It’s been over 35 years since tech experts first began predicting the arrival of the “paperless office”—a futuristic, eco-friendly workplace in which electronic record-keeping and correspondence would completely eliminate the need for paper printouts. One expert who was quoted in a 1975 Business Week article estimated that “by 1990, most record handling will be electronic.” But, as those of us in the copier industry are well aware, the paperless office never materialized. According to a recent study by InfoTrends, throughout the past four decades the estimated number of pages printed, copied, and faxed annually throughout the United States has risen to more than one trillion. As this number has grown, so has our industry.

Over the past few years, however, companies have become more sensitive to the costs—both financial and ecological—of unnecessary printing. Though few of them are making efforts to go completely paperless, many have begun taking steps to reduce the amount of paper, toner, and ink they use, and those at the forefront of our industry are right there with them. Already, providers of managed print services are helping cost- and eco-conscious clients reduce waste by streamlining print processes and eliminating unnecessary prints. As John Shane, an analyst for InfoTrends, says, “The paperless office isn’t going to happen for ages. But the less-paper office is coming.”

The relevant question for those of us in the copier industry is this: how will the “less-paper” office affect my bottom line, and what can I do to ensure that my business and my skills stay relevant in the era of less paper usage? For now, many of us would agree that the answer lies in the field of print and document management, and that the companies and people who will be best equipped to compete in the new economy are those who are willing to embrace new technologies, think holistically about their accounts, and forgo short-term sales in favor of long-term relationships. Regardless of whether the “paperless office” arrives in two years, two decades, or two centuries, our industry is changing, and it’s changing fast. Are you ready for it?

We want to know what you think! Will the “paperless office” ever arrive? And what are you doing to prepare for it? Email abby@copiercareers.com to share your opinions on this or any other copier-industry subject.
 

Good hiring starts with good candidates—and good candidates start with Copier Careers. But once you've narrowed it down to the top few applicants, how can you make sure that you’ll select the best person for the job? Learn these seven tips for hiring better salespeople, and watch your success rate soar.

1. Don't rely solely on interviews to evaluate the candidate. A study conducted by the International Personnel Management Association in 1999 analyzed how well job interviews accurately predict success on the job. The surprising finding: the typical interview increases your chances of choosing the best candidate by less than 2 percent. So while the interview is a good starting point, make sure to supplement it with other tools like pre-employment skills assessments and background checks to ensure that you understand what kind of person you're getting.

2. Limit your criteria. Research has found that the most accurate predictions of success on the job are based on no more than six or eight factors. Decide which qualities are most important to you in a salesperson, and focus on them in your selection process.

3. Evaluate job skills, not personality. Certain personality traits—high energy, honesty, a solid work ethic—seem to practically guarantee success, yet research has discovered that they don't. While personality tests can be useful for training employees, only tests of job skills or knowledge are proven to consistently predict job success.

4. Don't use yourself as an example. Many managers who reached their position by virtue of their sales success believe they can instinctively recognize a good candidate, when in reality they are just recognizing people who remind them of themselves. When you use yourself as a model, your ego often gets in the way, and that bias can skew your objectivity in judging others—a fatal hiring flaw.

5. Research why people fail in jobs. Research consistently shows that people fail in a job due to factors different from the criteria used to select them. Though most managers can list the most common reasons people have failed, they seldom make that information part of the process of choosing selection criteria for new candidates. Managers who identify these failure points and build them into the selection process can reduce hiring mistakes by up to 25 percent.

6. Don't rely on general "good guy" criteria. Everyone wants to hire good people, but being a good person doesn't ensure success on the job. Sales skills are now so specialized that you need specialized hiring criteria as well. Think about this in terms of baseball. At the Little League level, the selection criteria for a player—dexterity, confidence with the ball, desire to play—are broad. But at the professional level, different playing position require such specialized skills that no pro scout would rely on general skills to choose a Major League player. In sales, too, reserve broad "good guy" criteria for entry-level hiring. When you need a more experienced salesperson, narrow your criteria.

7. Don't bypass the reference check. Experts estimate that as many as one-third of job applicants have included false information in a resume. To find out who's pulling the wool over your eyes, make the extra effort to verify the information your applicants provide. Checking references may seem tedious, but it beats the frustration and cost of hiring someone you will soon need to fire.

In our March poll, we asked readers whether they believe they're compensated fairly for their work and their achievements. The results were as follows:

Have you ever included false or incorrect information on a resume?

1. Yes
2. No
3. I'm not telling