Founder @ #samsales l Sales + LinkedIn + LinkedIn Ghostwriting Expert l Ex-LinkedIn l Keynote Speaker l 13 Sales Records l Angel Investor l Overly Enthusiastic l Swiss Dual Citizen l Creator, Show Me You Know Me®
Three things you can do to do your part to hire diverse and under-served, over-looked, under-represented, often-unnoticed individuals. A. Go. Where. The. Talent. Is. Rather than digging your heels in that all employees must be in/near an office, think about towns that have been killed by industry changes and would kill for rewarding remote work? Or taking advantage of the world class talent that moved during Covid in search of (you name it) and would still be a tremendous asset to your org despite their flaw of living in a remote part of the US. What if even 15% of your workforce came from these towns? What collective impact could we make? B. #transitioningteachers - hiring a BDR and not sure where to look? Consider the INSANE talent pool you have in teachers who have given it their all and are ready for a change. For starters, they have the skillsets we'd kill for in great sellers - they can write, they can build rapport, they can ask active listening questions, they're process-driving, and they're accountable as all get out. They can ask questions to understand the gaps in understanding from a student (client) and build a road to bring the student to learn and see their POV, read: teach, sell, close. They'll also LOL to the idea that anyone would hire them in tech without experience AND to the money they can earn. C. #militaryspouses - 60%+ of our team is made up of mil and expat spouses - exceptionally talented humans who can spin circles around us all, and many of which had blockbuster careers before, again, obtaining the terrible "flaw" of moving every few years or being stationed remotely in Alaska, Belgium or Korea. In EVERY category here, you'll find wildly diverse talent that will appreciate the economic opportunity you provide them, and who will bring such diversity in thought, experience, and perspective to your teams. #samsales
Hire a good human first, and if you pour into them, they will go the extra mile to earn their seat. If a person doesn't have an education in their background but is a lifelong student, they will do the work.
Great advice. Meka White Morris gave some excellent advice at the Sales 3.0 conference a few years back. She said that if you want to hire diversity you have to look at who you interact with daily, who you dine with, hang out with. If there is no diversity there, it is hard to attract diversity. So think about changing who you chose to be around and that will help. Diversify.
Absolutely, by embracing diversity and reaching out to these diverse talent pools, we not only build stronger teams but also foster a culture of inclusion and understanding.
I seriously think HALF of my team at Superhuman in onboarding were former teachers.
I would also add to become an ally of orgs like The Latinista & Sistas In Sales be curious and seek to understand why diversity is better for everyone
One of my best-ever hires was Lindsay Lundeen, who had been a middle school teacher before going to law school. When I found this out my answer was that she’s definitely ready to deal with gamers if she has dealt with actual children for a job. Also she’s in Nashville and our office is in Seattle, but Bungie is a digital-first company so that’s no barrier. Tl;dr: as always, you’re out here spitting truth.
#milspouses are chronically underemployed with CRAZY life + professional skills 👏 ! remote work has been a game changer, but I do agree we are penalized for frequent moves. @bluestarfamilies connects employers to milspouses. https://bluestarfam.org/careers/employers/
Thank you for adding #militaryspouses to the list! The skill set that military-spouses posses beyond the core skills needed for a role are uniquely suited for any organization. In my experience these amazing individuals are resilient, adaptable, trainable, and highly motivated individuals — but they are also subject matter experts in: Time Management. Project Management. Communication & collaboration, and posses a high level of cultural awareness. These men and women posses something many of us could never imagine and are the shining example of Grit and “Semper Gumby”. I may be bias as our family has nine decades of Military service and I proudly stand by my amazing husband as he continues to serve his country. #militaryspouses #veteranshelpingveterans #usaf #usarmy #usairforce #usnavy
Of course, I love your point about teachers! In addition to the money, they'll also appreciate the flexibility - like being able to go pee whenever they want! Such a huge perk!
Dynamic Sales Leader | Innovative Strategist | Passionate Team Builder|
1yI'll add one more - stop overlooking candidates only because they don't have experience in your exact area. We eliminate fantastic potential talent because we aren't willing to dive in and teach them what they need to know. In the end, the industry is only a small piece of the overall position.