As a hiring manager for agricultural sales, you know candidates never get a second chance to make a first impression. As humans, we make snap judgments about everyone we meet – including job candidates. It’s natural to judge appearance, manner of speaking, confidence and preparedness. However, it is important to look beyond your first impression if you want to find the right fit.

Impressions Do Matter

While first impressions shouldn’t be everything, they do carry weight – especially in sales. If you get the impression a candidate is hiding something, don’t discount that feeling entirely. It is also important to remember that salespeople can be excellent at giving you what you’re looking for in an interview, but they may not deliver once on the job. The key to making the right choice is to take many factors into account.

Pay Attention to Answer Quality

Don’t get so caught up in a candidate’s glowing personality that you neglect to evaluate the quality of their answers. Salespeople know the art of providing a “political” answer that never really addresses the subject at hand. You want to identify candidates who are providing quantifiable, verifiable answers that demonstrate both skill and self-awareness.

Talk About Values

Fit really hinges on whether a candidate aligns with your organization. Will they thrive in your culture? Do they believe in the company mission? Do their values align with your values? Even if a salesperson will only be with you on a project basis, fit still impacts success. Dig deep to uncover traits that will let you know whether they are aligned with your organization.

Conduct Thorough Reference Checks

If you really want to learn whether a candidate will fit in with your team and your organization, you have to conduct thorough reference checks. When you have a former manager on the phone, talk about the candidate’s approach to sales, how they interact with clients, how they work as part of a team and their personality. Try to get as many perspectives as possible in order to paint a full picture.

Work With a Professional Recruiter

Hiring sales project managers with the skills and personal attribute to succeed is part art and part science. The best way to make strong hiring choices for your critical projects is to partner with a recruiting firm that has real experience in hiring project managers in the ag space.

Because vetting really matters, make sure the firm fully understands what “fit” means to you, and they know how to accurately place candidates who will mesh with your team and add value to your organization.

Are You Hiring Ag Sales Pros?

If you are looking for talented sales and marketing project managers and you want to improve your quality of hires, contact the expert recruiters at Magnify Resources today. We can connect you with the talent that will help you achieve your goals.