Characteristics of New Hires for Sales

Over the years,  John has spoken to the San Diego State University College of Business Marketing students about how his customers use sales process to meet their commercial objectives, and about careers in the field of sales. From the discussion, he learned what the companies they are interviewing with look for in qualified candidates. So what do companies look for when they hire new talent for Sales positions?

Matthew Bohnhoff, one of the students that John met with, gave us an inside look on some of these characteristics. He was hired by Adobe to go through their 3 Year Sales Academy program.

Matthew said that Adobe looks for three top qualities that are consistent in the sales field when hiring for a sales position.

  1. Passion. They want candidates who have a passion for sales and helping people, thus ensuring the position was right for them. Having past experience in sales also helped.
  1. Coach-ability. This is a huge aspect that holds a lot of value. Managers are constantly available to help employees and they want to make sure people are willing to take advice and positive criticism to benefit themselves and the company.
  1. Goal oriented. They want competitive individuals who will push each other and want to continue to grow and close opportunities without being over the top.

Aligning yourself with the company’s core values by being genuine, exceptional, innovative and involved could only help you in your career both professionally and personally. These qualities are just a few of the many characteristics that companies, including Adobe, look for when hiring top talent for new Sales positions. So get out there and go for it. Good luck and good selling.

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