What steps can recruiting managers take to select the right candidate for a sales position?

Over the last 20 years, I have managed a sales teams of all sizes – with as many as 50 reps – and I have used a variety of these methods for identifying high-quality candidates.

First, behavioral interviews can be very effective in determining a candidate’s suitability because past behavior is a strong indicators of future performance. This method also helps determine how well a candidate thinks on his/her feet without memorizing answers to common interview questions.

Starting with a phone interview to conduct a high-level screening, I recommend conducting multiple interviews in different locations at different times gives the manager a feel for the candidate under diverse conditions. For higher level sales positions, I like to include an interview over a meal and I always have multiple peers and managers conduct their own interviews with the candidate.

You should absolutely check all the social networking sites, conduct background checks, and check references. You may be amazed at what you will learn.

Finally, when practical and appropriate, I have arranged to have the candidate ride for a half-day with a tenured employee to help determine a motivational fit. I am not a fan of stress interviews, as I don’t think they are professional nor do they offer real-life indicators of future performance.

Even after all of these steps are taken, sales managers must realize that the only real indicator of success is the real-life activity of the selected rep in the job. You just don’t really know a person’s adaptability, motivational fit, initiative, conscientiousness, and decision making skills until you have seen them on the job.