Decisions are eaiser than others. When selecting a new car, there are many factors to consider: gas mileage; gas, diesel, hybrid, or electric; sedan or SUV; red or black; and so on. When shopping for a new ski jacket, however, the decisions are a bit easier to make. It’s okay if these decisions take time. There’s no rush, the only person affected by your drawn out decision making process is you.
CC Image courtesy of jelene on FlickrLetting time lapse isn’t such a good idea, though, when it comes to hiring a sales rep for your trade show exhibit. Some people think that a long, drawn out process allows them to select the perfect candidate from a sea of applicants. But is this truly the case?
The Belief
Hiring a new sales person to work on a custom exhibit at a trade show is important, but a longer hiring process isn’t necessarily better. In this case, it might not be a good idea to take a tip from massive companies. Many companies feature excruciating interview procedures, with companies like BP, Proctor & Gamble, Amazon, and Ebay being among some of the toughest. In March of 2013, job openings were increasing, but remained unfilled for quite some time – an average of 23 business days, according to the New York Times, a jump from 15 business days in 2009.
The data came from the Labor Department, and showed that employers were being quite selective.
Why? With so many people looking for jobs, employers know that there is high demand, and want to find the best possible person to fill a position. But are they being too picky? Does this extended interview process really work, and should you rely on it for your business? Probably not.
K.I.S.S.
One of the issues that arises with a long interview process is that a person who would work wonderfully for your company might be scared away by the multiple interviews, whether on the phone or in the office. If that person is a front-runner, there is a higher chance they will move on and find another company.
Others prefer to stay away from a company that appears indecisive. Who wants to work for someone who can’t seem to make a decision? It doesn’t exactly scream “efficiency,” and that can be telling of how other business decisions are made.
So what can you do? You can start by selecting a decent group of colleagues who can help you make a better decision. Maybe one of them will pick up on an important quality you missed, or ask a revealing question you never would have asked. After discussing the position you are trying to fill, you and the team need to set a definitive deadline. It doesn’t have to be set in stone, but just having some sort of end date is important.
Don’t Delegate Too Much
Just because you have that team behind you to assist in the process doesn’t mean you can turn the responsibility over to them, though. As a business owner or manager, your job is to oversee every step of the process. Those other team members are just there for support. You should be in every meeting, on every phone call, and involved in all discussions regarding candidates. When you find the perfect candidate, you should be the one to seal the deal, welcoming the candidate to the company.
Above all, you need to be sure that other tasks don’t get in the way. While you might be planning for a big trade show, if this hire is important to all of that going smoothly, delegate unrelated tasks to others in the office so you can focus on the hiring process. Distractions mean you aren’t devoting yourself entirely to the interviews, which can lead to hiring the wrong candidate.
You can find the perfect salesperson for the job. As long as your interview process is concise and doesn’t take months, you will have much success. What kinds of interview questions should you ask? That’s the next topic that we will discuss on this blog, so make sure to stay tuned! In the meantime, we want to hear from you.
What is your interview process like? Does this article make you rethink the way you do things?