How I hired my first sales employee … and we’ve just celebrated his fourth anniversary at the firm
I let them watch me work for a day before they joined.
In my previous post “Essential traits of a sales star” I listed the top ten traits one needs to look for in a sales employee. I also promised to share the sales hiring process that’s worked wonders for me.
Standing by my word, today I’d like to share my experience as an employer and interviewer over the past few years, and tell you about how I hired my first sales and business development executive. Early on in my entrepreneurial journey, I was advised by a very good friend to spend as much as 60% of my time hiring the right team before launching my product. This advice resonated with me and I’d like to think I’ve followed it well.
Back in 2013, I had just decided to become an entrepreneur after some years as a venture capitalist. As a new entrepreneur, the idea was to have a small team first- cohesive yet competitive. After having sifted through the resumes that poured in from the various job listings I posted on LinkedIn, AngelList and in my network of friends and acquaintances, I created a list of resumes that I liked.
I had brief five to ten minutes calls with them initially to further decide who to advance down the hiring funnel. Yes, sometimes I was on calls all day, but then I wanted the best people so I needed to make the effort.
When I shortlisted the first few sales candidates, I gave myself and the candidates an assessment period of 18–24 hours. During this time, the shortlisted candidates were required to complete a series of tasks and deliver a 20–25 slide presentation. This was followed by inviting the shortlisted candidates to shadow me for a day or two. Yes, you read that right. I let them watch me work for a day before they joined.
It was exhausting and resource-intensive, but it was rewarding.
While its invaluable to like your colleagues and team, it’s also critical to understand each other’s work styles and have a professional chemistry. When the candidates shadowed me, they got a glimpse of what they’re getting into and what I’d expect from them. While with them, I intermittently asked for their inputs to gauge how well they adapted to the unfamiliar environment. Sporadic questions helped me understand their line of thought, as well as to observe their behaviour. This process helped set realistic expectations on both sides. I’ve even had people back out after this stage because the synergy wasn’t right, or their expectations were different.
I’m proud to say that the first team I hired is still with us, and their motivation and dedication to the company has only grown over time. Thinking through how I went about my hiring, the feature that stands out is my decision to introduce shadowing of the boss/team, where possible. The candidates will get a real feel of expectations, pressures, and actual team culture, as opposed to what HR claims is the company culture. This will enable them to assess for himself/herself if they like what they’re seeing, and if they’re cut out for this role.
A candidate who sits through (and enjoys) the trailer will probably also like the movie.
From the employer’s perspective, the opportunity to see the candidate in action allows you to assess them as a potential colleague in a real-world setting, not the artificial petri-dish environment of the interview. This extended interaction will give you greater insight into whether you would like to work with this person, and if he /she is aligned to your company’s growth and vision.
So, if you ask me what is the most crucial element in hiring a winning team, this is my answer. Shadowing requires commitment and investment from both sides, but I’ve found that it also leads to a win-win situation for both sides. I strongly encourage you to give “candidate shadowing for a day” a try.
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