Strong Training, Mentoring and Technology Attracts The Top Sales Pros to Cablevision
STRONG TRAINING, MENTORING AND TECHNOLOGY ATTRACTS THE TOP SALES PROS TO CABLEVISION
By MobileWirelessJobs / MobileContentJobs
November / December 2006
As part of our HR Q&A interview series, MobileWirelessJobs recently caught up with Cablevision’s Sales Recruiter to learn more about their company’s online talent acquisition practices. The HR Q&A series is a featured column in MobileContent Careers. MWJ= MobileWirelessJobs.com; CV= Cablevision.
MWJ: To what degree do you track employee satisfaction? How are you tracking it?
CV: Cablevision is a sales organization that strives to provide its sales professionals with a competitive salary and outstanding commission plan that will attract and retain strong sales performers. We measure employee satisfaction in several ways and respond to those issues that help to keep the company competitive with other organizations. For example, in 2006 compensation was increased for Direct Sales Reps when it became evident that we needed to retain and attract our top sales producers in the New York area.
MWJ: Have you tried sourcing qualified candidates using any other direct marketing techniques such as email marketing or SMS text messaging?
CV: The organization is focusing on new recruiting initiatives such as text message marketing, branding and email blasts, in addition to sourcing from www.cablevision.jobs. Open Houses and employee referrals remain our most successful recruitment sources. Typically, job offers are often extended to qualified candidates at the Open House event.
MWJ: How long, on average, is your typical on-boarding process?
CV: On-boarding takes approximately two weeks from the time an offer is accepted. Cablevision conducts pre-employment background and drug screening. On-boarding is coordinated with the Training Group to ensure that the new employee can start training the day after completing Orientation.
MWJ: What type of investment has your company made into a training program?
CV: Training is critical to the success of our new sales employees and the company puts every new hire through intensive classroom and field sales training for the first month of employment. Training focuses on product knowledge, presentation skills and customer retention. Additionally, mentoring is provided both in the classroom and in the field to reinforce the classroom training already offered.
MWJ: Can employees track their compensation plan? Does your company have an internal software program that allows them to do this?
CV: Cablevision offers competitive base salaries, lucrative commission plans, incentives, flexible benefit packages and free television/email/phone service to employees within our footprint. We use state-of-the-art software to track sales commissions and our sales representatives can actually visit a dedicated website to view their commission earnings. We recognize the importance of compensating our employees appropriately based on performance.
MWJ: What would you like Candidates to know about Cablevision as an employer of choice?
CV: Our workforce is very diverse and attracts candidates from all over the metropolitan area through our recruiting sources. Employee referrals are a big source of applicants for Cablevision and we offer a generous employee referral fee. The ideal candidate possesses a strong work ethic, the drive to excel and has bilingual skills. Promotional opportunities always exist for the right candidate at Cablevision. Cablevision offers many exciting career opportunities in different job fields including Sales. Specifically, Cablevision offers a diverse range of entertainment in television, sports teams and venues that include Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
MobileContent Careers is the monthly eNewsletter of MobileWirelessJobs. Each issue contains one or more HR interviews of the top employers in the mobile content and wireless industries. These interviews help our candidates learn more about the companies listed on MobileWirelessJobs beyond what can be found in a job posting. Our research has shown that employers who participate in our HR interview receive a much greater resume response for their time and effort.
