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Recently, I had the opportunity to interview three different candidates for an open SDR position on our team.
Two moved forward. One didn’t.
What separated the candidates wasn’t years of experience, an incredible resume, or their ability to perfectly answer every interview question.
Actually... the candidate with the most direct SDR experience was the one who didn’t move forward.
The other two candidates came from completely different backgrounds. One worked in medical sales, while the other was a teacher.
Neither had traditional tech sales experience.
Yet, they were the two candidates who moved forward in the interview process…here’s why:
Energy.
This doesn’t mean you need to be loud, bouncing off the walls, or forcing some fake personality because you think that’s what the interviewer wants to see.
The two candidates who moved forward simply seemed genuinely excited to be there.
They were engaged in the conversation. They were curious. They wanted to learn more about the role, team, company, etc. You could tell they actually wanted the opportunity.
The candidate who didn’t move forward was almost the complete opposite. There was very little energy or excitement throughout the conversation.
Could they have been great at the job?
Potentially. But that’s the problem...
An interviewer can only evaluate what you show them.
Preparation.
This sounds incredibly simple… because it is.
Once again, the two candidates who moved forward had clearly done their research before the interview.
They understood what my company does, had a basic understanding of the product, & could speak to some of the problems we solve.
More importantly, their preparation showed me something beyond simply knowing the correct answers... it shows that they care.
They took the time before the interview to prepare because the opportunity actually mattered to them.
The candidate who didn’t move forward couldn’t explain a basic use case for our product. He couldn’t speak to competitors in the space, and I essentially had to explain the answers to them.
Questions.
This was another massive separator.
The ones that moved forward didn’t just wait until the end and ask:
“What’s the company culture like?”
They asked thoughtful questions about the role, competitors, challenges we’re currently facing in the market, & what it’s actually like being a sales rep at my company.
This once again goes back to preparation & that their questions showed me that they had researched the company, understood the role, and were genuinely trying to learn more.
Good candidates know that an interview is a two way street. You should be trying to learn as much as possible about the company, just as the company is trying to learn about you.
Breaking into tech sales can feel incredibly complicated.
People spend hours rewriting their resumes, memorizing interview answers, and trying to find the perfect things to say.
After sitting on the other side of the interview process, one of my biggest takeaways was how simple the difference between candidates can actually be.
Bring energy. Be prepared. Ask thoughtful questions.
That’s it. Nothing super ground breaking from this week’s newsletter.
You don’t need to have years of sales experience, know everything about the company, & perfectly answer every question.
The candidate with the most relevant experience was the one who didn’t move forward.
Experience might help you get the interview... but how you show up determines whether you move forward.
Sometimes... it really is that simple.
Until next week.
– Rook ♜
ps… do you need help breaking into tech sales? I can help you 1:1 here