26 Interview Questions to Ask a Sales Development Representative

1. What motivates you?
2. Tell me about a time when you were competitive. What happened and what was the outcome?
3. Are you held to any metrics in your current role? Quotas, meetings set, etc.?
4. Have you done cold outreach? If yes, describe your experience.
5. How do you stack up against your teammates?
6. Describe a recent win or outreach you’re most proud of.
7. Tell me about a time when you had to overcome a challenge in your most recent role. What steps did you take?
8. What are some pain points in your current role?
9. Describe your ideal next role.
10. Tell me about a time when you had to tackle a difficult hurdle in your role. What did you learn from it?
11. What was the last thing you dove deep into, taught yourself, or learned more about?

Cold outreach is futile without perseverance. A sales development representative can build relationships with prospects and book more meetings by being persistent.

The below questions can help you find candidates who have perseverance and grit.

1. Tell me about a time when you made your best effort to close a deal, but you were unsuccessful. What happened, and how did you recover from it?
2. Tell me about a time when you had a bad day at work. How did you react? What did you do to overcome it?
3. Tell me about a time when you were told ‘no,’ but persisted until you were successful.
4. Tell me about a time when a coworker you depended on disappointed you. What happened, and how did you move forward with that person?

There’s never a perfectly defined path a sales development representative can take to find success. But by relying on their gut, they can determine the best course of action no matter the situation.

The below questions can help you find candidates who are adept at listening to their intuition.

1. Tell me about a time when you went with your gut, and it ended up being the right choice.
2. How would a colleague describe you as a teammate in two to three words?
3. Tell me about a time when you were asked to make a final call. How did you make your decision? What was the outcome?
4. Tell me about a time when solving a problem required reading between the lines. What did you have to figure out, and how did it shape your decision-making?
5. Tell me about a time when your coworkers were unreceptive to an idea of yours. How did you react?

Sales development representatives constantly face rejection. It’s of utmost importance that they have humility and can view uncomfortable or difficult situations as opportunities to grow.

The below questions can help you find candidates who are humble.

1. What’s the most useful piece of constructive feedback you’ve ever received from a manager or colleague?
2. Tell me about a time when you received a review or critique you weren’t expecting. How did you react?
3. What’s the biggest change you’ve made in yourself or your work based on constructive feedback?
4. Tell me about your approach to professional growth.
5. Imagine you worked on a project, but afterward, you felt you did not receive enough credit for your contributions. Reviews for promotions are coming up soon. How would you approach this situation?
6. Tell me about a time when you received feedback you didn’t agree with. How did you react?