Application Questions for Head of Marketing & Sales

Are you legally entitled to work in New Zealand?

Yes. I am an American citizen with New Zealand residency.

Tell us about your experience mentoring less seasoned team members in a work context.

While I was the APAC Bid Manager for Kineo, I was tasked with upskilling a recently merged sales team. Half of them were used to selling bespoke elearning, while the other half had sold a product suite of online courses. Due to a company merger, these two sales teams became one, and I hosted a daily Open Office Hours. During this time, any member of the team could talk with me about a proposal, a prospect, or outreach tactics, and I would give them targeted feedback and advice.

The more experienced members of the team only came onto the call (held on MS Teams) when they were ready for a final review of their 40-60 page proposal. I was the last set of hands on the proposal before being sent to the client, because I had designed the proposal templates for each of the product lines.

The less experienced members of the team were unfamiliar with some of the new product lines, so whenever there was extra time at the end of the call, I would role-play with the salesperson. I would ask them to sell to me as if I was their client, and I would raise easy objections that I knew they could address. When they were confident, I would offer them mild challenges that would encourage them to think on their feet and improvise in the selling conversation.

Please tell us how you keep your skills up-to-date. We’d love to know about an exciting feature or development you’ve recently learnt about.

I wish that I could say the recent WordPress 5.0 upgrade was exciting, because I’ve been a WordPress website designer for a decade. But the latest developments are not exciting – read my thoughts on Gutenberg here and here.

I did get excited about a book recently, called the Thought Leaders Practice. It is the kind of book that the target market for my digital marketing agency would really enjoy. So I led a book club, inviting emerging Thought Leaders to join me for a weekly conversation. I used my notes from these conversations to create in-depth Instagram posts, which you can see in an obvious column here.

Do you have any known health condition(s) that may affect your ability to effectively carry out the functions and responsibilities of this position? If yes, provide details.

No.

Have you ever lodged a claim with ACC for a work related injury? If yes, provide details.

No.

Are you on any medication which may affect your performance in this position? If yes, provide details.

No.

Have you had any criminal convictions within the last five years, or are you currently awaiting the hearing of any criminal charges? If yes, provide details.

No.

*Declaration Statement

By submitting this application, do you (the applicant):

  1. Declare that the answers to the questions in this application are true and correct, and you understand that the information requested within this application is sought to establish your suitability for the position applied for and that if you do not provide such information then this application for employment may be rejected.
  2. Authorise any screening processes that SilverStripe sees fit to exercise in considering this application. You understand this process may include employer references and checking of criminal records.
  3. Note that any offer of employment does not constitute an employment agreement until a separate agreement has been evidenced in writing and signed by SilverStripe and yourself.
  4. Are not aware of any personal circumstances, medical condition or disability that would limit your ability to adequately perform the role for which you seek employment.
  5. Accept that, should your application be successful, the foregoing information will form part of your contract of employment, and falsification of any information is grounds for dismissal.
  6. Acknowledge that you fully agree with the above declaration.

Agreed – signed, Caelan Huntress