Dear SaaStr:  What Are The Top Things To Look for When Reviewing New Account Exec Resumes?

Here’s what I look for to try to get a sense if they’ll perform:

  • Do they call out top performance with metrics? The best reps are often quite precise. E.g., hit 152% of Quota last year, 143% year before, etc. Maybe they are exaggerating, that’s beside the point. The question is, do they love to win and have a history of it? Metrics are a good indicator here.
  • Have they sold at your core price point? This may be a little work, but look at where they worked and see if it’s a fit for your price point. If not, maybe move on.
  • Are their LinkedIn recommendations solid? Yes, of course these can be gamed a bit. But I don’t mind that. That’s part of sales. Most top reps and top leaders have 3+ glowing LinkedIn recs. I just want to see them there. Tablestakes.
  • Would their boss hire them again? This is the best LinkedIn recommendation. When their boss says, “I’d love to hire Brittany again, anytime, anywhere”. Hire that one — IF their boss has also been successful.
  • Were they promoted? Always a good sign, even if just SDR to AE.  There is never room to promote everyone internally, so that’s almost always a sign they were in the top 25% of something in sales.
  • 2+ year stints, maybe even one at 3 years! Sales is tough.  But folks that have consistently made it 2+ years, at least a few times, are often the ones you want.  You can’t expect every sales position to work out.  Short stints are an issue for any role, of course.  And the lack of them is even more unusual in sales.  But when you see somewhat that can make it 2.5+ years successfully in sales in a start-up type role, that’s a good sign.  That often means they really did it.

If all of these look good, the interview usually goes well.

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