Sales creativity may not be the first characteristic that comes to mind when you think of what skills you want for your team, but it’s actually a vital quality of a strong sales rep. New hires must be problem-solvers, able to think on their feet, receptive to meeting all kinds of people, and capable of creating engaging presentations.

This past year has taken a toll on everyone, and one trend in remote workers that we’re finding is a dip in creativity. 

Lucidspark conducted a survey and found that 1 in 4 remote workers admitted that working from home has hindered their creativity. Another 46% of those say it’s because of less face-to-face time with co-workers, 44% felt isolated and didn’t know what others were working on, and 40% said it was just harder to collaborate. 

Now that many offices are reopening and we’re finding our new normal, it’s important to determine what individuals will bring the most to the table. Creativity just may be the new thing to look for in recruits.

When recruiting, be sure to look for evidence of creativity on their social media or online, in their work experience, and in how well they respond to oddball questions during the interview process.

The following are some ways to test the creativity of potential new hires during the interview process:

“What would you do?” scenarios

When interviewing potential new hires, one way you can assess sales creativity is by offering scenarios for candidates to demonstrate their critical thinking skills, creativity, and mindset. These could be real-world scenarios created from your line of business, or hypothetical situations that test the candidate’s creative thinking.

If you want to test how they’d handle a market-specific problem, provide a scenario of a typical challenge that arises in your business, ask the candidate how they would work through it and what they would do to solve it. 

The process in which they work through the problem will provide valuable information on what their work style looks like. It can also help you notice any red flags that the candidate may possess.

Another option is to provide a hypothetical situation and have them explain their thinking. Think of the types of activities you may have done in school or as team bonding exercises (plane crash, stranded on a deserted island, lost in the woods, etc.)

These scenarios can help the candidate feel less pressure while still providing you with valuable intel on their creativity, problem-solving skills, and even how they would work with a team. This type of assessment could also work well in a group interview setting to see how candidates interact with other potential co-workers. 

Social media assessment

Another way to determine a candidate’s sales creativity is by assessing their social media pages. Not only is the organization and display something to consider, but the content posted can also reveal information on their creativity. 

What should you consider when evaluating a potential hire’s social media? 

• – Evidence of curiosity:
  • What are they watching, listening to, or reading? 
  • Do they ask questions to provoke meaningful conversation?
  • What hobbies or skills do they present on their page? 
  • Do they engage in intellectual conversations with others of different beliefs? 
• – Time management:
  • How often/what time are they posting? Is it during work hours or after hours? 
  • Can you gauge how much time they’re spending on social media? 
  • Are they keeping their page current or has it been a while since they’ve posted new content? 
• – Ability to collaborate:
  • What do their interactions with others look like? Are they positive, negative, or neutral? 
  • What kind of comments are posted on their content? 
  • What kind of comments do they post on other people’s content? 
  • What connections do they have on their platform? Are their connections mostly professional or personal?

Tailored questions

A third and most common way to assess the creativity of potential new hires is by using tailored questions in the interview. It’s important when planning the questions you’ll ask to consider what kind of answers you want to receive. 

Think about what you’re trying to determine about the candidate when preparing these questions. The following are some examples you could use:

• – Ability to take/give feedback:
  • How do you respond to negative critiques?
  • How do you prefer to be given feedback, both positive and constructive?
  • Give me a scenario where you received difficult feedback, how did you handle it and what was your takeaway from the situation?
• – Fitting in with the culture of the company:
  • Tell me about the job you loved the most and the one you didn’t care for, what made them fall that way?
  • What qualities do you look for in an employer?
  • What does a successful day look like to you?
  • How do you form bonds with your co-workers?
• – Passion:
  • What are you passionate about outside of work?
  • What hobbies do you have?
  • Why do you want to pursue a career in this field? 
  • If you could do any job and not worry about income, what would it be and why?

While creativity may not be the first quality you look for in a medical sales rep, it can prove to be a valuable skill that can change the dynamics of a team. Creative thinking can mean the difference between a problem, and a solution! 

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