How to source and shortlist {role_name}

Where can you find qualified {role_name}?

  1. Professional Networks:
    • LinkedIn: A platform for professionals across all industries. You can filter by location, experience level, and even search for candidates with specific skills like time management, scheduling, and organizational skills.
    • Indeed: Another highly popular platform where Sales Representatives can post their resumes, and recruiters can easily search for candidates.
    • Glassdoor: Offers a combination of job postings and company reviews, which can help you identify potential candidates who align with your company culture.
  2. Educational Institutions:
    • University alumni networks
    • Business schools and MBA programs
  3. Company Career Pages:
    • Post the job on your company’s career page to attract candidates who are already familiar with your company or interested in working with you.
    • Many candidates prefer applying directly to organizations they admire, so having an updated career page is critical.
  4. Role-Specific Job Boards:
    • WeWorkRemotely: A great job board for remote positions, including Sales Representatives who work from home.
    • Virtual Assistant Jobs: A specialized platform for Sales Representatives and Virtual Assistants.
    • PA Jobs: A niche job board dedicated to Sales Representative roles.
  5. Geography-Specific Job Boards:
    • For the US:
      • ZipRecruiter: One of the most popular job boards in the US.
      • SimplyHired: Another broad job board where Sales Representatives can be found.
    • For India:
      • Naukri: One of India's most popular job boards.
      • Shine: Another leading Indian job portal.
    • For UAE:
      • Bayt: Popular in the Middle East, it offers a large pool of qualified candidates.
      • Gulftalent: A job board dedicated to recruitment in the Gulf region.
    • For KSA:
      • Monster Gulf: Offers job postings specific to the Gulf region, including Saudi Arabia.
      • Naukrigulf: Another popular platform in the Gulf region.
  6. For Remote Positions:
    • FlexJobs: Offers a variety of remote and flexible jobs, including Sales Representative positions.
    • Remotive: A job board for remote positions across various fields.
    • WeWorkRemotely: A great platform for hiring remote Sales Representatives.

What are the best practices for headhunting {role_name}?

  • Use LinkedIn advanced search and Sales Navigator to identify potential candidates.
  • Attend industry networking events and sales conferences.
  • Leverage employee referrals for reliable candidate sourcing.
  • Direct outreach through personalized messages emphasizing mutual benefits.

"Find Talent Quickly" – Leverage Headhunting and Referrals

How to shortlist candidates?

Once you have started to get applications from applicants, a thorough screening process and shortlisting of prospects will help you make the most of your time spent with the most qualified ones. 

Automated shortlisting tools :

Automated screening quickly filters out unqualified candidates, saving time for manual review. This allows the manual process to focus on the most promising candidates, ensuring the best ones are considered for further evaluation.

Screening questions to auto-shortlist based on predefined criteria

like qualifications, location, experience, and skills. Either use job board or use an ATS such as whitecarrot. Here are some questions for {role_name}

  • Experience: How many years of experience do you have in sales? (Auto-reject if less than 2 years)
  • Location: Are you located in [city/region] or willing to relocate or work remotely? (Auto-reject if not willing)
  • CRM Proficiency: Do you have experience using CRM software? (Auto-reject if "No")

Skill based question to auto shortlist candidate

Analyze the skill test data to automatically shortlist top-performing applicants. (recommended screening test time - 15 minutes). Here are some skill test questions for {role_name}

CRM Software Proficiency

  • Q1: What does CRM software help manage?
    • A) Office Inventory
    • B) Customer interactions and data (Correct)
    • C) Payroll
    • D) Facility maintenance
  • Q2: Which is an example of CRM software?
    • A) QuickBooks
    • B) Salesforce (Correct)
    • C) Slack
    • D) Zoom
  • Q3: CRM software primarily benefits which department?
    • A) Human Resources
    • B) Finance
    • C) Sales (Correct)
    • D) IT

Negotiation

  • Q1: Effective negotiation primarily involves:
    • A) Arguing aggressively
    • B) Mutual agreement and compromise (Correct)
    • C) Avoiding conflicts
    • D) Providing discounts
  • Q2: A successful negotiator:
    • A) Ignores objections
    • B) Listens actively and responds appropriately (Correct)
    • C) Gives in quickly
    • D) Refuses compromise
  • Q3: What's an effective strategy in negotiation?
    • A) Presenting ultimatums immediately
    • B) Understanding customer needs clearly (Correct)
    • C) Refusing to compromise
    • D) Ignoring alternatives

Product Knowledge

  • Q1: Product knowledge allows a salesperson to:
    • A) Improve shipping logistics
    • B) Answer customer queries effectively (Correct)
    • C) Handle technical issues unrelated to sales
    • D) Conduct HR interviews
  • Q2: Detailed product knowledge helps in:
    • A) Increasing administrative efficiency
    • B) Enhancing customer trust (Correct)
    • C) Maintaining company servers
    • D) Financial forecasting
  • Q3: Good product knowledge includes:
    • A) Ignoring competitor products
    • B) Understanding product features and benefits (Correct)
    • C) Avoiding detailed specifications
    • D) Only knowing prices

Note - Auto reject candidates if scores less than 70% in this section

One way video interview

Recruitment Bullet

Use tools like hirevue, whitecarrot.io to ask candidates pre-recorded questions about their experience and skills.

Recruitment Bullet

Use sample question given in scorecard.

Collect other information 

Recruitment Bullet

Collect data from shortlisted candidates, such as salary expectations and visa status.

"Shortlist in Seconds" – Use our CV scoring feature to get top candidate recommendation

Manual candidate profile shortlisting:

Recruitment Bullet

Thoroughly review the CVs of the top scoring candidates from the automated process

Recruitment Bullet

Look for evidence of the required skills, experience, and achievements

Recruitment Bullet

Review the candidate’s portfolio or GitHub repositories to see examples of their work.

Schedule recruiter calls with the candidate

Recruitment Bullet

Use a tool like calendly or whitecarrot to allow candidates to self-schedule calls based on your availability

Recruitment Bullet

Confirm the call details (date, time, dial-in info) with the candidate via email

What questions to ask in the recruiter phone screen?

Recruitment Bullet

 Use scorecard for rating candidates for recruiter

Recruitment Bullet

Sample scorecard : 

Criteria Sample Question Rating (1-5)
Communication Skills Clearly explains their selling approach?
Sales Techniques Demonstrates proven sales techniques?
CRM Proficiency Clearly outlines experience using CRM software?
Negotiation Skills Gives relevant examples of successful negotiation?
Product Knowledge Explains features and benefits of previous products clearly?
Confidence & Clarity Presents information confidently and clearly?
Recruitment Bullet

Check for consistency in responses from the candidates.

Recruitment Bullet

Record such scorecards in an ATS like whitecarrot or use google doc