Watching The Office

If the beloved but dysfunctional characters on The Office are real people companies will hire for their sales team, who do you think the company will pick?

The Hiring Site checks on five of Scranton’s sales people — Jim, Dwight, Andy, Stanley and Phyllis — and evaluates their skills and weaknesses. You probably will be surprised who the corporate recruiter of the site (Mary Ross) has picked.

• “I have only seen ‘The Office’ a handful of times and when asked which one I would hire, Jim immediately came to mind. But not so fast, he’s not my choice. Ironically, we are all guilty of making subjective hiring decisions based off first-impressions or how well we connect with someone.
• After reading the profiles above, I didn’t want to hire any of them, and let’s just say for the record that none of them are my ‘ideal’ candidate. But I can narrow it down to the top three.
• If Jim produces when it counts, then he clearly has the ability to sell, and having a positive impact (even though sometimes he takes other people out of their game) on the culture of a sales environment is more important that most think. But he’s not always driven (author’s note: unless it involves Pam Beasley).
• Dwight is consistently producing at high levels, but his demeanor is unhealthy for any sales culture and he appears to be very concerned by what others think of him. Confidence and self-esteem are critical in sustaining long term success in sales.
• Stanley is hard-working, laid-back, thick-skinned and most importantly, LOYAL. He doesn’t add much to the culture, but he does not seem to take away from it either.
• Based on these profiles, who would I hire if I had to hire just one of them? It’s tough because they all seem to have weaknesses, but these appear to be the direct reflection of ineffective leadership.
• That said, I would demote Michael and hire him. Many companies are guilty of promoting their top producers to management regardless of whether or not they have the skill-set to lead. Being a sales manager has little to do with managing and everything to do with motivating, coaching and developing. Michael does a great job creating a fun environment, but it seems there is little communication as to what the expectations are for his employees.
• But since he is not a choice here, it would be… Stanley.

Do you agree with her choices and evaluation?

See The Hiring Site