That’s why we have created services which aim to simplify the process wherever possible, such as the ability to extensively search major databases online and the free access to our ATS. However, we often receive feedback that sales recruitment is particularly challenging.

One thing that companies involved in sales recruitment can overlook is the importance of building an efficient and robust team. All too often, a company will have their eye caught by one or two sales people who they somehow expect to fix all of the damage that was caused by their last ill-advised recruit. This is one area of your business where there really is no ‘quick fix’.

Of course, what this means is that there are two components to successful sales recruitment: the identification of the right person for your position, and ensuring that they will fit in well with the existing team.

Both new and well-established star performers need to be effectively managed, and you need to ensure that they have the opportunity to develop within your company. By including them in the important projects and pitches, they will feel valued and see the role as a career, not merely a job.

Helping new and existing sales people alike to achieve their potential is definitely one part of building a team that works together, and you’ll need to constantly monitor the progress of your team to ensure that it is working well.

Sometimes, current processes aren’t giving the desired end results, and you need to carefully consider why this might be so, before making any decisions that you may come to regret.

With the wrong sales people potentially costing you thousands of pounds, in addition to valuable client accounts, it makes sense to be cautious in your approach to sales recruitment. Bear in mind that as your sales professionals are effectively the public face of your company, being the people with whom customers primarily or entirely interact, choosing the wrong person can also adversely affect your corporate reputation.

In addition to all of this, truly great sales people are in many ways in short supply. That’s why it’s not only so important to effectively highlight the opportunities that you provide to candidates, but also ensure that they want to stay once they do arrive. You can do that by effectively inducting, training and coaching new sales staff members and flagging up the opportunities that exist to develop the role.

The services of an agency such as Webrecruit (http://www.webrecruit.co.uk), which specialises in sales recruitment as part of a wider scope of industry specialisation, may only be part of the process, but we can certainly greatly assist those recruiters that do have the right team-building strategy.

As some of you may already be aware, I’m Aimee Bateman, host of CareerCamLive – a free interactive webinar for job seekers brought to you by Webrecruit and Careercake.com.

Having been a recruiter for over a decade, I felt frustrated that there was only so much I could do to help job seekers. My solution was to set up Careercake – a site dedicated to helping job seekers find their voice and shine in their chosen career.

I’ve also been lucky enough to appear in various careers shows for the BBC and my careers advice was also recently featured in The Guardian. Now I hope to extend this knowledge to you through CareerCamLive.

Since launching the show in August last year, CareerCamLive has proven to be an incredibly valuable resource for job seekers and professionals seeking genuine careers advice.

Fast forward to today, and the results of CareerCamLive are starting to pay off, with many of you who sent in your questions now providing us with fantastic feedback about the advancements you’ve made in your professional life.

So I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you some of the comments we’ve received about CareerCamLive and testimonials from job seekers that myself and the team at Webrecruit have been able to help.

The first letter is from Amar, a media graduate who was struggling to get his foot in the door of the media industry.

Keen to demonstrate his out of the box thinking and creativity, he felt that his lack of work experience was holding him back in securing a full time, paid position and asked me how he could combat this. Two months later, I received this email from him.

‘I wanted to email you to let you know that by following all of your tips I managed to push through the concrete wall and finally get heard!

‘I followed your covering letter advice and really did get much more interest as I made sure it was more personal, plus I showed passion! It worked and I accepted a 6 month paid internship (with a review of progress and opportunity for a full time role) at a marketing company.

‘I just wanted to say thank you as at the moment I feel relived! I start in June so I have time to get ready, I am a bit nervous but know that this happens to everyone, its been a long time and it does have an sub conscious effect.

‘I’ll still be watching your Ustream channel as it does help’.

Amar

The second email I’d like to share with you is from Reda who was looking to relocate to the UK from Lithuania to pursue a career in accounting.

Having received endless rejections for her overseas applications, she approached me asking what would be the best method of applying for a job abroad and how could she show employers that she was serious about relocating.

Recently, Webrecruit received the following email from Reda updating me of her journey, and this is what she said:

‘Aimee asked me to let her know how I was going with relocating to London. So this is it, I did it. I arrived last Wednesday. On Thursday I had an interview which I got after I passed telephone interview on Monday.

‘I was a lucky one and I got an offer at the end of the day (Thursday)! First day in London and I got an offer of Assistant Accountant position at international railway company! I am so lucky and so happy about that! I started working on Monday. Now learning, improving and adoption processes are waiting for me which I am very excited about.

‘My best greetings to you and thanks for support which encouraged me not to lose hope and to continue going towards my goal’.

Reda

It’s fantastic to hear that the advice I have provided through CareerCamLive has helped so many of you, and I urge you to continue sending me your feedback and keep me updated of your career journeys.

The next CareerCamLive will be aired on Tuesday 4th June at 6.30pm. This month, I’ll be discussing how to answer the 3 most common interview questions.

To get involved, simply register your details below.

What if you’re new hire costs you money instead of making you money? What if their management style upsets all your star employees and they choose to leave?

These are just a few of the consequences of making a bad executive recruitment decision. Yet with some proper preparation and a well-planned, thought-through recruitment process, you can easily avoid all this and increase your chances of finding a successful executive.

If you’re new to executive recruitment, fear not; here are the Ten Commandments for finding that perfect senior appointment.

Thou shalt not hire an executive based solely on their skills and experience

Thou shalt ensure my new executive’s ambition and motivation is aligned with my company

Thou shalt not let costs drive my executive recruitment decisions

Thou shalt hire for business and profit growth – not cost avoidance

Thou shalt never assume that top executives don’t have other career options

Thou shalt ensure my new senior professional is at least paid the market rate

Thou shalt always keep up-to-date with industry news and key media

Thou shalt promote a positive image of my company and provide feedback to my candidates

Thou shalt use LinkedIn to my advantage and build invaluable relationships

Thou shalt not delay in making an offer when I find my perfect executive

Executive recruitment is paramount to the success and growth of your business, ultimately setting a company apart from its competitors.

While it might seem like a huge and daunting task, follow the ten commandments of executive recruitment and you really will reap the rewards – having a genuine opportunity to identify the best executive talent for your team to boost your business up a gear.

If you need some assistance with your executive recruitment, Webrecruit has had great success filling senior positions for some of the UK’s leading businesses. Find out about our executive recruitment solutions by clicking on the button below.

The last few years have proven a struggle as a number of small businesses have been forced to shut up shop and join the army of unemployed across the UK. So it’s positive news to hear that so many small businesses have their sights set on company growth for rest of the year.

But challenges still lie ahead.

As someone who works in a small business, you’ll understand the difficulties of recruiting someone for your team. With fewer hands to manage the hiring process and limited resources, small business recruitment quickly becomes a costly and time consuming task.

Yet the advent of online recruitment has now made it possible for small businesses to compete with the large corporations and big brands for the best available talent. Not only that, but it can all be achieved whilst keeping costs to an absolute minimum.

How?

Here are some solutions to your small business recruitment challenges to help get your hiring down to a tee using the web.

1. Recruitment is too expensive

First and foremost, there’s a common misconception that recruitment is too expensive for small businesses. This is not the case.

Obviously your small business recruitment is going to require expenditure, but it doesn’t need to break the bank. By using a fixed fee or flat fee recruiter, you’ll be paying one upfront, low cost fee with no hidden costs, but the benefits are endless.

2. No one even knows about us

This may have been true back in the day, but the internet, and ultimately social media, has paved the way for anyone and anything to be known throughout the world.

Research your ideal hire, find out what platforms they use, and make sure you’re on them. Make yourself visible online and ask your employees to write a blog sprinkled with keywords relevant to your industry. Provide the type of thought-provoking content your perfect recruit seeks to help make you visible to prospective employees.

3. It takes too long

In some instances, small business recruitment can become very drawn out, but there are plenty of tools out there to help reduce your time-to-hire (and they don’t have to be expensive either).

For example, online automated video interviews and online skills tests are the perfect way to dwindle down your shortlist of potential employees without having to invest too much time.

As the perfect supplement to an initial face-to-face interview, you can gauge candidates’ interests and skills before inviting them to your office.

Whilst there might be a number of hurdles the small business owner must overcome to find their perfect hire, it doesn’t mean that you can’t successfully recruit.

It may initially take a bit more effort and time, but it is definitely worth it. Employees are at the heart of any successful business. And if you want your company to fulfil its potential, then it needs the right people.

For more assistance with your small business recruitment, you might find our latest guide of use: Online Recruitment for SMEs. To access your copy, simply click on the button below.