In Tough Interview Questions Part 1, we touched on a few thought provoking questions similar to the ones below . However, as recruiters we feel that it is key that you get to know your sales or marketing personnel before making the decision to bring them on your team. Hopefully these questions will prove useful as well.

5. If the applicant were in your seat, what would they ask the prospective employee?

Throughout the process, the prospective employee should be interviewing you as well. It is quite basic that somebody interviewing for a job should come prepared with questions. Before you go into this question, think about the important facets of your organization and see if they match.

6. Give the applicant two marketing brochures from competitors and ask which one they would perceive to be a bigger threat. Good sales people are able to take their competition right out of the picture before they even open their mouths. Truly effective and hard-working marketing and sales representatives know just about everything regarding their competition. Business can be somewhat of a chess match and the executive level employees should figure a way to corner their opponents. Additionally, it is always beneficial to get an outsider’s perspective.

7. Ask the candidate why they want to be successful. As I mentioned before, I like to treat business as a game. Maybe this is not everybody’s style, but sales people need to be more concerned with the upside. However, as I tell all my clients: pay your sales and marketing staff properly and they will produce great ROI. If you pay your sales people very little, you are risking turnovers and low employee morale. In the end, true sales people know that the money comes if they work hard and stay smart. However, find a sales person who likes the game of business. If they spend their time chasing money, they will never live up to company expectations. Money spawns from passion. This is true in any job.

8. Tell the candidate a rough salary and ask them why they would be worth it. This question is more to put the candidate on the spot. You can see how quickly they think. The only catch 22 here is that you have to make sure that you are not coming across as arrogant. Prior to asking this question, tell the candidate that you are not coming across as arrogant, but want to see their thought process and compensation expectations. Again, with the compensation, you’re looking at a 9.5% unemployment rate so tread lightly with this one.

9. Ask the candidate who their favorite historical figure is and why. How well read is the candidate? Surely, every candidate has someone whom they admire. If you get shrugged shoulders on this one, it is best to move on. People tend to gravitate towards interesting people. Conversely, people who are boring…well, they’re boring.

10. For a marketing or sales candidate, ask how they would go about managing a marketing or sales team given a certain budget. The goal with every hire is to grow a business. Businesses need to move forward and a company needs to know that the person whom they are hiring can rise to any occasion. If a sales or marketing applicant envisions success, than more likely than not, your firm is going to achieve that.

Author Bio: Ken Sundheim runs a New York City sales recruiting firm sales recruiters sales recruitment agencies and marketing staffing company new york marketing employment agencies

Category: Business
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