Position Name: Sales Intern
Interviewer
Candidate Name
Interview Date
Introductory Questions
– Interviewer(s) share name, role, tenure, and hand business cards for thank you messages – Share a brief overview of the company
– Give Candidate the Job Description, highlight Job Purpose, Schedule/Travel, Major Challenges & Key Decisions, and Physical Requirements
Tell us about yourself.
What are your short and long-term professional goals?
Transitional & Verification Questions
– Clarify any unclear information from resume or application
– Verify availability for work hours and schedule, start date, and other important details
What interests you about this role?
Will you now or at any point in the future require visa sponsorship to work for us?
Technical Questions
– Ask job related questions, based on skills and competencies needed for the role
– Ask open ended questions that allow candidates to tell a story about a specific example
– Ask 5-10 questions based on the role and how much time you have (~3-4 minutes per question)
– Listen for recent examples, details, consistency, the candidate’s role in the story, and teamwork
– Take notes and ask clarifying questions as follow-ups
List your top 3 technical skills.
What has given you the greatest sense of achievement at work and why?
Behavioral / Situational Questions
– Ask job related questions, based on skills and competencies needed for the role
– Ask open ended questions that allow candidates to tell a story about a specific example
– Ask 5-10 questions based on the role and how much time you have (~3-4 minutes per question)
– Listen for recent examples, details, consistency, the candidate’s role in the story, and teamwork
– Take notes and ask clarifying questions as follow-ups. Follow up questions may include:
- Tell us more about the action you took and the outcome.
- What did you say at that point?
- How did you react to that situation?
- Explain your role in more detail.
- Tell me in detail what steps you took.
- And what was the result?
- Describe the obstacles you faced in getting it done.
- What other options did you consider?
- Why do you think you reacted as you did?
- How do you think others felt about your actions at the time?
- Were you satisfied with the outcome of your actions?
- If the same or a similar situation presented itself, what would you do differently?
Intern/New Grad
Tell me about your favorite teacher or mentor thus far in your life.
Situation:
Action:
Result:
If your college major was not an option, what other major would you have selected?
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Tell me your extracurricular activities in school and how they shaped the professional you hope to be.
Situation:
Action:
Result:
What do you for fun when you’re not working or studying?
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Creativity/Innovation
Tell me about a project or process that you personally designed. How did you get feedback and how did you apply it?
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Relationship Building
Tell us about a customer relationship that was challenging to establish and maintain. How did you resolve the situation?
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Tell about a time when you built rapport quickly with someone under difficult conditions.
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Sales
How do you prepare for a cold sales call?
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Share a time when you or the company could not deliver on a promise to a customer.
Situation:
Action:
Result:
Candidate’s Questions
– Be sure to leave time for their questions, generally 1-3
– Paint a positive but honest view of the pros and cons of the work and culture
Notes
Closing Questions
– Describe where you are in the process, next steps, and when they can expect to hear back
– Ask if they have any final remarks
What is one thing I should know about you that I haven’t asked?
What could you bring to this position that other candidates could not?
Interviewer Assessment
Enter your overall assessment about the candidate’s knowledge, skills, abilities, and fit for this position.
Would you recommend this candidate advance in the process?