I T

SALES N ERV E I W
QUESTIONS
35 to Separate the Best from the Rest

Use these questions to measure the skills that really matter to be successful in a
high-performing sales org AND attract the best candidates to join your team.

M agic bullet Q’s (It’s impossible to fake these answers.)

For AEs For SDRs

1. When I ask your former boss about your 5. Would you be willing to do a mock sales call
strengths and weaknesses, what will I hear? with me right now? You’ll learn about your
The great ones don’t get flustered. Poor candidate, sure, but the point is to see how they
performers squirm.
respond under pressure to the request.

2. Thanks for joining us today. Over to you. If 6. How did you prepare for this interview? Poor
they’re up to par, they’ll take control. If not, prep? Next. Great candidates will tell you the
they’ll flounder. The best of the best will relish lengths they went to during prep.

this question.

7. What do you know about me? Selling is about

3. You're really nice, but I only have room for top doing your homework. People who cut corners
producers. Superstars will maintain their will have little to say.
composure and start ‘handling your objection’.
Others will politely thank you.

4. How is this interview going? There’s no right or

wrong answer, but people with deep confidence
will have more to say.

Learning-style Q’s (You want learning machines.)

For AEs For SDRs

8. What was the last sales book, blog, or podcast 12. Tell me about something you’ ve taught
you took in? Look for learners. They keep yourself recently. Are they a ‘yearly
everyone up on the latest ‘best thing.’
professional development’ person or ‘can’t stop
learning’ person? You want the latter.

Talk me through 2-3 deals you lost in the last 6

9. months. Can they look back and assess why 13. What’s the most meaningful failure you’ ve
things went off the rails?

had and what did you learn from it? Admitting
to failure is a sign of maturity. Learning from it is
coachability.

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 For AEs For SDRs

10. If you had a mentor, what would they help you 14. Tell me what you’re excited to learn next and

with?
how it will make you more successful. Learn

where they may need help and whether they’re

Have they thought through their own areas for
an active learner.

improvement? If not, look out.

15. What’s the most difficult feedback you’ve

11. Why would you fail here?

received and how did it change you?

The best sales reps identify risk. Reps who can’t

Doesn’t matter if it’s a personal or work story.
answer may have “happy ears.”

Learn how they respond to criticism.

Experience Q’s (What happened will continue happening.)

For AEs For SDRs

16. Walk me through one of your most strategic 19. How have you turned around a losing streak?
sales cycles, from contact to contract. Do they Remind them that everyone’s had one. How

really understand the components of a they turned it around is what matters.

successful sales cycle?

20. What skill have you developed and how did

17. What’s your strategy for hitting quota? Top reps that help you do your job well? Smart reps
have a systematic process. It will be obvious if work on their weakest attributes and know how

they don’t.
that skill upped their game.

18. Your whole team uses the same sales process.

What sets you apart to consistently hit the

quota you hit? They have to know what makes

them successful.

Motivation Q’s (Without the big M, you’re doomed.)

For AEs o nly

21. What advice would you give a salesperson 24. Why is your mentor your mentor? What weight
starting their career? The ability to frame a do they give to competencies, personality,

lesson indicates a true understanding of a reputation, and achievements? (Mentors can be

concept.
books, online courses, etc. )

22. What’s the best way for a manager to motivate 25. How do you give back to your non-work
their team? This tells you whether they have community? Candidates who have a solid

junior, moderate, or deep knowledge of how answer about life outside work are more likely

healthy teams succeed.

to be team players, leaders, and mentors.

23. Which sales metrics do you pay attention to? 26. What are you not interested in doing

Everyone will say quota. Next-level reps will say professionally? This can indicate which tasks

average deal size, close rates, sales cycle length, will be tough to motivate them through.

etc.

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Leadership Q ’s (E veryone l oves l eaders, e
specially b uyers.)

For AEs For SDRs

27. Tell me why you're a superstar. Top-notch 31. What’s the most common misconception

salespeople list specific achievements (Oh look, about you? Great salespeople and leaders are

an ego.) and poor candidates will be aware of how they’re perceived, and that will

wishy-washy.
include misconceptions.

28. Tell me about a time when you had to comply 32. What do you believe is true that others might

with a policy you didn’t like. How did you handle disagree with? (Source: Peter Thiel in Zero to

it? Hotheads fight over petty things. Leaders One.) You’re not looking for wild conspiracy

navigate real disagreement.

theories here. Just novel thinking.

29. What would your new team members learn

from you? Understand how your candidate

interacts with people and the role they imagine

playing on a team.

30. Describe and rate the personalities of two

previous coworkers and a former boss. Leaders

are more likely to cite what impressed them

about others. They lift people up.

M iscellaneous Q A y
’s ( re ou o l
ur obster ?)

For SDRs only

21. Why do you want THIS job? Why us? Is your 24. What’s one question you wish I had asked?

candidate curious and driven enough to assess This closer lets the candidate show you they

you while you’re assessing them?

prepared well, and position themselves in their

own words.
22. What’s one small work habit you have that has

a big impact?

Habits matter, and superstars know that.

(They’ ve probably read a book or two about it.)

Only If You W ant M ore...

F ollow us on LinkedIn for data-backed tips and

insights that will help you WN I deals more often.

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