Construction – Home Improvement Sales Representative

Position Name: Home Improvement Sales Representative

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.

Walk us through your professional background.

What do you know about our organization?

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?

Are you able to perform the essential functions of this position with or without reasonable accommodation?

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 specific areas (related to the position) do you consider yourself the most knowledgeable? What areas have you had less experience or do not feel as comfortable with?

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?

Business Acumen

What are some of the reasons your customers buy your products or services?

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How do you ensure that your work and goals are aligned with corporate or strategic goals? Tell me about a time when you had to pay particular attention to this.

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Communication

To get our points across, we sometimes need to use differing approaches when talking with different types of people. Talk to me about a time when you have done that successfully.

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Customer Focused

Describe for me a recent time when a customer request could not be satisfied. What was the situation and how did you handle it?

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Have you ever had to go the extra mile to satisfy a customer? Tell me what you did and what was the result?

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Tell me about a recent time when you put the customer’s needs ahead of the company’s needs. What was the situation and how did you handle it?

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How do you go about understanding the expectations of your customer—internal and external? Walk me through an example with an actual customer.

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Describe a time when you successfully handled a customer complaint.

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Emotional Intelligence

What has been the most difficult criticism for you to receive?

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Facilitation/Presentation

Describe a time when you were particularly successful in your facilitation skills to achieve the desired result.

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Describe a time you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone’s opinion.

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Initiative

Tell us about a time that you went above and beyond the call of duty.

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What types of work projects get you really excited? We all “geek out” about different things. What do you geek out about?

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Learning Agility

Explain the quickest and the toughest mental transition you have ever had to make.

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Describe a time when you overcame a major obstacle.

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Negotiation

What makes an effective negotiator? Give me an example of an effective situation you’ve negotiated.

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When don’t you negotiate? Give an example.

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Relationship Building

How does one go about building rapport quickly and maintaining successful business relationships?  Give examples of how you made these work for you.

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Give a specific example of a time when you had to address an angry customer.  What was the problem and what was the outcome?  How would you asses your role in diffusing the situation?

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Results Orientation

How do you measure your work results?

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Tell me about the last successful project you led.

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Sales

How do you prepare for a cold sales call?

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Tell us about a time that you promised a customer something before securing agreement internally.

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What has been your most difficult sales situation?

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Skilled Trades

What motivates you or keeps you going during the workday in this field?

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How did you get started in this field?

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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?

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?