“We’re trying different names, we’re trying to call it different things, we’re trying to advertise on different platforms, we’ve tried stuff on social media.”
The role had a base salary of $70,000-$75,000, but “$150,000 is very achievable”.
“Our highest earner did over $400,000 last year.”
Peters said the account manager needed to do a “360 role”, including sales and recruitment.
“It’s relatively unskilled, you do really need to have good work ethic and determination.
“We just can’t seem to find anyone, even though the role is paying a lot of money.
“We’re just a little bit confused really.”
Interviews and trial days had been held with hopeful applicants “but we just find anyone that can do it”.
She said some people could not answer the phone properly, while others wanted hybrid or full remote working.
“I don’t know if it’s a generational thing or what it is.
“In order to make it, you’ve got to be hungry and pick up the phone and be resilient and do lots of calls and have lots of meetings.”
Peters said the company didn’t hire from within the industry because, generally, people did not match up to its expectations.
“So we go looking for people that don’t actually have any specific experience in sales or recruitment, but we really look for people that have grit, drive and kind of just determination and hunger.
“It’s so, so hard to find.”
The company would take “10 people tomorrow anywhere in the country if we could find people”.
“We don’t have a cap on the amount of salespeople we could have.”
HireStaff supplied many industries, including trade and construction, but currently things were “completely dead”, she said.
“Companies that used to take 10 guys off us aren’t even taking one person.
“There’s just no work out there in some of the industries.
“Basically, every single industry we’re working with at the minute has been negatively affected [by the economy].”
She said a good salesperson could still generate business and make money.
“We’ve got a couple of great people that we don’t want to lose but, if we could replicate them, then we know that they could bring on new business because there is business in pockets, but you just have to hunt for it.”
Cameron Smith is an Auckland-based journalist with the Herald business team. He joined the Herald in 2015 and has covered business and sports. He reports on topics such as retail, small business, the workplace and macroeconomics.
