The Interview

And What Is Different When It Is a Fractional Contractor

“Hellooooooo, North Korea.”

from Seth Rogan in The Interview

“Why did you end up in Sales? Why not a career in a more reputable profession?”

That is by far my favorite interview question for a sales position, whether for a full-time employee or a fractional contractor. The answers vary, and they say a lot about motivation:

·       “My family/parent/grandparent was in Sales.”

·       "When I left school, there were very few job opportunities, so I took this one.”

·       “I needed money, and this was the fastest way to 6 figures.”

·       “I started working retail when I was 16 and loved it.”

·       "Doing middle school fundraisers, I realized I enjoyed talking to people.”

HubSpot published an article recently about sales job interview questions. The take was that those questions “tend to cover several angles — and for good reason. Sales roles are multifaceted. And a successful career in the field requires a wide range of skills, a certain disposition, ambition, a growth mindset, and a host of other key attributes and tendencies.”

Here are a few of HubSpot’s common sales job interview questions:

·       “What do you know about our company?”

·       “Give me an overview of your career to date.”

·       “What are your short- to mid-term career goals?”

·       “How do you generate, develop, and close sales opportunities?”

·       “What do you consider your most significant sales achievement to date?”

·       “Tell me about a time that you failed to achieve goals you set. What went wrong and how could the outcome have been different?”

·       “Why are you interested in this company? Why are you interested in this role?”

·       “Consider a time when you haven’t gotten along with someone on your team. What would that person say about you?”

·       “Tell me about the toughest sale you’ve ever made.”

·       “Do you consider yourself a team player?”

·       “What ways do you build rapport with customers?”

·       “What do you do when sales are down?

These are good, open-ended questions, not too harsh or unexpected, focusing on past experiences, current interests, and future ambitions.

But what needs to be different when you interview a candidate for a fractional executive role, like a Fractional VP of Sales or Fractional CRO?

·       They are hired for a specific task, period of time, or interim role. Interview for the skills required to complete those shorter-term goals; everything else is gravy.

·       Generally, once the task is completed, they move on. There is no need to look at mid- or long-term career goals.

·       They are expected to be immediately effective, without much of a learning curve, hence interview for skills and past experiences that demonstrate that.

·       They are part-time contractors; there is absolutely no need to put them through the wringer of 15 interviews.

·       They come with 15-30 years of highly relevant experience, and you engage them in part to do strategic leadership work. Expect them in return to ask tough questions about your business.

·       They balance 3-5 engagements in parallel. Interview when you are ready to make a commitment. If you drag your feet, they will commit elsewhere and become unavailable.

How about the culture fit?

Culture fit is a combination of motivators, work methods, values, and personalities. Since they drive the connection between the employee, employer, and the work environment, they contribute heavily to being happy and successful.

 A recent study by Cubiks showed that 82 percent of hiring managers think measuring cultural fit is important. While “job fit” is often a hiring manager’s primary focus, a candidate should also fit within the company’s values, beliefs, and behaviors. And job seekers agree, 43 percent said that “cultural fit” was their single most important determining factor in choosing a role.

Is it different when it is a fractional contractor? Not really.

Given the nature of a fractional assignment – little learning curve, need for immediate impact, and high role specificity – the "job fit" is definitely the first thing that needs to be established. And it cannot be replaced by “cultural fit,” as I have seen in many hiring processes, when the hiring manager says something like, “I love the personality, they are a great fit to our team, we can teach them the missing skill.”

Here is what happens during the interview process, after the “job fit” has been established:

·       CEOs, Founders, and Owners turn down contractors when they see a lack of “cultural fit.” They do not want to invest scarce resources when they are not 100% convinced.

·       Contractors, especially Interim or Fractional Executives, move away from an opportunity when they do not have faith in the founder, the team, or the product. They do not want to be associated with a failing venture.

And there is a real opportunity to strengthen the cultural fit when bringing in a contractor. Scott Russell Dempster provides great advice and a list of very tangible to-dos. It starts with: "Give them the same welcome, onboarding, and orientation as everyone else:  Set a good impression right from the start, which also raises their standards right from the start.”

·       Introduce them to the team: On their first day, talk about their past accomplishments and why you brought them in, just like you would for any full-time hire. The fact that they are a contractor, part-time, and remote is secondary.

·       Recognize and acknowledge them: Recognize and acknowledge their good work as you would a full-time employee. You'll motivate them personally, and pointing out their contribution to the company creates buy-in with your organization.

·       Explain your goals:  Let them know how their work fits into the bigger picture of your organization – give them a purpose to buy into.

·       Give them feedback: Offer them the same level of performance appraisal and feedback as your full-time employees. Not only will they feel invested in, but they also need the feedback just like anybody else, and you will have a better and more efficient contractor.

·       Don’t exclude them from social gatherings:  This isn't just isolating for the contractor; you create unnecessary social awkwardness between them and the rest of your team. Social gatherings are celebrations together.

Talk to us and find out how our fractional and interim contractors can support you and your team.

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Pree Sarkar – 16 Common Sales Job Interview Questions and How to Answer Them

Josh Tolan – Ask these 5 culture fit questions during video interviews

Scott Russell Dempster – Building Culture with Contractors

Photo by Anne Gosewehr