This interview guide for Telesales Executive roles will help you to quickly identify which candidates should be on your shortlist. By asking these Sales interview questions and assessing answers against the indicators provided, which will help you determine better which are the high performing candidates.
To be effective, however, these Sales interview questions need to be utilised early in the recruitment process to ensure only high performing candidates make it onto your shortlist and attend the final face to face interviews.
One way of utilising them is to assess candidates earlier in the process by Video Interview. It allows you to make sure all candidates are asked the same key interview questions. Video Interview allows you to identify high performing candidates earlier in the recruitment process. This means you can be confident that all the candidates you meet face to face have the skills required to be successful in the role.
This guide was prepared by our Head of Assessment Design, Claire Crisp (BSc, MSc, C.Psychol).
Responsibilities
- Closes sales deals over the telephone
- Builds and maintains customer relationships
- Takes and processes orders accurately
- Handles customer grievances
Key Competencies Required
Primary
- Persuasive Communication
- Drive and Motivation
- Resilience
Secondary
- Delivering Results
- Interpersonal awareness
- Initiative
Interview Questions
Below are two Sales interview questions which will help you identify and eliminate those candidates who do not possess the drive and motivation and resilience required to be successful in a Telesales Executive role. To support these Sales interview questions, we’ve prepared a rating system to help you evaluate a candidates’ answer.
- To assess Drive and Motivation- “Tell me about a time when you had to put in extra effort to meet a target you had been set. How did you feel about your target? What happened in the end?”
- To assess Resilience- “Talk me through a work day where you had several customers decline the services or products you were offering. How did you respond?”
How to assess: Drive and Motivation
A suitable candidate will be self-motivated and driven to achieve. They will willingly put in extra effort in order to achieve their targets.
| Positive Behaviours | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Negative Behaviours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Responds positively to targets | Responds negatively / ambivalently to targets | |||||
| Motivates themselves without input from others | Requires input from others to raise motivation levels | |||||
| Puts in extra effort to achieve targets | Misses targets; puts in minimal effort | |||||
| Shows determination and confidence in pursuit of targets and goals | Tackles goals and targets with minimal determination; is unconfident of success |
How to assess: Resilience
A suitable candidate will handle rejection positively and calmly. They will seek to overcome difficulties and will believe that they can turn things around.
| Positive Behaviours | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Negative Behaviours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Responds positively to setbacks or rejection | Feels dejected / negative in the face of setbacks or rejection | |||||
| Maintains perspective when handling rejection | Takes rejection personally; is over-sensitive | |||||
| Perseveres when faced with rejection; tries different approaches | Gives up in the face of rejection; panics about how to move forwards | |||||
| Asks questions to ensure full understanding of a situation | Shies away from uncomfortable situations; avoids asking questions to help understanding |
