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Sales development rep first-round interview questions

A sales development rep spends the day reaching out to people who didn't ask to hear from them. These questions look for persistence, preparation and the ability to get to the point.

The questions

  1. 1Tell me about a time you kept going after hearing no many times. What kept you moving, and what changed?Scores: Persistence
  2. 2Tell me about a day when you had a long list of people to contact. How did you organise it?Scores: Persistence
  3. 3Tell me about a time you researched someone before contacting them. What did you look for, and how did you use it?Scores: Prospect research
  4. 4Walk me through a time you got a reply or a meeting from someone hard to reach. What made it work?Scores: Prospect research
  5. 5Tell me about a conversation where someone pushed back on what you were saying. How did you respond?Scores: Clear conversation

The rubric

Persistence
Keeps going after rejection, learns from it, and stays organised through a high volume of outreach.
Listen for: A real run of rejection, what they changed in response, and a working system for their day.
Prospect research
Works out who to contact and why they might care before reaching out.
Listen for: Specific details they looked up, and a clear link from that research to what they said or wrote.
Clear conversation
Gets to the point quickly, listens, and adjusts to what the other person says.
Listen for: They listened to the objection, answered it briefly, and didn't just repeat their pitch.
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