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First impressions are crucial and are especially important to a sales professional. Whether you are a seasoned sales rep or just starting out, your resume will be your first opportunity to grab a prospective employer's attention.
If you have ever been on an interview, chances are you have been asked a behavioral interview question. Behavior interviewing is a style of interviewing that best predicts how the interviewee will act in specific situations. Simply stated, past performance indicates future performance. There are a variety of interview techniques and this is just one style that can help select a candidate that matches the performance needs of a position as well as a cultural fit on both the team and within the organization.
Though, I would still label myself as "early career" being that I graduated college less than 10-years ago, I have had the unique perspective of having been on both sides of the fence when it comes to recruiting. I began my career in Human Resources and Corporate Communications working with a national insurance carrier and then moved into a HR Generalist role with a medical device manufacturer. And now, I work full-time with a recruiting firm in the healthcare industry. Having experienced both in-house and external recruiting has given me better insight and understanding when working with clients.
Employers typically have a laundry list of required skills in bulleted format on each of their job postings. Who is selected for interviews, moved forward in the process and ultimately hired, is based almost exclusively on how their experience matches up with their view of "ideal candidate." Surveys in recent years have found that 56% of executives foresee critical gaps in filling senior level positions in the near future. So, how can companies navigate through the hiring process to select candidates that align with current and future goals? Hire for potential, not experience.