SoftCoreWareAsAService

Sales Manager

When interviewing a candidate

call me out of touch or a bit nuts. but I was asking a candidate about a situation on getting feedback and asked for details of the situation. I told her she can leave names out for confidentiality. the candidate kept keeping things super vague and even used the word "xyz...." to describe the conflict at hand. Is this a way for me to read the candidate as having poor communication skills or a lack of ability to follow directions for a task at hand? Keep me honest and open to feedback.

EDIT: the specific instruction was to tell me a situation about a time where you had a gap in knowledge in your sales role. how did you address it? you can leave names out for confidentiality. But please give me details of the situation.

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Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

So she couldn’t communicate a scenario, even given a framework? I’d be questioning how she could communicate with a prospect, or with colleagues during a sales cycle.

CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

Or questioning how clear you were when the question was asked 🤷‍♀️

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

"Do you mind explaining that again?" is a valid thing to ask in any scenario.

oldcloser

Arsonist

💀

This screams one of two things. Complete bullshit or inability to tell a compelling story on the fly. Either way, call the next number.

antiASKHOLE

Tycoon

Bravado's Resident Asshole

yeah... "tell me of a time when...." "so... back when xyz was a thing, I had to deal with abc and it was hard... what I did was lmnop and the rest is history"

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

You're hired!

wolfofmiami

Opinionated

🐺

Maybe she’s never gotten feedback bc she’s that good. And made up an example

SoftCoreWareAsAService

Executive

Sales Manager

Would you hire a candidate giving pretty generic examples in an interview? Not explaining what the situation was, what tasks were outlined. What actions they took and what resulted from it. I got to the point where I gave her the outline format and she still didn’t do it. I wanted to like her as a candidate.

wolfofmiami

Opinionated

🐺

No, but you knew that already. So why ask it in here if you’re not even gonna consider hiring her

SoftCoreWareAsAService

Executive

Sales Manager

I’m never too good for feedback. If I’m flawed in my interviewing, I’d like to hear from different POV’s.

wolfofmiami

Opinionated

🐺

That’s a pretty generic question, I don’t like that question bc who’s gonna tell you I got feedback on this one thing and I asked my boss if they think they’re better than me and that he should try to sell instead of telling me. I hate getting feedback so don’t even try.

wolfofmiami

Opinionated

🐺

I don’t think it’s the question I just think that she was a bad candidate unless her resume on paper is perfect and she gives you referrals and everyone can’t say enough good things about her. Such as she’ll be a headache but outwork everyone and outproduce everyone by 50% at least each month

SoftCoreWareAsAService

Executive

Sales Manager

Her resume was impressive. But you’re right. Just probably wasn’t a good candidate

Revenue_Rambo

Politicker

Director, Revenue Enablement

The skills have to match or exceed the resume. Their resume was all “top producer” “ presidents club” “1xx% to plan”. However in the interview the couldn’t execute a basic discovery call scenario.

Didn’t make sense how someone with those credentials couldn’t demonstrate basic skills so I vetoed the hire.

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

That seems awfully specific. And also, sorry homie, I hope you aren’t that opposed to feedback irl. Perception very often becomes reality. If someone is perceived as being difficult to work with, or too much of a challenge, that can become the reputation that person develops. It can lead to being vulnerable to RIF, or in not getting a nomination to a better territory or promotion.

wolfofmiami

Opinionated

🐺

Exactly it shows that the candidate is either lying on her resume or she’s just has terrible communication skills and or stupid. I don’t think it’s a bad question and nothing on him for the interviewing skills. Just a bad candidate

Retired Sales Professional

Unfortunately if that not what your looking for move on the next person.

Kosta_Konfucius

Politicker

Sales Rep

Unless they are discussing a super technical product they know you don’t understand and want to avoid getting lost in the details, I think it was the right move to pass

GDO

Politicker

BDM

Yeah it’s lack of communication skills

Maximas

Tycoon

Senior Sales Executive

Believe she strictly followed the direct instructions to leave names as been told..so far nothing wrong she did IMO unless you have more details to share for a better understanding and judgment for the SIT!!

SoftCoreWareAsAService

Executive

Sales Manager

I think you missed the memo too. I asked for details of a situation. The only thing she can leave out was names for confidentiality. I followed up with “what was the issue you were trying to resolve” and her response was “some xyz things…”

I’ve never heard such problem in sales. And I tried so hard to pull out more details from her. I don’t think she got the memo at the time.

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SoftCoreWareAsAService

When interviewing a candidate

21 comment

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