Selected Archives
Selected stories 2011-2021
Many candidates at job interviews do not realize how important it is to ask solid, intelligent and well thought out questions at the job interview. At Michael J. Hawkins, Inc. one of the ways that we judged candidates is by the caliber of questions that they ask. The key is to ask great questions- not to ask questions that you should know the answers to already (“What does the position entail?) or questions that make it all about you (“What is your vacation policy?”) Here are 9 great questions you can use or make your own on your next job interview. Obviously they're generic and should be tailored based on circumstances: 1. Who would make the ideal candidate for this position? 2. How will the work I’ll be doing contribute to the organization’s mission? 3. What were the best things about the last person who held this position? 4. What are three ways I can contribute to the company beyond the job description? 5. How can I best contribute to the department’s goals? 6. How do you see me best contributing to the corporate culture and morale? 7. What do you see as the biggest challenges of working here and how can I overcome those challenges? 8. What is your vision for where the company or department will be in one year? In 3-5 years? 9. How can I help you and the team succeed? Of course, the more research you do in advance, the more you can ask specific questions about the company’s recent news, blog posts, product launches, plans, etc. But here’s the bottom line: Ask questions that demonstrate genuine interest in the organization and how you can fit in to their success. Remember, also, job interviewing is a two-way-street! By asking questions, you can get a much better sense of the organization you’re interviewing at, and the extent to which you’d even want to work there. In summary, the best tabletop sales people know the great questions to ask when they are in front of the customer in a sales mode. It’s even more important when your career is on the line. Mike Hawkins is a top executive recruiter specializing in the hospitality industry. Mike has vast knowledge of the foodservice sales and marketing industry having experience on both the supplier and dealer sides of the business. "What were the best things about the last person who held this position?"
That's question #3 in recruiter Mike Hawkins list of 9 suggested questions that candidates should be prepared to ask during the interview. Mike makes the point that often the questions a candidate asks are more important than the answers that they give. Read Mike's eight other suggested questions by going here: http://www.tabletopjournal.com/
Most in our industry know Michael Hawkins as a top recruiter of tabletop sales and marketing talent. But prior to that Mike was a top international sales manager traveling the globe for Diversey, Inc. putting together worldwide purchasing agreements with hotel chains such as Intercontinental Hotels, Sheraton, Hilton and CIGA. Mike's love for tabletop developed during his decade-long tenure as Vice President of Sales for Edward Don & Company, where he managed over 300 high-performing tabletop sales people. The combined expereinces as a top sales manager and top recruiter give Mike Hawkins a great perspective on how to be successful in selling hospitlaity tabletop. So, simply put ....Mike Hawkins knows more than a thing or two about selling. Mike's latest article forTabletopJournal touches on how to strike the proper sales balance to be effective and efficient in selling hospitality tabletop. Here's what Mike has to say about seeling tabletop ...the assertive way.... In an effort not to be labeled as pushy, aggressive, or obnoxious many tabletop sales people adopt the opposite end of the spectrum and try to be, or known, as professional. Unfortunately, a professional tabletop sales call is OK, but rather boring and typically has no outcome and often means lots of fruitless follow up. Obviously the customer has to perceive that you are a professional but it’s more of a look on your part (as per one of my previous articles) and a perception on the part of the customer. In summary, professionalism alone will not garner tabletop orders. Between the “used car” sales person and the professional there is a middle ground where tabletop sales are being made and it’s called being assertive. Assertiveness is an art that needs mastering just like any other so that being assertive is acceptable to the customer. This art form can only be mastered if one believes deeply in one’s heart..not one’s head. This belief is the first step in being assertive. It dictates that you can differentiate yourself from your competitor and that the customer is better off purchasing from you. It is the belief in what you do, your belief in the tabletop portfolio that you sell, your belief in the company that you represent, and indeed your belief in yourself. This belief now begins the assertive process. The process of assertiveness develops further after belief with total preparation including pre-call planning and creating an objective for the sales call. This is not simply the basics of pre-call planning with samples, literature, product knowledge, etc, but preparation in the areas of customer needs, desires, and their victory. Neglect these and expect to lose out to someone who has built them into their tabletop presentation. Lastly, being assertive has to contain undeniable value in favor of the prospective customer that the customer can relate to and believe in. Then the purchase order will be created as a result of combining your belief, preparation, and your value with assertiveness which ultimately results in a very predictable outcome – more tabletop sales. You can reach Mike Hawkins at [email protected] Please do not be one of those inexperienced and naive individuals that believe that’s the end of their job search or career change strategy. Believe it or not there are actually people out there that think that recruiters are on this earth to find them a job. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our driving force is to find the perfect candidate for the perfect job and then to make an offer to that great candidate that is accepted on behalf of our client. Put quite simply we are paid by our clients to find tabletop sales managers, etc that will satisfy new and existing customers of theirs not to find jobs for every out of work or dissatisfied person in tabletop. To put an even more bizarre spin on the situation there are even people out there that are upset with recruiters for not ranking them at the top of the candidate list when asked to do so by our clients. That is not to say that we do not have empathy with those that are looking for a new career having been there myself. In fact we do a lot more than most recruiters with advice on resume preparation, etc. It is quite frankly a case of where we must spend our time and energy. Contacting a professional recruiter is about 5% of a job search or career change, the rest is up to, guess who? Moving one’s career forward by relying solely on a recruiter is like expecting a foodservice establishment to purchase a new tabletop installation without you personally calling on them.
Leading tabletop recruiter Mike Hawkins 1. Make sure that you are serious about your reasons for reaching out in the first place. “Kicking tires” is a total waste of everyone’s time and probably will not get you a second look. 2. Check with your trusted sources in tabletop to make sure that you are contacting the recruiter with the best reputation to assist you in moving your career forward. Confidentiality is critical, particularly if you are currently employed. 3. Make sure that you have a clear and concise vision of your career objectives to include the position that you are looking for, companies that you would really like to work for and those that are not suitable. 4. Have a resume/CV that is full of tangible and credible business results. Remember that a resume has to scream, not shout that…. …….I can make you look good. …….I can make you money. …….and lastly, I can do the job. 5. Have a logical reason as to why you want to leave your existing company. 6. Be prepared with your full and verifiable details of your compensation package including salary, last year’s actual bonus and benefits, etc. 7. Will you relocate? If so, where – where not? This has to be discussed with your spouse and other relevant parties upfront. 8. Do you have your industry references in order? References should be from prior managers, those that reported to you, clients, etc. No references from non business related persons. 9. Manage your expectations. Recruiters are paid to find a perfect candidate for a position, they are not paid to find you a job. 10. Finally, be prepared to be patient. Finding the perfect candidate/postion match often takes time. Mike Hawkins has been recruiting top tabletop sales and marketing talent for the hospitality industry for over 22 years. He can be contacted at: [email protected] Tablelop recruiter Mike Hawkins Part 2. My oh my, don’t you look the tabletop sales professional in your Armani suit, and I can just see you parading around the NRA, New York and NAFEM shows like you own the floor. It’s encouraging that you log onto the Tabletop Journal and read Food Arts, etc. I’m not surprised that you study the latest trends in food and know the difference between a Syrah and a Petite Syrah, and in what stem they each should be poured. I am encouraged that you can hold a conversation with a F&B Director on his menu and how items are positioned on it and your knowledge of food cost, labor cost and wine markups are certainly above average. Unfortunately there is many an “empty suit” in an Armani and I hate to be the one to tell you, but a skilled hiring manager and recruiter are going to ask you why it is that your resume/CV is posing so many questions about your actual recent performance. Personally, I would rather hire someone whose pants have had an argument with their shoes, if they can prove to me that they can open new accounts consistently and expand existing ones.
A manager at Edward Don said this in the late 70’s: “Any club that I have ever been a member of cancels my membership if and when I do not pay my dues”. So what you did ten years ago may be very impressive but hiring managers and recruiters are interested in current velocity especially in this time of increased competitive offerings. Also, during an interview, be prepared to give examples of how you go about attacking a new account, fighting for that opening, differentiating yourself, developing a dealer/distributor, managing independent representation, what your chain account philosophy is, how do you increase the profitability of an order, etc., and is all of it current - No? What do you do when you are in a city and finished working with your rep? Are there no end user calls for you to do on your own? What do you do in the evenings? Have room service in front of the TV or have a pre-planned dinner with clients and potential clients? A skilled interviewer is going to lure you into uncovering your real self so always be prepared to give examples as to your behavior as past behaviors help predict the future. The right behavior leads, inevitably, to increased market share, and unless you can show that you are a real performer you will not have the stellar reputation that leads to recruiters knocking on your door and unfortunately, dooms you to surfing career websites along with masses of other “B” players. No real hunter has the inclination or energy to spend time on that nonsense. You can reach Mike Hawkins at [email protected]
Starting with the CEO, brands are symbolized by the people who work for the brand. This is not new, but what is new is the relative lack of differentiation or “commoditization” of much of the tabletop category. TabletopJournal has spent a great deal of time writing about differentiation and how important it is on both the supplier and the operator side. However, the fact is that many of the tabletop products - and restaurants - are remarkably similar and barring any apparent unique points of difference, the buyer’s main decision driver will be price. With such similar products, the overall brand image has become the area to differentiate and the people who represent the brand have become an increasingly important area of differentiation. Fortessa adds several new Sales Vice Presidents, Dudson adds a VP, Sales for North America, Oneida continues it's upgrade and now, intergration of its new sister company Anchor Hocking, Libbey adds a new Director of Marketing, Rosenthal/Sambonet names a new National Account Manager, Tuxton does the same…..all with the idea that these new “brand ambassadors” will help build each company’s brand essence and culture in a positive direction. After all, often the employee IS the brand. TabletopJournal feels that this trend towards upgrading sales and marketing talent will continue with short term results certainly at the center of the target hiring goals. But, when looking to upgrade the organization, there is also a longer-term "brand makeup” goal that needs to be considered. When looking to add to an organization, how the new employee will contribute to the long-term brand attributes ..or, essence...has to be thought about.
TabletopJournal’s evangelism goes beyond simply focusing on cool products and extends to helping other talented, kindred spirits find one another and to help conpanies realize the importance of each and every hire, particularly for postions that have extensive customer interaction. Tabletop recruiter Mike Hawkins explains it well in his recent article “Recruiting Superior Tabletop Sales and Marketing Talent” and we are pleased to be able to bring his expertise to both hiring companies and to candidates.
Brand building is a long-term journey. And, the people you hire - your "brand ambassadors" are often the true long-term brand differentiators. Choose your people wisely. |
We support the
Shouldn't you?
Ment'or Inspiring Culinary Excellence Archives
November 2021
Categories
All
|