Doing the Hiring

In this segment with Bill Wagner, we discuss SRT Solutions' search for a new salesperson. This person will be only the second non-software developer the firm has hired. As we filmed this segment, and as I write this, times are hard in Michigan with unemployment over 11%. Many workers are faced with the prospect of moving from positions they have held for many years with larger companies to smaller companies where job demands are different.

Bill lays out what he thinks the differences are. These dovetail well with remarks by Jeannette Gutierrez, a job seeker we recently interviewed. Here are the differences as Bill sees them:

• The salesperson will be the whole sales department, not just one of many or one overseeing many.
• As a result, SRT is looking for an individual contributor who has experience growing sales and meeting quotas.
• As a firm that serves a number of industries, SRT is looking for a person that has experience selling to a variety of businesses.

SRT Solutions is about creating robust change with software. Founded in 2000 by Bill Wagner and Dianne Marsh, SRT existed for a number of years as essentially a two person show. Around 2004, they began to add staff and, in 2007–2008, grew by 40%. This year, at 15 employees, SRT hopes to match or exceed that rate. Currently, they are actively recruiting for two positions: an entry level software developer and a sales professional.

SRT's hiring is complicated by the fact that they are looking for highly functional people who will engage in two types activities:

• Outsourced software development where SRT completely manages the software development process.
• Software mentoring where SRT backs up existing company development teams with software engineering expertise to make the resulting solutions more scalable and robust.