¶ … Prospective Salespeople in an Interview "Effective employee selection systems share three characteristics: They are valid, they reduce the chance of a legal challenge, and they are cost-effective. A valid selection test is one that is based on a job analysis (content validity), predicts work-related behavior (criterion validity), and measures the construct it purports to measure (construct validity)" (Aamodt 2013: 137). Salespeople present the face of the company to the outside world. Because sales is a multi-faceted business, ideally having multiple people interview the candidate would be preferable; additionally, salespeople interact with the public and must be able to be personable to individuals outside of the company. Serial interviews "involve a series of single interviews. For example, the HR manager might interview an applicant at 9:00 A.M., the department supervisor interviews the applicant at 10:00 A.M., and the vice-president interviews the applicant at 11:00 A.M" (Aamodt 2013: 138). While structured interviews would be preferred given the need to avoid illegal questions and unconscious bias, questions should still be open-ended enough in terms of responses given that extemporaneous behavior is required of salespersons who must deal with various surprises when interacting with customers (Aamodt 2013: 138). Face-to-face interviews would be essential given that body language and subtle...

Give me an example of how you dealt with a skeptical potential customer?
A: Sales associate should respond with an anecdote that stresses professionalism, a non-confrontational approach yet is armed with the facts about the product.

Q2. What sales quotas were you used to meeting on a regular basis when working for your previous organization?

A. Should be at least somewhat commensurate with current needs of the company.

Q3. Can you work late hours?

A. Yes, salespersons often need to work overtime to accommodate clients.

Q4. Is it ever acceptable to bad-mouth a competitor?

A. It is better to stress the positive qualities of the product than to bad-mouth a competitor.

Q5. Do you consider yourself a high-pressure salesperson?

A. No, I believe that too much pressure can actually work against a salesperson although follow-up is necessary.

Q6. Are you comfortable with cold-calling?

A. Yes, but of course it needs to be done in a sensitive and respectful manner.

Q7. What do you do when a client tells you he/she is too busy to talk?

A. I set another meeting with a firm deadline…