Sales Job Interview Questions

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Cindy

Interview Tip: Drill Down on Results

When I interview sales professionals, it’s easy to identify the star performers. Great sales people share something in common. Without exception, they know their numbers without having to look them up. Their results are not couched in excuses – bad year, bad economy, unreasonable quotas…I’ve heard them all. And, I guess sometimes, they are true.

One off year happens. Mulit-year shortfalls are a problem.

Results are certainly a key driver from my perspective. I’ve never had a client who wants to hire a mediocre performer. But, there are other factors that influence the hiring decision. Here’s a quick run down of some interview questions to ask sales candidates to see if they’ll be a good fit for you.

  1. Who are you targeting within your prospect companies? Probe on this. Many candidates will talk about dealing with C-level contacts. Find out if they are really working the C-suite, or if they really deal with Purchasing. This will give you some insight into whether they are in a transactional or consultative sales environment.

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  2. Walk me through your typical sales process with a new client. Take me from your initial contact through closing the deal. Probe on how that first contact is made. Is the candidate a hunter or farmer profile? Understand what the sales cycle is. How is the candidate keeping the process moving?

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  3. Tell me about your results. Listen for whether you are getting metrics or you’re getting spin. Drill down on the following:

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  • How much of your volume last year came from new business vs. repeat business with existing customers?
  • How much of your existing customer volume was truly repeat business, vs. expanding the existing relationship?
  • What’s your average deal size. This is an important question in order to gauge whether the candidate is selling on the same scale as your organization. If you sell multi-year, multi-million dollar contracts, and the candidate’s average sale is $50K, chances are this is not a good match.
  • What’s your closing success rate? Probe from the beginning – how many calls to get an appointment; how many appointments to make a sale?
  • How many customer facing sales professionals are in your organization? Where do you rank in terms of sales results? This can be a devastating question to a mediocre performer. If the candidate is middle of the pack, you might want to probe on what the top producers are doing differently from the candidate. Does the candidate take ownership of his/her results? Or, are you hearing excuses?

Interviewing is only one part of the sales hiring process. Checking references, if done correctly, can yield interesting information. Savvy companies also put sales candidates through an assessment process. While there are many on the market, I only know of one that is actually predictive of performance on the job. You can find out more about the assessment tool that I use here: Pre-employment Assessments.

Making a good hiring decision rarely happens by accident. Fine tune your sales job interview questions and you’ll be on your way to getting better hiring results.

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Win a Free Resume Critique!

Posted on October 14, 2010 by Cindy

I see a lot of resumes.  And, like most recruiters - whether third-party like me, or in-house - I give your resume a 15 – 20 second review before deciding what to do with it.  Some of the resumes that cross my desk are dreadful.  Most of the resumes I see, however, do an adequate job of highlighting a candidate’s experience.  But is “adequate” the first impression you want to make with a hiring manager?

What would you need to incorporate into your resume to truly stand out from your competition?  The answer can be found two ways: 1. By reviewing the content here on Top Sales Jobs to discover just how jam-packed the site is with solid resume advice and job-search information, or 2. By taking this shortcut: Win a FREE critique of your resume and let us tell you exactly what changes and additions need to be made to it – a personal consult with Top Sales Jobs founder, Cindy McGeever. Bonus: The winning entries will also receive Top Sales Jobs’ ebook: Interview Questions to Expect!  That’s 100 interview questions, along with suggestions on how to respond.

Here’s How:

We’re looking for your funniest interview experience.  Tell us about it by clicking here: Share Your Story. The top three (3) funniest, most ironic, or most heroic entries will each receive a free resume critique.  Entries must be received by Midnight (EST) on Wednesday, October 27, 2010, to qualify.

Here’s a story from my files to spark your memory…

I always do a follow up call with my candidates after they interview with a client to see how the meeting went.  During one of these calls, a candidate mentioned in passing: “I hope they don’t hold that sneeze against me…” It was said so casually that I didn’t think anything of it.  As it turns out, during the interview, the candidate had taken a huge sip of water right before that sneeze, spitting water out all over my client.  Needless to say, she didn’t get the job!

So go ahead…

Add your story to the mix!   Some job search advice: Lighten up a little…a good attitude and a sense of humor can be important to landing your next position!

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5 Tips for Writing a Resume

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Cindy

Writing a resume can seem like a difficult task, but it really doesn’t need to be. Get yourself organized, sit down and think about what you’ve done over your career, and you’ll be on your way to writing a strong resume. Here are some tips to get you started:

Write a Great Resume to Land a Great Job

  1. Create a list of all of the places you’ve worked.  Write up some notes about each company.  What industry are they in? Annual revenues? How many employees do they have?  Record your dates of employment and list the positions you held.  For each separate position, write a few sentences that describe your primary responsibilities.
  2. Make a list of the accomplishments you’re most proud of in each position you’ve had.  If you have significant work experience, building this list can be limited to your last 4-5 jobs.  No need to make judgments right now.  You just want to make a list.  Later, you can decide how to prioritize your accomplishments and determine which items are worthy of inclusion in your final document.
  3. Do not start your accomplishment statements with wimpy words. Strong action verbs should be used.  You can find strong action verbs in the right hand column of many pages in the Resume section on Top Sales Jobs.  You want to choose words like initiated, created, directed, led. These are much stronger than words like coordinated, helped, assisted, participated in and “served as a liaison…”.
  4. Unless you have very little working experience, employers don’t care about your early schooling! Your academic experience should start with your highest degree.  Don’t include graduation dates.  Include professional training only if it is significant (e.g. Six Sigma) and relevant.
  5. Make a list of professional or trade associations you’re currently involved with.  If you have been in an officer level position in a trade or professional association, include it, even if you are not currently active.

Look for another “tips” installment, coming soon.

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5 Tips to Sharpen Your Interview Skills

Posted on September 2, 2010 by Cindy

The other day, a colleague shared a great document with me.  It’s very long (multiple pages, single spaced, small margins) but gives some great advice on how candidates should prepare for an interview.  It got me thinking about the prep process and raised a question for me…

What are the five most important things for candidates to focus on as they get ready for an interview?  Here are my top five:

  • Anticipate the questions you might be asked and practice how you’ll answer them.  In addition to knowing what’s on your resume, and thinking about questions that might come up based on the information you’ve provided, there are several places on the internet where you can find a comprehensive list of interview questions to expect.
  • Ask good, probing questions about the job opportunity.  These questions should not include things about the company that you can readily access on the hiring company’s website.  These are questions that show interest in the position, where it fits in the organization, key challenges, obstacles to success and similar topics.  Again, you can find good questions to ask online.
  • Attitude – There’s nothing more appealing to a hiring manager than a candidate who is full of energy and who is enthusiastic about the opportunity.  This comes across in several ways.  From the first impression you make (your smile, your handshake) to being animated and upbeat during the interview, you convey your desire to become a part of the team.  Think about what you can do for the company, and let that thought guide your discussion.  Don’t be afraid to let the interviewer know that you are interested in the job.  If you’re in sales, think about your “close” – ask for the job.
  • Do your homework.  Research company information on the internet.  Read their annual report.  Look at the “News” section on the corporate website.  Find out what’s been happening in the organization.  Know what’s happening in your industry.  Head to trade association websites for the latest trends.  Gently weave your knowledge into your conversation, and into the questions that you ask.
  • Send a thank you note to everyone you meet with.

We cover a lot of ground in preparing for candidates for an interview.  Keep these tips in mind as you get ready for your next interview and you’ll have the most important bases covered.

For more information, browse through our articles on Preparing for a Job Interview. 

If you need help with questions – to expect or to ask – we have two ebooks for sale at a nominal cost.  In addition to the questions, we provide suggested answers and some hints on what to listen for when you’re the one asking the questions!  Check out our Products section for more information.

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Employment References

Posted on August 31, 2010 by Cindy

Checking references is a normal part of the hiring process.  When you are asked to produce references, you want to include people who won’t jeopardize your current employment situation.  It’s a good idea to include two former managers, two former direct reports (assuming you’re going to be managing people), and two former colleagues or peers.  If you’re a sales professional, including two customer references is also helpful.  This will give the hiring company a 360 degree look at your skill set.

References are important, and the way you handle them sends a message to the hiring manager.  Are you signaling clear sailing through this final stage of the hiring process or putting up warning flags?  See our Employment References article for details.

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Working With a Recruiter – Take Our Quiz!

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Cindy

Experienced job seekers have undoubtedly worked with headhunters to find new job opportunities. But, if my inbox is any indication, most candidates don’t use recruiters effectively. Find out how savvy you are when it comes to working with the executive search community. Take our quiz, and then check your answers by reading Working with a Headhunter – Myth vs. Reality.

  1. A headhunter thoroughly reads resumes that are submitted in response to their job advertisements. True or False?

  2. An interview with a headhunter is not the same as an interview with the company. I can say things to a headhunter that I would never say to a hiring manager. True or False?

  3. I should be honest about my compensation requirements. I hurt my own credibility if I tell the recruiter one thing and then try to negotiate something different with the hiring manager. Besides, I might be asked for W-2′s to verify my income. True or False?

  4. A good recruiter will see how easily my skills transfer into other industries and functions. True or False?

  5. I should post my resume on the internet. Companies and recruiters routinely look there for qualified candidates. True or False?

  6. I should spend at least 50% of my job search working with recruiters. They know about jobs that are perfect for my background. True or False?

  7. I have sent my resume to a whole list of recruiters and have not gotten any response. They won’t return my phone calls. True or False?

  8. Spending time meeting recruiters face to face will increase my chances of landing a good opportunity through them. I know that I’m good when I get in front of people. True or False?

  9. I know that if the hiring manager sees my background I’ll get an interview. If the headhunter is blocking me, I should just go around them and talk to the hiring company directly. True or False?

  10. When I was employed, I was constantly bombarded by headhunter calls. I wasn’t looking, so I didn’t bother to call back. If I’m honest, I would have to admit that when they reached me directly, I was not very helpful. Sometimes, I might have even been rude and abrupt. True or False?

Answers can be found here: Working with a Headhunter – Myth vs. Reality.

Scoring:
0-4 Correct: Spend some time on www.top-sales-jobs. You need help with your job search!
5-7 Correct: You’ve been around the block a few times and have decent instincts when it comes to dealing with headhunters.
8-10 Correct: Congratulations! You’re recruiter savvy and have realistic expectations about how recruiters can help with your job search.

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Interview Thank You Note: It’s Not Optional!

Posted on August 26, 2010 by Cindy

Why is it so hard for candidates to write a thank you note after an interview?  Whether you’re applying for a senior level executive position, or your first job out of college, a thank you note following an interview is mandatory.  We can debate the finer points of whether this note should be handwritten and mailed (does anyone do that anymore??) or sent via email.  The most important thing to keep in mind is, to borrow from Nike, Just Do It!!

The sooner the better.  I remember reading Harvey Mackay’s Swim with the Sharks book years ago, and marveling at one of the tactics he recommended for sales professionals:  have the thank you letter ready to go before you even arrive at your appointment.  While I don’t necessarily recommend that in an interview situation, you know before you walk in the door that you’ll need to follow up with everyone you meet with.  That’s right.  Everyone you meet with.

Collect business cards.  Get names and titles right.  If you’re sending your interview thank you note via email, keep in mind how easy it is to forward your message.  That means that if you write the exact same thing to everyone you meet with, chances are someone will find out that you were lazy.  Not exactly the image you want to convey when you’re competing for a job.

Make some notes following your meetings of things you want to follow up on, or areas of commonality between you and the interviewer.  Bring these snippets into your thank you note.

There are some great examples of interview thank you notes on our site.  For more information, see our sample interview thank you letters.  You’ll get some good ideas!

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