Interview questions for sales roles

These are the questions to prepare for in a job interview for sales roles: 6 job-specific questions with tips for good answers, the most common questions in every interview, and questions you can ask the employer. With Selja you can also practise the interview for the exact job you have applied for.

Job-specific questions for sales roles

Take us through your sales process, from first contact to a signed deal.

Describe your steps concretely: how you find customers, map their needs, present and close. Use a real example.

How did you perform against your target last year?

Have the numbers ready: target, result and how you compared with the rest of the team. Be honest, and explain what was behind it.

Tell me about the biggest deal you have closed.

Talk about the customer, what the challenge was, what you did to win it and what it was worth.

How do you respond when a customer says the price is too high?

Show that you first try to understand the objection, and then talk about value instead of offering a discount straight away.

Tell me about a deal you lost.

Choose a real one, and spend most of the time on what you learned and what you do differently now.

How do you build a customer portfolio from scratch?

Describe how you prioritise who to contact, which channels you use and how many people you contact each week.

Common questions in every job interview

Tell me a little about yourself.

Keep it to one or two minutes. Start with who you are professionally, highlight two or three experiences that are relevant to the job, and finish with why you are applying right now. Skip your whole life story.

What are your greatest strengths?

Choose two or three strengths the job actually requires, and give a short example of each. A strength without an example is just a claim.

What is your greatest weakness?

Choose something real that is not crucial for the job, and explain what you are doing to improve. Avoid tired answers like saying you are a perfectionist.

Why did you apply for this job?

Link what you know and enjoy to what the job involves. Mention two specific things in the job ad that appealed to you, not just that you need a job.

What do you know about us?

Read their website, recent news and LinkedIn page beforehand. Mention something specific, such as a product, a client or an initiative, and say why it interests you.

Tell me about a time you solved a difficult problem.

Use STAR: briefly describe the situation, what your task was, what you did, and what the result was. Spend most of the time on what you did yourself.

Tell me about a time you made a mistake.

Choose a real mistake, take responsibility without blaming others, and spend most of the time on what you did to put it right and what you do differently now.

Tell me about a disagreement with a colleague. How did you resolve it?

Show that you listen and focus on the issue, not the person. Finish with how you worked together afterwards.

What are your salary expectations?

Research the pay level for the job beforehand. Give a range instead of a single figure, and justify it with your skills and responsibilities. The hourly pay calculator here can help you convert between hourly and annual pay.

When can you start?

Check your notice period before the interview, and give a concrete answer. If you are flexible, say so.

Answer with the STAR method

When you are asked for an example, the STAR method gives an answer that is concrete and easy to follow:

Situation: Where were you, and what happened? Keep it short.
Task: What was your responsibility or goal?
Action: What did you do, step by step? Spend most of your time here.
Result: What was the outcome? Include numbers if you can.

Questions to ask the employer

What does a typical sales process look like, and how long does it take?

You find out what kind of selling it is, and whether it suits the way you work.

Where do the leads come from, and how many will I need to find myself?

Crucial for what your days will look like. There is a big difference between warm leads and cold calls.

What share of the salespeople reach their target?

Tells you whether the targets are realistic. In sales it is perfectly normal to ask this.

What does a normal week look like in this job?

You get a concrete picture of the daily work, and can see whether the tasks match what was in the job ad.

What are the most important goals for the first six months?

Shows that you are thinking about delivering from the start. The answer tells you what is actually expected of you.

How do you measure success in the role?

You find out what you will be assessed on, and whether the goals are clear or vague.

What are the biggest challenges the person who gets the job will face?

A mature question that gives an honest picture of the job. Feel free to say briefly how you would tackle them.

Practise the interview with Selja

The best thing you can do before the interview is to practise the questions for that exact job out loud. Interview practice in Selja creates questions from the job ad and your CV. You answer by speaking or writing and get feedback on every answer, so you know what to say differently before it counts.

See the interview questions for your profession for free.
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CV example for sales roles
How to prepare for a job interview

Frequently asked questions

What do they ask in a job interview for sales roles?

You get both common questions, like "Tell me a little about yourself", and job-specific questions, for example: "Take us through your sales process, from first contact to a signed deal." and "How did you perform against your target last year?"

How do I prepare for an interview for sales roles?

Read the job ad and find the three most important requirements. Prepare a short example for each, ideally with the STAR method, and practise out loud. Have two or three questions ready for the employer.

Is there a tool for practising an interview for sales roles?

Yes. With interview practice in Selja you practise the interview for the exact job you have applied for, speaking or writing, and get feedback on every answer. You can see the most common interview questions by profession for free, and Selja also creates your CV and cover letter for the job in under a minute.