Candidate Insights

GreerWalker Outside Sales Sample Candidate Insights

Updated September 24, 2020

Role Comparison Candidate Insights

Behavioral Styles

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I
S
C
Extrovert
People
Introvert
Task

Outside Sales’ Ideal Behavioral Style (DISC)

The DISC language, which is observable, describes HOW someone behaves and shows up in the world. Understanding the behavioral preferences and habits required for a role will ensure candidates are a good fit.

  • Initiates new ideas and promotes them by energizing others.
  • Shows the rare ability of being able to manipulate people (in a positive way) without their noticing the manipulation.
  • Able to juggle many projects and activities simultaneously and have a keen awareness of the status of each.
  • Able to carry a new initiative or message to a new audience in a new region and to build trust, credibility, and rapport in a skilful manner.
  • Able to set high goals, then works hard with people to achieve those goals.
  • Excellent at building new projects, initiatives, or territory for an organization.

Motivational Styles

Very Low Low Average High Very High
Aesthetic balance, harmony and form
Economic economic or practical returns
Individualistic stand out as independent and unique
Political be in control or have influence
Altruist humanitarian efforts or to help others altruistically
Regulatory establish order, routine and structure
Theoretical knowledge, learning and understanding

Outside Sales’ Ideal Motivational Style

Understanding WHY someone does what they do is the key to aligning them with work that is fulfilling and satisfying. Roles reward certain drivers and motivators.

The ideal candidate’s motivational style demonstrates:

  • Highly motivated to achieve and win in a variety of areas.
  • Profit driven and bottom-line oriented.
  • Highly driven by competition, challenges, and economic incentives.
  • Will protect organizational or team finances, as well as own.
  • Pays close attention to return on investment in business or team activity.
  • Has a ‘buck stops here’ approach to business and getting things done.
  • Has a high energy level to work hard at meeting goals.
  • Accepts struggles and hard work toward a goal.
  • Able to plan and design work projects for teams to accomplish.
  • Able to plan and control own work tasks

John Norman

Behavioral Style

Motivational Styles

Very LowAesthetic Not into artistic expression, or achieving balance and harmony in life. All about the utilitarian, bottom-line results.
AverageEconomic Able to perceive and create a balance between the need for economic return and other needs as well.
AverageIndividualistic Not an extremist and able to balance the needs of both others and self.
Very HighPolitical Very strong leader, and able to take control of a variety of initiatives and maintain control.
LowAltruist Won't be taken advantage of and protect own turf and that of the team or organization.
HighRegulatory Strong preference for following established systems or creating them if none present.
Very HighTheoretical Passionate about learning for its own sake. Continually in learning mode and bringing a very high degree of technical or knowledge base credibility.

Personalized Interview Guide

Based on the information for John, here are some specific, personalized questions to ask during your interview. These questions focus on John's unique strengths, potential weaknesses and drivers of engagement that will help you assess the quality of fit, and potential success in this role.

Key strengths for John:

Ask John, “How did you most effectively utilize these key strengths in past roles?”

  • Maintains a strong business focus on problems, ideas, and solutions.
  • Explores all possible solutions to problems before making a decision. (As a result, this may sometimes cause delays in the decision-making process.)
  • Able to use imagination and calculated risk-taking in ways to create new solutions to problems, or new systems for success.
  • Brings a sense of rapid solutions and high quality control to the organization.
  • Able to make decisions with the bottom-line in mind.
  • A very creative thinker and innovator.
  • Maintains a high sense of urgency: The clock is ticking.

Potential weaknesses for John:

Below are some potential areas of improvement for John. Go through this list and discuss how John perceives each weakness. You can probe further by asking questions such as "How did you prevent these weaknesses from interfering with performance in past roles?"

  • Be somewhat cool and aloof at times.
  • Work in a rapid burst for a while, followed by periods of re-examination or quiet reflection, which can cause delays.
  • Have a high need for perfection that may hamper your satisfaction until it is reached.
  • Get stuck in a loop between wanting to get it done quickly, but also perfectly.
  • Vacillate too much between decisions due to the need to re-examine evidence, or even the chance that new evidence may come in.
  • Appear somewhat abrupt and blunt toward others without being aware of it.
  • Place "all" items on the to-do list as priority number one.

Cultural Fit/Ideal Environment for John

Below are some characteristics that describe John's ideal work environment. Working in an environment where these are present will ensure the highest engagement, motivation, performance and retention. We recommend discussing these characteristics with John to understand how they fit in the company culture. Look for aspects that would excite John about coming to work every day.

  • Direct but detailed answers to questions.
  • Supportive of some occasional vacillation in decisions or ideas.
  • Time to react to alternatives, but also supportive of the fact that the clock is ticking.
  • Specialized and challenging assignments.
  • Accomplishments that can be seen both quickly and maintained with a high sense of quality control.
  • Opportunity for advancement to positions allowing for creativity.
  • Freedom from external pressure; but allowing for self-imposed pressure and urgency.

Sloan Carper

Behavioral Style

Motivational Styles

AverageAesthetic Able to appreciate the benefit for balance and harmony without losing sight of the practical side of things.
Very HighEconomic Very competitive and bottom-line oriented.
LowIndividualistic Able to support the efforts of the team without demanding the limelight; a supportive team player.
HighPolitical Able to accept the credit or take the blame with a 'the buck stops here' attitude.
Very LowAltruist Guards trust level so as not to get burned, either self or team.
Very HighRegulatory Well disciplined, and follow standard operating protocol and traditional ways.
HighTheoretical Has a high interest level in understanding all aspects of a situation or subject.

Personalized Interview Guide

Based on the information for Sloan, here are some specific, personalized questions to ask during your interview. These questions focus on Sloan's unique strengths, potential weaknesses and drivers of engagement that will help you assess the quality of fit, and potential success in this role.

Key strengths for Sloan:

Ask Sloan, “How did you most effectively utilize these key strengths in past roles?”

  • Maintains a high sense of urgency: The clock is ticking.
  • Strong agent of change.
  • Maintains a strong business focus on problems, ideas, and solutions.
  • Able to consider many alternatives, theories, and possibilities as you approach new problems to solve.
  • Brings a sense of rapid solutions and high quality control to the organization.
  • Provides hard work and heavy mind-share into creating the best possible answers to questions or problems.
  • Able to make decisions with the bottom-line in mind.

Potential weaknesses for Sloan:

Below are some potential areas of improvement for Sloan. Go through this list and discuss how Sloan perceives each weakness. You can probe further by asking questions such as "How did you prevent these weaknesses from interfering with performance in past roles?"

  • Place "all" items on the to-do list as priority number one.
  • Appear somewhat abrupt and blunt toward others without being aware of it.
  • Vacillate too much between decisions due to the need to re-examine evidence, or even the chance that new evidence may come in.
  • Not share your ideas with others on the team enough.
  • Get stuck in a loop between wanting to get it done quickly, but also perfectly.
  • Work in a rapid burst for a while, followed by periods of re-examination or quiet reflection, which can cause delays.
  • Be somewhat cool and aloof at times.

Cultural Fit/Ideal Environment for Sloan

Below are some characteristics that describe Sloan's ideal work environment. Working in an environment where these are present will ensure the highest engagement, motivation, performance and retention. We recommend discussing these characteristics with Sloan to understand how they fit in the company culture. Look for aspects that would excite Sloan about coming to work every day.

  • Specialized and challenging assignments.
  • Challenging assignments, having both wide scope and details.
  • Direct but detailed answers to questions.
  • Freedom to create in new and different ways.
  • Procedures done correctly the first time.
  • Security and confidence in quality control measures.
  • Accomplishments that can be seen both quickly and maintained with a high sense of quality control.