In my career, I have spent quite a bit of time interviewing sales reps. I have had the pleasure of meeting some great candidates who come to the interview well prepared to discuss their qualifications and learn more about the opportunity. Unfortunately, there have also been those who did not fair so well. In the latter cases, these candidates simply were not prepared.

If you are getting ready for an interview, here’s a few tips that I have learned along the way:

1. Tell us a little about yourself…

This is often the opening question in an interview so be ready to answer this question. If you are interviewing for a sales role, this is essentially where you should be giving your elevator pitch. In a couple of sentences, who are you, what do you do and why does it matter to me?

It might sound like this:

I am a B.Comm graduate with ten years of successful B2B sales software experience. I am currently with ABC Software and am on track to make President’s Club for the third year in a row. I am now ready to move to the next level – and I am looking for an opportunity to use my experience to lead a team in a sales management capacity. When I came across this opportunity, it checked a lot of boxes for me – and I am excited to learn more about the role today.

2. Let’s talk about your current role…

At some point in the interview, there will likely be some discussion around your current role or last couple of roles. As someone doing the recruiting, I am pretty familiar with the responsibilities of a typical sales rep – you don’t spend too much time going over your job description. Instead, use this time to 'brag' about what you have accomplished - focus on the results you have achieved, the new customers you brought on, the targets you surpassed, the glowing feedback from your manager, etc. Get specific and provide details!

3. What do you want to work here?

Before the interview, do some research and find out as much as you can about the company. Check out the company’s online profile - go to the company website, check out their social media, blog posts and online reviews. Review your personal network on Linked In and see if you know anyone who works there or used to work there – if you do, contact them to get the inside scoop! From this information, you should get a pretty good idea of what this company is all about – and why you want to be part of it.

4. Any questions for us?

Towards the end of the interview, there most likely will be an opportunity for you to ask questions – so come prepared with 3-5 questions. Some of your questions may be answered during the interview process – for example, the interviewer may share with you details around the training program, the comp plan and next steps in the interview process.

So, what else can you ask about?

• Get curious about the role – What’s a typical day/week or month like for a current sales rep? What are the biggest challenges that a new rep typically faces? How big is the current team? Is this a new role in the organization?

• Get curious about the company – How would you describe the culture? Ask about something you saw on the website – for example, an acquisition of another company or a new market that they just opened up.

• Get curious about the interviewer – How long have you been here? What do you like most about the company? What one thing would you change if you could?

• Ask for feedback – Based on what you have seen so far, do you have any concerns?

5. References

Most companies will do some sort of a reference check, so come prepared with those contact details. Professional references should be from the last 5-10 years and at least one should be someone who managed you directly. When providing references, it is helpful to explain how the reference knows you. For example:

Bob Smith

VP Sales

XYZ Software Company

604-555-5555

bob.smith@gmail.com

I reported to Bob directly at ABC Software from 2012-2015.

While this all sounds like common sense, I have come to realize that common sense is, well, anything but common. I have met some really great candidates who I know could probably do a good job representing the company I am recruiting for – and yet, they don’t get the job because they are simply not prepared.

Prepare for a job interview the same way you prepare for a sales call. Don’t wing it. Learn as much as you can about the person you will be meeting with and the company in general, review your strengths and areas of development and anticipate some of the typical questions that you will be asked – that’s how you bring your ‘A’ game and succeed in the interview!

#interviewing #interviewprep #bringyouragame