Top 5 challenges companies face while hiring sales talent

There are many challenges companies face while hiring sales talent , whether they choose to do it in-house or with an external recruiter.

In this post we unpack some of these bumps in the road so that you can gain some perspective about the ever-changing recruiting game.

Challenge Number 1: Demand outstrips supply

The demand for high performing sales and leadership talent far outweighs the supply. Didn’t expect that did you? In fact, according to a recent article, in the IT sector, the rate of unemployment is only 3%. This is wonderful if you are looking for a new job, but if you are a business leader or hiring manager, it makes your life a lot more difficult.

Challenge Number 2: The Skill Set

Most roles require a very specific skill set, and although the job market is not oversaturated, business leaders and hiring managers are battling to find candidates that are in possession of those particular skills.

Executives in possession of in-demand skill sets know this and so if a company wants to hire someone, they need to lock them down very quickly. Since most executives are often evaluating multiple opportunities and will think nothing of dropping your opportunity and moving on to others if they feel they are being left in the lurch.

Challenge Number 3: Candidates vs Budget:

Because there are so many jobs available, and so little talent to fill the voids, candidates are spoilt for choice and at the end of the day it all comes down to numbers. With a few offers on the table, whilst money is not the biggest differentiator or motivator it will certainly have an impact on most candidate decisions.  This can be incredibly frustrating for a business leader or hiring manager as they may only set the benchmark according to company budgets however this may not be in line with market rates.

Challenge Number 4: Freelancers/Contract professionals are on the increase.

More and more professionals are opting to freelance/contract instead of committing to a full-time role. This poses two problems for the hiring manager and or business leader. First off, there are less potential candidates to choose from. Secondly, if the company does decide that they are willing to work with a freelancer/contractor, whilst the company may benefit from the flexibility of a freelancer/contractor they are not able to plan for the long term due to the short-term nature of the project. This results in a lack of investment in the freelancer/contractor resource and also into the sales function.

Challenge Number 5: Inadequate interview processes.

Hiring someone for sales is tricky as all the candidates can sweep you off your feet, after all, selling themselves to you is their job! Implementing an organised and structured interview process will help you spot the fakers. Partnering with an experienced Talent Acquisition Advisor can help you develop a process that helps you avoid expensive hiring mistakes.

What is your process?:

Are you feeling a bit snowed under with the hiring process? Soloman Associates are Talent Acquisition Advisors with a track record of helping B2B technology companies identify, engage, attract and retain high performing sales and leadership talent.

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