You might not really pay attention to your sales job description. You might just reuse the same one time and time again. You might not realize that your job description is directly related to the type of sales talent that will apply to your job ad. It’s key to hiring the right sales person. If you haven’t really read your own description, or even written it yourself, then you can’t possibly know whether or not it fits your needs.

If your sales applicants are all mediocre or worse, no one is applying, your poorly written job description might be the culprit.

Investing the time to create a great sales job description that actually fits your needs is crucial to successful sales hiring. And most hiring managers fall short in this area. Instead, they just throw out words they think are relevant and hire the first seemingly qualified candidate.

Is Your Sales Job Description Really Working?

Take a moment to consider whether or not your job description actually works. Look at your sales turnover and retention rates as well as the revenue your sales team produces. If the numbers aren’t satisfying, then it’s time to reconsider your failing hiring process. And the first step is developing a better job description.

What Your Job Description Needs

Half of the reason why you create a sales job description is to know what you’re looking for in your new sales person. Knowing what role the person will play on your team will help you decide on the skillset your ideal candidate will need for the job. With this accurate information, you’ll be able to better assess your candidates to see if they’ve really got what it takes to succeed in the role.

The second half of the reason why your job description is so important is because it lets your prospective applicants know who you’re looking for and why they should want to work for you. It will also allow for insights into your standards and expectations, so your applicants know what they should expect from day one.

Key Questions to Consider

Looking at your sales job description, you should ask yourself four key questions. First, does it represent what your company is actually looking for, for the specific role? Second, does it tell top applicants why they should work for you instead of your competitor? Third, would you consider the job description compelling if you were a candidate? And fourth, does it describe exactly what will be expected of your new hire?

Critical Components     

As part of your sales job description, you’ll want to provide a brief intro to your organization—don’t go on and on about yourself, because most people won’t care. Just give enough information to sell your company to applicants and have them believe that your organization is a great employer to work for.

Next, you’ll want to give information on sales territory, terms of employment (full time or part time, permanent or temporary), and type of sales person (inside or outside sales person, one-call closer, or relationship builder?).

Next, detail what you’re looking for in terms of experience: Is it an entry-level position? How much experience is required, if any? What type of experience? Also, what type of specific skills are required, such as negotiation, report writing, relationship building, etc.

Make sure to also detail the sales compensation plan at your company—many top sales professionals won’t waste their time on applying if they don’t know what it pays. Finally, outline the responsibilities—but be brief.

If your sales job description isn’t working for you, it’s time to re-write it. The job description is a tool that will be used during the selection process as well as the onboarding process, so it’s important that it’s accurate and that it effectively fits your needs.