hiring process Archives - Page 3 of 3

Top UCaaS Salespeople Are Hard to Find

September 14, 2016 by Lacey Walters

UCaaS is a growing field, but it is increasingly difficult to find qualified, top-performing salespeople who know the space well. The hiring cycle for UCaaS salespeople comes with a unique set of challenges. Here are 8 things to consider when starting a search for UCaaS salespeople.

Changing jobs means leaving money on the table.

UCaaS salespeople at the top of their game have to hit high quotas every month and every year. It takes a lot of sustained hard work to close deals. When a salesperson begins the interview process, they have to do complicated calculations to figure out whether their new compensation package will cover the money they are leaving on the table at their current job. Additionally, new sales do not start coming in right away, and a salesperson has to consider how much money they may lose in commissions before they start closing deals at a new job.

The new (or old) non-compete is often very strict.

They may have a very restrictive non-compete agreement in place with their current company that discourages them from changing companies and hurting their future prospects. For the same reason, they may be wary of a strict non-compete offered during the interview process. A smart hiring manager knows that a skilled UCaaS salesperson wants to make a career move, not a job change, and will take their future development into account.

They do not want to let their clients down.

With the long sales cycle, top talent gets very involved with clients, which makes it harder to leave the company. In many cases, these salespeople have spent years cultivating thriving business relationships and earning the trust of their customers. When a salesperson leaves a job and has to sever existing business relationships due to a non-compete agreement, it can feel like they are letting them down.

They receive calls every day from recruiters.

It is difficult to pitch an opportunity to a UCaaS salesperson that is a better opportunity than they’ve already heard. Many recruiters do not understand the industry well and do not take time to adequately review the pros and cons of the opportunity.

They are compensated well.

In addition to leaving commission money on the table, UCaaS salespeople are compensated well in their base salaries, making a move that much harder. They know their market value and have a keen idea of the market and what kind of quotas they are able to hit.

Learning a new set of UCaaS products and services can be difficult.

Unified communications customers expect their salespeople to be experts in the products and services they sell. These products sometimes have vastly different technical specs, and each company’s product portfolio has dozens of different features.

When coming into a new position, a salesperson has to relearn all of the product features and capabilities, which is difficult and time-consuming.

The industry is experiencing fast growth and frequent M&As.

The UCaaS space is full of mergers and acquisitions, and in addition, the products are changing rapidly as the market grows. While good UCaaS salespeople usually do not need to worry about job security, their industry is full of instability and change.

They do not want to start from scratch again.

A successful salesperson develops a steady pipeline of leads and business relationships. Finding fresh leads and nurturing them into business relationships is a long and difficult process. They have to build up a sales funnel once again and will usually need to work hard for at least 3 months just to close the first sale. Since the average UCaaS sales cycle is 6 months or longer, this means their on-target earnings can take a hard hit during the first year of a new job.

Looking to hire UCaaS sales experts? Blue Signal can help. To start with a free consultation, contact us at info@bluesignal.com.

10 Tips to Attract Top Talent with a Good Hiring Process

July 20, 2016 by Lacey Walters

Many companies lose top talent due to a poor interview process.

Companies conduct interviews in the same way that they conduct business. Top talent knows what to look for in the interview process, so hiring managers should do the same. Below are 10 key tips to optimize the hiring process to attract top talent with a good interviewing process.

1. Do not treat candidates as mere applicants.

Top candidates know they are highly sought-after. They are regularly approached by recruiters or head-hunters and rarely apply to open jobs. Do not treat them as any other applicant; roll out the red carpet.

Respond to their inquiries and questions promptly. Be open and honest with them. If they are not a fit, or if hiring priorities change, let them know the real reasons why. In today’s fast-paced electronic world, news travels fast; if they are a highly respected professional in the industry, they will talk, and others will listen.

2. Respect their time.

Desired candidates are busy at their current company and do not have large windows of free time. Lengthy meetings during business hours are often convenient only for the hiring manager. Make the most out of their time. If they take time off to visit, be sure to make the most efficient use of their PTO with the line-up and meetings. Try to avoid multiple visits if possible. Use a virtual interview platform, if applicable. Virtual interviews save time, minimize scheduling hassles, and free up budget.

3. Train interviewers.

To land top talent, send the best. HR professionals with training in conducting interviews tend to ask robust questions to bolster excitement and engage the candidate’s interest. However, hiring managers and other interviewers may lack formal training in conducting an interview. Make training and resources available to interviewers well in advance, and present it as an employee development opportunity.

4. Make the most of each interview.

When possible, strive for a balance of interviewing styles, with a variety of personality types, interviewing experience, technical expertise, and tenure. A good strategy is to pair the candidate with a current employee who is succeeding in the role. An individual with energy, experience, and excitement around the opportunity promotes enthusiasm in the candidate, as well as giving legitimacy to the role.

A round-table discussion achieves many goals at once: it gets multiple interviewers on the same page and is an avenue for reviewing prepared questions, discussing interview strategy, and reducing haphazard preparation in busy departments where hiring managers are juggling multiple deadlines.

5. Prepare the interview environment.

The interview area will give the candidate a reasonable expectation of the company’s work environment. Candidates intentionally put themselves in hyper-observant mode and notice everything. Take a walk along the route an interviewee would take through the building, and observe the surroundings through their eyes.

Company perks—like a high-tech conference room, stunning office views, or trendy common area—should be on full display. Show off what makes the office unique and attractive.

6. Tailor the pitch.

Give each interviewee the courtesy of a personal approach. A list of 30 unoriginal interview questions grabbed hastily from a Google search will not only fail to impress, it will also waste the interviewer’s opportunity to build meaningful rapport. A good interviewer conveys that their hiring process involves thorough preparation.
Demonstrate that each candidate’s individual goals and interests are important to the company. How? Find out what is important to them, and then emphasize how the job will match those desires.

7. Tie everything back to career growth.

Top candidates do not change jobs, they make career moves. Most begin exploring new options in the pursuit of growth opportunities, often due to stagnant growth opportunities at their current employer. Explain in quantifiable terms how the position will benefit them beyond a mere paycheck. Hiring managers should have a detailed and compelling answer to the question, “Why would someone want this job?”

8. Listen more effectively.

Find out what this candidate cannot get from their current job, and then seek to highlight how this new role will meet those needs. Working with a recruiter is highly beneficial for this purpose. Candidates are generally more open to discussing career thorny points with a third party than during a formal interview. Professional candidates know better than to disclose the gory details about their current job in an interview, so avoid wasting time with transparent questions such as, “What do you dislike about your current manager?” Interviewees will easily sidestep with canned answers.

Ask inquisitive, open-ended questions to uncover a candidate’s motivators and goals. The goal is not to catch them off guard, rather to encourage the candidate to discuss their ideal work environment in frank terms. The details they omit are often useful clues to areas of dissatisfaction in their current jobs.

9. Time kills deals. Move quickly.

Candidates hear actions, not words. A prompt, efficient hiring process is evidence of the speed of daily business within the team. The most sought-after candidates stay busy. Time is money for candidates as well as for companies, and the time investment for a full interview cycle represents a substantial opportunity cost for them.

The length of the average hiring process nearly doubled from 12.6 days in 2010 to 22.9 days in 2014 (source: Forbes). Each of those extra 10 days is an opportunity for candidates to respond to interest from competitors, continue conversations with other recruiters, and discuss their interviews with family and mentors. All of this translates to dwindling interest in the role. In addition, most candidates are frustrated with the bureaucracy and red tape that slows them down today. Demonstrate your company moves fast and makes decisions quickly.

10. Keep momentum high in the final stretch.

After making a selection, close the deal on the new hire. Make them an attractive offer promptly. The sooner a company is able to commit, the more likely the candidate will sign on. Delays show doubt, especially near the end of the interview.

Do not allow the interview process to hinder obtaining top talent. Keep it short. Pay attention to details. Focus on meaningful ways that the company can meet the needs of top candidates. Many organizations are only interested in what a candidate can do for them. Companies who focus instead on how they can attract the best employees with a strong hiring process will naturally rise above their competition.

For personalized advice on improving a hiring process, contact info@bluesignal.com.

Don’t Let New Hires Fend for Themselves

June 9, 2016 by Lacey Walters

Remember the last time you started a new job? I do. I was immediately transported to middle school P.E. class where I had been deemed hopelessly un-athletic by a crowd of my peers. There I was at my new job, left to fend for myself. Left to figure out what the internet password was. Left to learn where the coffee grounds were stored. This is the story of many new hires.

The onboarding process at your company shouldn’t resemble any type of embarrassing preteen feelings for your new hires. So why do so many first days begin like this? Your new employees proved themselves to you during the hiring process – we can help you prove yourself to them once they get started.

First impressions are everything. BambooHR surveyed 1,000 new hires and found that nearly one-third of them had quit their job within 6 months of starting it. In plain English, that means that no one got them up to speed within their position or company culture, so they left.

The goal is to create a mutually beneficial relationship between your company and the new hires.

1. Be prepared

Have your new hires’ desk set up with their computer and phone. Have paperwork and payroll set up. This gives the new hire a great welcome and shows them how organized, professional and important they are to your organization.

Source: shrm.org

2. Make sure they get to know the team

As human beings we focus on making immediate connections with our boss, direct reports, etc. But having weak relationships with the rest of the staff can breed alienation and cause conflict down the line. Encourage the whole team to get to know the new hire right away. Invite the entire staff to a game night or have a company lunch. This allows the team to connect as human beings rather than just coworkers in a more comfortable setting.

3. Create a proactive onboarding process

Throughout the entire hiring process you’re creating a company reputation. How you call, onboard, greet, and portray yourself reflects how your company does business. In this short window of time new hires decide if the position will be a good fit long term. Building a trusting relationship with your new hires and demonstrating you have good relationships with all current employees will make a new hire feel welcomed and want to stay. If there is disconnect between the way you work and how you portrayed yourself during the interview process, you’re likely to lose your new hire to a company which stands by its core values.

4. Communication is key

Make your new hires feel like there’s more communication happening than they can handle. If you’ve ever worked for a company that didn’t communicate, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Poor communication and lack of transparency in your organization creates uncertainty, rumors and poor teamwork which can ultimately lead to company morale deterioration. Make sure your new hires know that questions are welcome at all times.

5. Check in with them

Don’t make them feel isolated like an awkward last pick in middle school P.E. class. Schedule regular check-ins with appropriate staff to ensure the company and the new hires are giving and receiving valuable feedback. The more often you meet, the more you’re able to gauge their happiness and make improvements on what could be changed. Having an open dialogue is proven to improve retention rates.

6. Wanna join my team?

A great onboarding process conveys organization, pride in company culture, and accountability to new hires. The most expert, talented and innovative workers can get paid well anywhere. What’s going to distinguish your company from the competition? Hopefully not leaving them standing alone, waiting to be asked to join your team.

Want more onboarding advice? Contact us at info@bluesignal.com.