The best seller I ever hired had no experience – at all.

I used to run a company that sold one SaaS product and payments in the beauty space. When a sales position opened up, I was determined to find someone with experience in at least two of our three core areas: B2B SaaS, payments, and/or the beauty space. While I value military education and experience when hiring the ideal candidate, they are really just “nice to haves,” not absolute requirements. Simply put, I always want the best person for the job.

In this case, an employee at my company recommended that I speak with someone who has absolutely no relevant experience. He had never sold software/SaaS, never worked in payments, and had no experience in the beauty industry. He didn't even have a college degree. After several interviews, I came to the conclusion that although he was not the “obvious” choice, I wanted him for the role. He didn't have any relevant experience, but here's what I saw in him:

1. Heart: Simply put, he was a good guy with a big heart. He cared about people (his family, friends, team, customers); you could say it was true. He had a lot of heart, which was evident to anyone who spoke with him and would certainly be evident to our clients and prospects.
2. Integrity: This feature is not only important; it is the foundation of every successful person and team. People want to do business with others they trust, who have integrity and are honest and forthright. These qualities are not just nice to have; they are essential to success and creating a thriving work environment.
3. Organisation skill: Some people have great intelligence and character, but are so disorganized that they become essentially ineffective. There are numerous tools for tracking and organizing, and they are purposefully made so that everyone can use them effectively. That said, someone who is very disorganized and naturally acts chaotically will be much less effective than someone who is generally well organized and acts that way.
4. Values: I really connected with this person's values, both professionally and personally. He was very devoted to his wife and family and I could see that he was a great parent. It was clear to me that he had a very strong set of well-grounded values ​​that aligned with my values ​​and ours. company morale.
5. Intelligence: Often, what matters is not what someone knows, but their ability to learn new information. In reality, none of the fields I had hoped to find experience in were “rocket science.” Anyone with the requisite intelligence and intelligence could learn them. Employment over the years has taught me to appreciate a lot the ability to learn and intelligence. No one has experience in everything, so it's important to find a smart person who can figure things out quickly.
6. Determination/Persistence: This is a super important feature and also not easy to measure, but the signs are there if you look. In this particular example, it was clear that this candidate was hard work, determined and an “achiever”. I could tell he would drive himself harder than I could imagine driving him; he had fierce tenacity, and that is a trait I value greatly in an employee.

Connected: What does it really take to be a successful salesperson? The answer is simpler than you might think.

Immediately upon hire, this individual was hard at work, learning, pushing, driving and selling. His calendar was filled every day with opportunities he created, and the results were quickly apparent. The bottom line is that he completely destroyed all expectations. In less than a year, I promoted him to lead the payments sales team.

So what is a receiver? In short, yes, experience counts, and for some types of work, having the required credentials is absolutely essential. However, do not forget about the qualities I described above – they are just as important and, in some cases, even more so, as they speak about the character of the person. But how do you know and appreciate it? characteristics such as heart, integrity and persistence in the hiring process? Here are some crucial and slightly less conventional ones employment techniques to help determine a person's nature:

• Have a meal together—not in the office cafeteria or break room, but in a full-service restaurant. Observe how the candidate interacts with helpers, strangers, and you in a non-business environment.
• Get off the resume. Try to understand the candidate as a person, what drives them, what they are passionate about, what motivates them (and demotivates them), what is important to them, etc. The caveat here is never to ask anything inappropriate, discriminatory or related to a person. protected class.
• Ask some “behavioral interview” questions, focusing on how the candidate has applied their experiences and skills to solve real problems (not necessarily related to your business or business at all).
• Ask them what they know about your company and products/services. Someone who really wants the job, who is smart, organized and persistent, will have taken the time to research the company and prepare for the interview. Sometimes, you can learn more about a person based on what they ask you rather than what you ask them.

Connected: 15 Characteristics of Successful Sales People

Having interviewed hundreds of people and seeing what has ultimately worked, I am a big believer in so-called soft skills and non-traditional interviewing. While experience is valuable, it is not the only factor to consider when hiring. Qualities such as heart, integrity, organizational skills, values, intelligence and determination are just as important, if not more so, in some cases. I think it is important to recognize and appreciate these long-term characteristics employment process. That's why I suggest using unconventional interviewing practices to get to know the person beyond their resume to assess their suitability for the role.

Try it – you may find your best employee ever.