What belongs in a profile
- The type of sale they will work: high-volume flow, long cycle, field sales.
- The channel: calls, written threads, video meetings.
- The deal size they will be handling.
- The working pattern: hours, weekends, whether office presence is needed.
- The tools: which CRM, which phone system.
- The working language and the standard of writing required.
- What the person needed to have done before, to get up to speed quickly.
- Income: base, commission, a realistic range by month three.
What not to write
- character traits that cannot be verified
- «three years of experience» with no detail on experience of what
- a degree requirement, if the job does not need one
- a vague income range running from the minimum to something unreachable
The income range in the profile is for you rather than for the candidate. If realistic income by month three sits below the market, hiring will fail whatever the job ad says.
Three different profiles
- High-volume flow, low and mid deal size. Speed and stamina decide it. Experience in written threads matters more than experience in negotiation.
- Long cycle, mid and high deal size. What decides it is the ability to carry several people through a decision and hold a deal for a long time.
- Field sales. Self-organisation decides it: nobody sees the person, and they hold their own route plan.
How to test the profile before publishing
- Look at two or three other ads for a similar role and compare the conditions.
- Ask yourself which of your current people this profile describes. If it describes nobody, it is detached from reality.
- Check that you can verify every item at an interview or in a test conversation.