the color of the pen in your pocket at this moment?" After this, take note of his facial expressions and determine if he is answering because he knows the color or using his mind to cope with the situation).

2) He should be confident enough (The simple way to judge whether the person is confident or not at the time of the interview is to note if he is making "eye to eye contact" with you or not. A person that hides something can never maintain "eye to eye contact." This is the best way for you to check his confidence during the interview).

3) He should possess excellent communication skills (Assess his communication skills by the way he responds to you during the interview).

4) Find out if he has any qualifications relevant to the product he is going to sell (This should be done at the time of resume shortlisting, and during the interview, you should test his knowledge in that field with the help of the product specialist in your company).

I hope these points will help, or else you can let me know the specifics of the job type so that I can provide even more detailed answers.

Regards,

Kiran.

Hi Kiran,

Thanks for the advice. I had an interview yesterday at I Solutions, which is a sister consulting company of ICICI Bank, for the position of HR Executive. If I am shortlisted, I'll have to recruit candidates for sales. Do you think it's a good opportunity to work with the company? It will involve recruiting candidates only for sales.

Thanks a lot. Have a wonderful day.

Priya

Hi Priya,

You are always welcome to share any knowledge that I have regarding HR or anything.

Regarding your question, if you are an MBA graduate and if a firm is offering you only recruitment in your job profile, I would suggest spending some more time to find an even better opportunity. I am not against recruitment, but HR is not all about recruitment. It has many other functional areas like appraisal, training & development, attendance maintenance, organizing events, payroll, and lots of other tasks depending on the firm.

So, once you start focusing on recruitment, you may find yourself limited to similar opportunities that are solely related to recruitment, which could lead to a lack of fulfillment at your workplace. Therefore, it would be better to seek a job that deals with and covers all other functional areas of HR as well.

To provide more detail and be specific, if you enter a BPO, consultancy services, or similar firms, their primary focus is on recruitment due to high attrition rates in BPO and consultancy revolving around recruiting and forwarding people to companies. Hence, my advice is to search for an HR job in the software field, FMCG, or other industries, though the final decision is yours.

In conclusion, Priya, this is my viewpoint. However, if recruitment is your passion, feel free to pursue it, but do consider what I mentioned based on your priorities for a better future.

I wish you all the best of luck for your future and career.

Regards,

Kiran

Hi Kiran,

Thanks for taking the time to reply to my email. Today, I had an interview at Infinite Computing Systems for the position of Resource Manager. For further details, you can visit the company's website at www.infinite-usa.com. If possible, please go through the company's website and let me know if I should join the company or not.

To briefly inform you about my educational qualifications, I have completed my Post Graduation in M.A. with a specialization in Political Science. Currently, I am pursuing a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration, planning to specialize in HR. I am doing this course from Symbiosis, Pune, which is a 2-year correspondence program.

Please let me know your thoughts.

Thank you.

Hi Priya,

You really assigned a big task for me to do. But Priya, it is not wise to suggest whether you should join the job or not just based on the company website and the name of the post.

Simply, check out your job profile for the job you have been selected for. If you feel that it is satisfying from both the work and salary perspectives, you can consider joining. It would be even better if you consult some of your seniors, faculty, and last but not least, your parents.

I apologize for not providing you with an exact answer because it is your future, and I do not want to misguide you in any way. Therefore, it is better to seek advice from people who are knowledgeable about the company and the position.

Wishing you all the best.

Regards,
Kiran.