If you’ve been on enough sales job interviews, you’ve likely been asked a lot of the same, or very similar, interview questions. Many of these are the ones you’ll find online or are common knowledge within the industry. These are the easier questions to answer. 

But any experienced sales recruiter will tell you that if you are interviewing with a forward-thinking company, you should expect a curve ball question. Employers ask odd questions because they want to see how you will reach when you are put on the spot. They want to see how you think on your feet. They also want to ask a question they know you haven’t put time into carefully planning an answer for. 

Interviewing sales professionals can be more challenging than many other professions because salespeople know how to sell themselves. For this reason, you can expect some interview questions you don’t expect curated by our sales recruiters.

1. How honest are you? 

According to sales recruiters, this is an interesting question to ask sales candidates because there can be some grey areas in how professionals operate. Are you a straight shooter? Do you omit some details when working with customers? Do you tell a little white lie occasionally? Do you always tell people what they want to hear? Candidates will ask this to see if you are willing to admit to lying at some point. How you answer can tell a lot about your integrity. 

2. What is your least favourite thing about sales?

As sales headhunters, we know most employers ask you about your skills, experience, and sales knowledge. This will give them insights into what you are good at. But potential employers also want to know areas a candidate will need to improve. One way to get this information is to ask about the things you don’t like to do. For example, if a candidate says cold calling is their least favourite thing about sales, then there’s a good chance sales recruiter may think it’s a weak area for you. So make sure to answer this question with something that you are working on improving to show you are being proactive. 

3. What role has luck played in your sales career?

This can be a tricky question to answer according to sales headhunters. It can say a lot about how you perceive your career path to this point. If a candidate says they’ve never been lucky, it could be a sign they feel slighted or have a negative outlook. Candidates who express they have had some luck will generally have a more positive outlook on things. You could also answer the question by saying something along the lines of you created your luck by working hard to achieve your successes. 

Get more interview question strategies from our sales candidate

Less Is More – How to Sell Yourself in a Sales Job Interview

6 Top Interview Questions For The Most In-Demand Sales Jobs

How to Answer “How Did You Handle a Difficult Situation?” in a Sales Job Interview

How to Answer Interview Questions About Sales Experience Like a Real Pro

As North America’s leading sales headhunter, SalesForce Search recruits salespeople in every sector of the economy including, software, manufacturing, financial services and medical devices. To find your next sales rockstar, start your search here.