- Stages
- 4
- Typical timeline
- 1 to 3 weeks
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Format
- Recruiter call, manager interview, role-play or written task
SDR interviews focus on drive, resilience, communication and coachability. Many candidates have little sales experience, so interviewers look for evidence that you set targets, handle rejection and learn fast. Expect a cold call role-play, a task to write an outreach email or sequence, and questions about why sales and how you would research a prospect. Showing that you have researched the company's customers and can write a short, relevant message stands out more than polished sales jargon.
How HubSpot hires
HubSpot interviews typically include a recruiter screen, hiring manager conversation and role-specific exercises. Sales roles commonly include a role-play or presentation. The company publishes a culture code, which is worth reading before interviews.
The interview process, stage by stage
- Recruiter screenMotivation for sales, communication and availability.
- Hiring manager interviewDrive, resilience and examples of hitting targets.
- Cold call role-playCall a mock prospect and try to book a meeting.
- Written taskWrite an outreach email or short sequence.
How you're scored
Evidence of setting and hitting ambitious goals.
Clear, confident and concise on the phone and in writing.
Handles rejection and keeps going.
Takes feedback and improves quickly.
Likely Sales Development Representative interview questions
Cold call me and try to book a meeting.
A strong answer includes: A short, honest opener, a relevant reason for calling, one question about their situation, calm handling of the brush-off and a specific meeting request.
I'm not interested. Goodbye.
A strong answer includes: Acknowledge it, ask one short question to understand why or offer a reason to give 30 seconds, and respect a firm no.
Write an email to a head of operations at a logistics company.
A strong answer includes: A personalised first line, one problem relevant to their role, a brief proof point and a simple question, all under 100 words.
Every question for this interview, with what strong answers include. Free with an account for the first few; all of them with Pro.
Common mistakes
- Long, generic outreach emails
- Giving up after the first objection in a role-play
- No research on the company's customers
- Saying you want to be an AE without showing interest in the SDR job
Questions to ask them
- What does a typical day and week look like?
- How are SDRs measured?
- How long does promotion to account executive usually take?
- How are SDRs coached?
Candidate experiences
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Share your interviewFrequently asked questions
What is the HubSpot Sales Development Representative interview process?
HubSpot interviews typically include a recruiter screen, hiring manager conversation and role-specific exercises. For Sales Development Representative roles, interviews usually cover recruiter screen, hiring manager interview, cold call role-play, written task. Timelines are typically 1 to 3 weeks, but they vary by team and level.
How do I prepare for a Sales Development Representative interview at HubSpot?
Learn how HubSpot works and who its customers are, then prepare for the core Sales Development Representative rounds: prospecting, cold calling, written outreach. Practise the likely questions out loud, prepare specific stories with results, and have thoughtful questions ready for your interviewers.
How do I prepare for an SDR interview with no sales experience?
Use examples from other parts of your life that show targets, persistence and handling rejection, such as sport, part-time jobs or societies. Research the company's customers, practise a short cold call opener and write a sample outreach email.
What is an SDR cold call role-play?
You call an interviewer playing a busy prospect. They judge your opener, how quickly you get to a relevant reason for the call, how you handle objections like 'not interested' and whether you ask for a meeting.
