If I Were Hiring Today, This Is What I’d Do
Hey Friends,
It's a good day!
I have been inundated by founders' job posts for SDRs or AEs lately.
The B2B tech (and non-tech) market, at least in Europe, seems to be picking up (a bit).
Budgets are still very tight, but more and more companies have started planning and hiring for 2025.
SDRs and AEs are on the rise, and that's a good thing.
But when I get these messages, I only see a job post, and when I start asking questions about the interview process, sourcing, and everything else, some founders don't have much to say.
Some think putting together a JD and posting on Linkedin magically gets you the A-player you seek.
Sometimes, yes (it's called luck), but most of the time, it doesn't.
So, what would I do if I were hiring for a sales role like today?
Here's my process:
Job Description
There are incredible job descriptions out there; forget about them.
Make a video or a loom where you explain your job. Marco from Jet HR did one for one of Jet HR's first hirings, which was watched thousands of times.
Explain the actual job and the nuances that come with those roles. Be real.
Make your OTE public, and don't forget to watch the market rates for salary and commissions.
Also, post about it; as a founder, you have the largest audience.
Post it multiple times with different formats.
Interview Process
For both AEs and SDRs, junior or senior, I'd do the same process:
Screening Interview
Salary
Notice Period
Cultural Fit
Chronological Interview
Deep Dive the past
If you are too junior, do an offline exercise instead and extend the screening interview with more behavioural questions.
Live Role Play
Discovery
Demo
Motivational Interview (with Founders)
Offer
Scouting & Sourcing (Pipeline)
Here's the big one.
If you are looking for A-players, maybe they are not looking for you.
Let me explain: top performers usually don't apply for jobs.
They are top performers, so they don't look around; they work happily (more or less) and are not actively looking for jobs.
That's why you need to go after them.
Spend 2-3 hours weekly reaching out to the best A-players.
Even if they are in big organisations and not looking for a job, send them a message.
"Hey Marco, I'm Matteo, the Founder of Inscaler.com. I'm in Milan this week. Are you up for a coffee to get to know each other? We are always looking for great talent, and you seem like somebody I would love to work with. Here's my number; send me a WhatsApp. Matteo."
Boom! 💥
Do this when hiring and when you are not hiring; trust me, you will soon have A-players working with you.
Build a pipeline of talent and get to know them personally (virtual coffees work, too).
If you are hiring, remember that you are competing with top organisations hiring simultaneously.
I know you are small and have limited resources, but you need A-players as well as Microsoft, Open AI, and Hubspot.
Build an effective hiring process and go outbound to find your A-players; you won't regret it.
Thanks for reading this far. I will see you all next week!
