Preparing for your sales job interview includes anticipating the questions that will be asked of you.
It is not about “memorizing” the answers because having a scripted or practiced answer will come out as unnatural and contrived. What you need to do is think about your answers carefully.
Remember that in an interview, you are not given the luxury of time to think about your answer, except for highly technical questions. So it is important to go through the interview questions below and reflect on your answers.
The following questions are the most common interview questions for sales job applicants:
1. What are your long-term professional goals?
2. What do you do personally for your professional development?
3. What are the usual objections you received from your clients? What was the worst objection you’ve encountered and how did you handle it?
4. What is your favorite closing technique?
5. Describe a situation with a client or prospect where you made a mistake. How did you handle the error?
6. As a sales professional, what do you see as your primary and secondary roles within a company?
7. What is the largest account you have ever won and can you explain how you achieved this?
8. What is the best example that you can give me to describe your leadership and management style?
9. What do you love most, and hate the most, about the product you are currently selling?
10. What criteria do you use to prioritize accounts/clients?
11. How do you move on from rejections and unsuccessful presentations or sales calls?
12. How do you ensure that your sales targets are exceeded each month?
13. Tell me about a time when you had to explain some complex information to your client.
14. How do you think technology affects how we conduct our selling processes and what is your favorite communication or technological tool for selling?
15. What kind of people are you used to selling to? Can you tell me about the demographics of your network?
16. Can you tell me about how your ability to sell helped you solve one or some of your personal problems?
17. When it comes to selling, who do you look up to? Do you have any mentor or coach that helped you hone your skills?
18. How do you maintain good relationships with old and new customers?
19. Do you prefer to work individually or with a team?
20. Talk to me about your sales process, from sales lead generation to how you oversee after-sales service.
Sales job interview questions aim to verify your credentials and experience. The most challenging questions are about sales and business development, sales management, planning and prioritization—so prepare for these and you’ll ace your sales job interview!
Here are five tips to help you ace your sales job interview.
Next step for your job search
Pick one guide and keep momentum.
Jobiety Editorial Team
Our editorial team researches and tests every piece of career advice we publish. We draw on real hiring data, interviews with recruiters, and hands-on experience to give you guidance that works.
