Sales Recruiting, Thoughts, What Candidates Want
Sonja Hastings
Why Hiring Salespeople is Getting Harder in ...

Employment Data Points, Observations, and Workforce Calculations

As of December 2018, 129.14 million people in the US are employed on a full-time basis. 

Now let’s look at unemployment. During the Great Recession, unemployment peaked in 2010 to 14.83 Million. Unemployment incrementally dropped over the next few years, and in 2016 fell to 7.75M, and 2017 dropped to 6.98 million.

The current US population in 2017 was 325.7 million and today sits at 328,254,391 million according to The US and World Population Clock provided by the United States Census Bureau.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, (BLS) calculates the Civilian Labor Force at 49% of the US population, or 164M people. This gives us a 4.25% unemployment rate for the civilian workforce.

We can also calculate that 78% of the eligible civilian workforce is working on a full-time basis. The rest are working on a part-time basis or are unemployed.

So what does this mean for your sales team?

Why Hiring Salespeople is Getting Harder in 2019 and How to Fight Back
Recruiting Strategy, Sales Hiring, Sales Recruiting
Sonja Hastings
Hiring for Your Sales Team? 5 Tips for ...

It’s no secret that recruiting sales talent is a is a challenge.

If you’ve gone through the interview process with multiple candidates and have finally winnowed it down to one final choice, it’s painful when your finalist turns down your job offer.

If you’re working hard to recruit the top 20%, this will happen.

It’s not only acceptable but inevitable. Part of recruiting the best is getting turned down.

Recruiting top sales talent is always competitive. They have lots of choices. But it shouldn’t happen too often because it burns through too many resources and takes too much time.

Hiring for Your Sales Team? 5 Tips for Preventing a Job Offer Turn Down
Sales Leadership, Sales Team Management, Thoughts, Turnover
Sonja Hastings
What to Do When Your Number One Sales Rep ...

Every top salesperson will eventually quit. What’s even more painful is the best leave when they are on top, so if you’re not careful, you may not even see it coming. As the job market tightens, sales professionals have more and more lucrative and exciting job opportunities vying for their attention.

What to Do When Your Number One Sales Rep Resigns
Recruiting Strategy, Reputation Management, Sales Hiring, Interview Process, Sales Recruiting, Thoughts, What Candidates Want
Sonja Hastings
Stop Making These 3 Simple Sales Recruiting ...

I was on the phone with one of my candidates yesterday. A true talent with an amazing track record of sales success hunting and winning new business. Probably not another person like him in the entire region --he is that good. 

He went for an interview and was expecting to discuss an offer

Stop Making These 3 Simple Sales Recruiting Mistakes
Sonja Hastings
Three Signs Your Overthinking Your Next Sales ...

Hiring is difficult. In some cases you’ll spend more time recruiting for someone than they will last in the job! But if you are struggling with your next hire, you could be overthinking things.

If you’ve noticed during the recruiting process ……

The position has been open for more than 6 months.

Three Signs Your Overthinking Your Next Sales Hire
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Why Hiring Salespeople is Getting Harder in 2019 and How to Fight Back

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Why Hiring Salespeople is Getting Harder in 2019 and How to Fight Back

Employment Data Points, Observations, and Workforce Calculations

As of December 2018, 129.14 million people in the US are employed on a full-time basis. 

Now let’s look at unemployment. During the Great Recession, unemployment peaked in 2010 to 14.83 Million. Unemployment incrementally dropped over the next few years, and in 2016 fell to 7.75M, and 2017 dropped to 6.98 million.

The current US population in 2017 was 325.7 million and today sits at 328,254,391 million according to The US and World Population Clock provided by the United States Census Bureau.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, (BLS) calculates the Civilian Labor Force at 49% of the US population, or 164M people. This gives us a 4.25% unemployment rate for the civilian workforce.

We can also calculate that 78% of the eligible civilian workforce is working on a full-time basis. The rest are working on a part-time basis or are unemployed.

So what does this mean for your sales team?

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Hiring for Your Sales Team? 5 Tips for Preventing a Job Offer Turn Down

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Hiring for Your Sales Team? 5 Tips for Preventing a Job Offer Turn Down

It’s no secret that recruiting sales talent is a is a challenge.

If you’ve gone through the interview process with multiple candidates and have finally winnowed it down to one final choice, it’s painful when your finalist turns down your job offer.

If you’re working hard to recruit the top 20%, this will happen.

It’s not only acceptable but inevitable. Part of recruiting the best is getting turned down.

Recruiting top sales talent is always competitive. They have lots of choices. But it shouldn’t happen too often because it burns through too many resources and takes too much time.

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8 Ways to Improve and Optimize Your Sales Recruiting Efforts

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8 Ways to Improve and Optimize Your Sales Recruiting Efforts

Are you still recruiting salespeople like it’s 2009? One might argue that 2018 is the hottest job market since the year 2000. Consider this:

In 1999 the Labor Department reported the real median household income at $58,665.

As of July 2018 the Labor Department reported the real median household income at $62,175.

Family income has risen by 5% in the first half of 2018 and by 17% since 2012.

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Five Must Know Tips to Get the Best Sales Candidates from Your Recruitment Team

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Five Must Know Tips to Get the Best Sales Candidates from Your Recruitment Team

Have you ever found working with a recruiter a frustrating experience? If you have, you are not alone. Hiring managers can become frustrated with their recruiters and let’s face it, the entire recruitment process, when they don’t see the level of sales talent they need to be successful.

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What to Do When Your Number One Sales Rep Resigns

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What to Do When Your Number One Sales Rep Resigns

Every top salesperson will eventually quit. What’s even more painful is the best leave when they are on top, so if you’re not careful, you may not even see it coming. As the job market tightens, sales professionals have more and more lucrative and exciting job opportunities vying for their attention.

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Stop Making These 3 Simple Sales Recruiting Mistakes

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Stop Making These 3 Simple Sales Recruiting Mistakes

I was on the phone with one of my candidates yesterday. A true talent with an amazing track record of sales success hunting and winning new business. Probably not another person like him in the entire region --he is that good. 

He went for an interview and was expecting to discuss an offer

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Three Must Haves for Strong Sales Leadership

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Three Must Haves for Strong Sales Leadership

Managing a sales team is a complex and challenging job. It’s also a very different job within companies of varying revenue sizes. In some cases, you’ll need to be a front-line seller, in others, you’ll need to be a sales strategy master. Yet in all sales leadership positions, you’ll have to have command of more than just sales skills, you’ll need to be able to lead others.

Improve the Candidate Interview Experience and Start Recruiting Better Talent

Improve the Candidate Interview Experience and Start Recruiting Better Talent

Anyone who's recruited for their team's openings already knows that posting a list of job openings alongside a graphic of your company’s values is the easy part. Demonstrating those values in person is the real challenge. There is an attitude from both sides of the interview table that can leave the entire interview process flat, disconnected, and cold.

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The Implications of Missing Scheduled Interviews for Hiring Managers

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The Implications of Missing Scheduled Interviews for Hiring Managers

Sometimes an executives busy schedule is not his or her own. Let’s face it, “things happen.” Unfortunately, this happens to some busy hiring managers or recruiters more than others. When you are unable to consistently keep your calendared appointments, arrive late, or constantly reschedule there are both direct and indirect costs.

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Survey Says, "Flexibility will Help You Attract and Retain Employees."

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Survey Says, "Flexibility will Help You Attract and Retain Employees."

Today’s employees have one thing on their mind: flexibility. With traffic increasing, work hours rising, and vacation day usage decreasing, the one thing employees seek is flexibility. Two out of three candidates today don’t think they must be sitting at their desk to be productive and do their job according to ManpowerGroup Solutions’ Global Candidate Preference Survey

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5 Proven Methods for Building a High-Performance Sales Culture

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5 Proven Methods for Building a High-Performance Sales Culture

To build a rock solid high-performance company you must hire the best salespeople you can recruit. So, what can you do to attract A-players? First, it’s important to understand what salespeople want. What keeps salespeople engaged? When we ask thousands of sales reps across the country what kinds of environments they thrive in, we heard common themes.

Are Less than Stellar Glassdoor Reviews Hurting Your Brand?

Are Less than Stellar Glassdoor Reviews Hurting Your Brand?

Today’s job hunters are savvy. It’s easier than ever to find out inside information about almost any organization. But when you have negative reviews on Glassdoor, it can hurt your ability to recruit top talent. Some organizations have taken Glassdoor reviews into their own hands by employing a proactive approach to managing their external reputation.

How to Work with Recruiters for Optimal Results

How to Work with Recruiters for Optimal Results

What Motivates Recruiters to Help You Find Top Sales Talent?

Yesterday I had a conversation with a potential client. He was frustrated because he hadn't been able to find a replacement hire for over seven months. He was already working with three other recruiters and had no candidates in current consideration for the role.

What went wrong?

Are the recruiters to blame? They had presented multiple candidates, and the one that the client was most interested in was over the budgeted compensation level. He made a comment that he thought perhaps the recruiters just wanted more money and were inflating salary expectations.

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Finding Top Sales Talent is Difficult for Everyone

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Finding Top Sales Talent is Difficult for Everyone

In good economies and bad, finding top talent is difficult. Think it's any easier for Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon, or Google? Sure, they have distinct competitive advantages, but it still takes teams of recruiters interviewing around the clock to recruit and hire staff even for well branded growing organizations.

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Recruiting Isn't Always Fun: Giving Candidates Bad News

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Recruiting Isn't Always Fun: Giving Candidates Bad News

Telling candidates they won’t be moving forward in the interview process can be awkward, uncomfortable, or even something you tend to procrastinate. Some recruiters and hiring managers ignore providing feedback for candidates altogether. Others wait days, even weeks to reject candidates. Letting too much time elapse before delivering the "bad news" hurts everyone, including your company’s reputation.

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The Importance of Making Sales Recruiting a Top Priority

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The Importance of Making Sales Recruiting a Top Priority

If you’re a sales leader, the fastest way to success is to recruit the right team members. Without the talent you need to succeed, you’ll find yourself with a whole new set of problems. Recruiting is hard work, and requires a top slot on your priority list. Now is the time to start looking for the talent you need to achieve your goals.

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Three Steps to Recruiting Better Sales Candidates When Competition for Talent is Fierce

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Three Steps to Recruiting Better Sales Candidates When Competition for Talent is Fierce

With everyone promising high-growth, big OTEs, and amazing products, it can be hard to compete for top sales talent. Many of today’s sales candidate have been promised the moon a few times, only to become a bit more skeptical with each job move. A CEB study in 2014 concluded that 65% of Millennials are more skeptical of employer claims than they were in 2011.

Sales Recruiting Predictions for 2017

Sales Recruiting Predictions for 2017

Sales Recruiting in 2017

What’s in store for your sales team in 2017? The Employer Associations of America’s 2017 National Business Trends Survey confirmed hiring challenges will continue for employers in 2017.

If you were hiring at all in 2016 you probably noticed recruiting top sales talent became increasingly difficult. With counter-offers, turn-downs, and increased competition for talent, recruiting the top 10% was no easy feat.

Independent Sales Recruitment Firm

 Since 2004 Optimal Sales Search has been helping companies accelerate growth by hiring high-performance sales and sales leadership.

Hiring Manager's Cheat Sheet

Running into an interview? Grab our best 14 sales interview questions and walk out of the interview with all the right information.