Job boards are one of the first places most organizations will search when they want to hire inside sales reps, but while job boards are a huge source of resumes and entry level candidates, relying on them can be a frustrating experience. As one customer explained to us, just sorting through the volumes of unqualified candidates can be exhausting and you are lucky if you find any qualified candidates at all.
The level of position often makes active recruiting cost prohibitive, so beyond placing ads and mining job boards, companies often wonder where else they can turn to find inside sales reps.
Recruiters are another option to consider, and companies can also look inwards for competent people in other functions that might be better suited to perform a sales role. For instance, customer support and field services might have employee with an aptitude for handling inbound sales calls and the outside sales team may have staff that are better suited to performing outbound sales and new business development activities on the phone.
In all cases, your challenge will be to evaluate the candidates to ensure they have the traits and experiences required to be successful in your inside sales position. For junior hires in particular, where there will be limited employment history to study, sales competency and behavioral tests can be useful. As always, the more structure in your hiring process, the more sales success you will experience.
To your success!
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Eliot Burdett
Eliot received his B. Comm. from Carleton University and has been honored as a Top 40 Under 40 Award winner.
He co-authored Sales Recruiting 2.0, How to Find Top Performing Sales People, Fast and provides regular insights on sales team management and hiring on the Peak Sales Recruiting Blog.
Latest posts by Eliot Burdett (see all)
- 20 Of Our Favorite Books About Sales Management and Sales Leadership – October 20, 2023
- How To Make Progress On Your Sales Goal Without A Sales Leader – September 15, 2021
- Augment Your Recruiting Strategy During “The Great Resignation” – July 26, 2021
