Photograph Credit: Brett Jordan

Most people agree that salespeople are infused with specific temperaments and skills. It goes with the territory, sure, but how durable is the expertise that makes the person capable?

Theoretically, the know-how, the proficiency and the innate drive should be as perpetual as any job – if not more. Then how does one reckon with the following scenario?

A friend, who is a musician, was laid off from his stage hand job, did some carpentry, worked on music a bit and now, good news, is busy and working as a stage hand again for the first time in a couple of years. Apparently, he is employable and has not lost his skills or chops despite a two-year gap.

Let us switch over to sales and sales management now. A salesperson who has stepped away from the profession for a year would perhaps not be afforded the same courtesy as the friend above. Recruiters are always fishing for that employment gap. The hiring manager may have instructed the recruiter to avoid folks with gaps in their resume or the recruiter shuns such individuals as a matter of routine. Stepping away from the profession is unacceptable and apparently precludes one from the ability to sell.

Photograph Credit: Lubo Minar

The question that makes me ponder right now is whether there is something special about sales and sales management that makes recruiters zoom in on a concern or perhaps there are too many sales/business development/management types and recruiters can be extra picky. Perhaps the concern is more prevalent than just salespeople and it is that there are not enough handy folks and, therefore, standards are more forgiving?

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