Most hiring managers have been there before . . . the interview is going great . . . you are really connecting with the candidate and the positive vibes are strong. In fact, this candidate even reminds you a bit of yourself earlier in career. He has many of the same characteristics you do . . . what’s not to like, right? Actually, hiring a sales candidate who is just like you can potentially be dangerous for one key reason . . .
When a candidate reminds you of yourself, you are often blind to the person’s negative traits. Remember, a candidate who shares your strengths may also share your own shortcomings. Here is a method to help you avoid this problem . . .
When you find yourself bonding strongly with a candidate, during a natural break in the interview process, stop and ask yourself the following three questions:
- How is this candidate like me?
- What do I like most about this person?
- What kinds of things could I be missing because of it? (Hint: think about your own shortcomings.)
Of course, we have a natural preference for people who share our values and opinions. This problem is especially pronounced in sales, where the interviewer is often looking for someone who is likeable. Although this preference is great for making friends, it can be dangerous for hiring. When testing and interviewing sales candidates, we need to be as objective as necessary to identify all potential development needs, especially those that we may share.
Click here to learn more about our sales test . . . the DriveTest™ . . . for providing an objective measure of the three critical elements of Drive in your sales candidates.
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Dr. Christopher Croner and Richard Abraham are authors of Never Hire a Bad Salesperson Again and developers of the proprietary and patented sales test, The DriveTest™, for sales candidates. For more information, click here.
