And Sales Recruiters are Becoming More Valuable Than Ever
Online applications have forever changed the process of finding a job.
Jobseekers swiftly click “easy apply”, complete a few data fields, attach a Word doc or PDF, and then fire off their credentials into the void without much effort. Check. Task completed.
While sales hiring managers, for a long time, would expect to receive a few dozen letters for an open position. Now, a job posting in corporate America garners an average of 250 applications – that’s 250 separate cover letters and resumes delivered to a hiring manager’s inbox.
So this must be a golden age for sales managers, right? Suddenly they have the pick of the litter from a large pool of strong candidates, each passionately explaining why they would knock it out of the park. Can’t lose.
Well, actually, you can. The probability is low you’ll get noticed. Any head of sales will tell you the vast majority of applications won’t warrant a complete read because candidates don’t have the required sales skills, background or even interests relevant to the open role. Plus, there is a pervasive belief that hiring managers should NOT be tasked with carefully sifting through stacks of resumes because it’s a terrible misallocation of time and money.
And so almost no one does. Enter Application Tracking Systems (ATS) and it’s smarter new brother, AI powered ATS. Companies are increasingly relying on recruiting automation to identify and qualify top talent. Some experts recommend to win at this game, scour the job posting for keywords and then stuff your resume with the same. The robot will then deem you worthy of full examination. Maybe.
In the world of consultative sales where personality, nuance, character, and chemistry are key to success, ATS keyword stuffing, no matter how good your vocabulary is, will miss top talent. The synthesis of an individual’s unique traits, personal and professional journey, and the power of performance that comes with connecting to the right company culture cannot be captured in a data field.
Smart companies know ATS can’t deliver top sales candidates.
ATS’s may expedite staffing needs for HR at various levels for other departments, but for Sales, finding exceptional candidates means the screening skills and insights of an executive recruiter are more crucial than ever before. As technology continues to expand its influence in growing the workforce, a sales recruiters’ value proposition will only continue to grow. Hear. Hear.
