What Recruiters Actually Look for in Salespeople | Innovantage Podcast #55

Sales and recruiting rarely get discussed together, even though they shape each other constantly. This episode, Max sits with Edvin Vosylius, founder of European Sales Headhunting Agency, a Vilnius-based recruitment agency focused specifically on sales talent, to unpack how those two functions collide in practice. Edvin brings 19 years of hands-on sales experience to the table, having worked as a rep, a head of sales, and a chief sales officer before building a business around placing salespeople for a living. That path, including a failed corporate venture and a startup collapse, shapes everything he now looks for when hiring or advising others in the field. In this episode, hear about mid-market versus enterprise sales, the mechanics of building a profitable recruitment agency, the traits recruiters look for in top salespeople, and how AI is reshaping CVs and interviews. Chapters 0:00 Introduction 1:00 How Edvin founded a recruitment agency 3:56 Why mid-market deals beat enterprise sales 9:27 Is the agency business still relevant? 15:00 What companies get wrong about hiring salespeople 21:07 Different types of salespeople explained 24:41 How to identify a great salesperson? 29:31 Why great salespeople fail in new industries 33:16 Do you really need to start a business? 51:06 How recruitment agencies actually make money 56:11 Advice for salespeople and hiring managers 57:48 AI in sales 1:03:30 Where to find Edvin Connect with our guest Edvinas Vosylius – https://www.linkedin.com/in/edvinasv/   HEMES – https://www.wearehemes.com/  Connect with Max  Max Golikov –  https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxim-golikov/   🎧 Listen Now Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/19M3HKc1pbeTkYcOeOkJc0?si=aab60a9ec2864ba2  Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/pl/podcast/innovantage-podcast/id1749330437  Follow for More Insightful Episodes Innovantage Podcast:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/innovantage-podcast/  Sigli:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/sigli/      Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sigli.gang  Did something surprise you in this conversation? Drop a comment below — we read every single one. Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode of Innovantage Podcast.