Maybe this is obvious to people who've been hiring in sales longer than I have, but it took me an embarrassingly long time to see it clearly. Salespeople are trained to sell. Hiring them involves a sales interaction. They are, by definition, better than average at performing well in that interaction. So you end up with a process where the skill you're evaluating is precisely the skill they're most practiced at performing, regardless of whether they can do the underlying job. The guy who completely charmed me in the interview and had a confident answer for everything lasted four months. The woman who was a little quieter, gave more specific and considered answers, seemed slightly less "salesy" in the interview, she's been with us almost two years and consistently leads the team. I have altered the recruitment process significantly in the past 18 months. The most significant change? Having the applicant answer scenario questions before the interview takes place.…