6 years ago
June 14, 2018

The Best Answer for “How Would Your Colleagues Describe You?”

Sales job interviews can be nerve wracking. You want to do your best to impress the interviewer and hopefully get a call for a second interview or even get a…

Rhys Metler

Sales job interviews can be nerve wracking. You want to do your best to impress the interviewer and hopefully get a call for a second interview or even get a job offer.

To do this, you need to have well prepared answers to the questions you’ll be asked during the interview process. Like all types of jobs – sales, marketing, HR, finance – there are certain questions that companies like to ask candidates.

One common sales job interview question you will encounter is, “How would your colleagues best describe you?”

Sounds simple enough, but it can actually be a challenging question to answer. Our sales recruiters outline why interviewers like to ask the question and how you should answer it.

Why Interviewers Ask the Question

Rather than getting you to answer specific questions about your personality, interviewers and sales recruiters like to add the colleague element to:

  1. Compare your answer with the skills/abilities listed on your resume
  2. Compare your answer to how your references describe you
  3. See how you perceive yourself from another person’s viewpoint
  4. See how well you would fit into the company culture

How to Answer “How Would Your Colleagues Describe You?”

This question is your opportunity to communicate your best traits to the interviewer. To prepare for these types of questions, read what others have to say about you. You may be thinking, “Where do I get this information, short of asking colleagues directly?” There are actually many sources you could consult:

  1. Past performance reviews
  2. LinkedIn recommendations
  3. Written recommendation letters
  4. Ask trusted co-workers to outline your personality traits

When asked the question during an interview, be sure to:

  1. Highlight traits that are most applicable: People have lots of great personality traits. Narrow your list to the traits that are your best and most applicable to the job.
  2. Be honest: Avoid trying to say what you think the interviewer wants to hear. Be honest about your best traits.
  3. Focus on one personality trait at a time: Start with your best trait and offer examples of when you displayed this trait.

 

Learn About How to Answer Other Common Sales Interview Questions

Have a sales job interview coming up? Get more answers to tough sales job interview questions by checking out these blogs from our expert sales recruiters:

3 Brilliant Interview Tips to Answer ‘What Motivates You to Sell?’

“Explain something to me.” Clever Ways to Answer This BIG Question in a Sales Interview

4 Creative Ways to Survive a Sales Role-Play in an Interview

 


SalesForce Search is a sales recruiting company which specializes in the recruitment and placement of sales professionals. We recruit salespeople in every sector of the economy including, software, manufacturing, financial services and medical devices. Find the right salesperson for your organization, start your search here.

Rhys Metler

Rhys is a tenacious, top performing Senior Sales Recruiter with 15+ years of focused experience in the Digital Media, Mobile, Software, Technology and B2B verticals. He has a successful track record of headhunting top performing sales candidates for some of the most exciting brands in North America. He is a Certified Recruitment Specialist (CRS) and has expert experience in prospecting new business, client retention/renewals and managing top performing sales and recruitment teams. Rhys enjoys spending quality time with his wife, son, and daughters, BBQing on a hot summer day and tropical vacations.

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