Updated September 2026
A startup SDR interview works best in four short stages: a phone screen, a review of a written outreach exercise, a cold call role play done twice with coaching in between, and a final round with the founder or AE. Most SDR candidates have little track record, so the process has to test how fast they learn rather than what they have already done.
The SDR interview plan
Run the first screen as a phone call on purpose. Candidates will spend most of their day on the phone, and you learn a lot from how they sound with no face to read.
Motivation and resilience
- Why sales development, and why now?
- What do you want to be doing in two years, and what would you need to learn to get there?
- Tell me about a time you kept going at something after repeated rejection.
- How do you structure a day when nobody is checking your work?
- What would make you want to leave an SDR job in the first six months?
Strong answer: A specific reason for choosing sales, a realistic view of the rejection involved, and examples of self-discipline from any part of life.
Red flags: Seeing SDR only as a quick stepping stone to something unrelated, or no example of sticking with anything difficult.
Research and writing
- Which of the companies on our website would you contact first, and why?
- Walk me through how you researched the prospect in your exercise.
- Read your first email aloud. What would you cut?
- Who would you contact if the first person ignored three messages?
- How would you write to someone who has never heard of us and has no reason to reply?
- What did you learn about our buyer while preparing for today?
Strong answer: Short emails built on one relevant observation, a clear reason for account choice, and a willingness to cut their own writing.
Red flags: Templates with the name swapped in, long paragraphs about our features, or research that stops at the company homepage.
Calling and objection handling
- How do you open a cold call in the first ten seconds?
- The prospect says "Send me some information." What do you do?
- The prospect says "We already use [competitor]." What next?
- How do you tell whether a meeting you booked is qualified?
- Tell me about a conversation where you changed someone's mind.
Strong answer: A clear permission-based opener, a question in response to brush-offs, and a working definition of qualified that matches yours.
Red flags: Talking over the buyer, pitching features at every objection, or counting any meeting as a win.
Learning speed and coachability
- After your first role play, what would you change? Now try again.
- Tell me about feedback you found hard to hear.
- What is the last skill you taught yourself, and how?
- How would you want your coach to give you feedback?
- What will you ask your AE after each meeting you book?
- What would you do in your first week if nobody had time to train you?
Strong answer: A visibly better second attempt, feedback applied without arguing, and a habit of asking AEs what happened next.
Red flags: The same call twice, defensiveness about feedback, or waiting to be told what to do.
Work sample: outreach exercise
Give the candidate three real target accounts and your one-line pitch. Ask them to pick one, choose the right person, and write a first email plus two follow-ups. Cap it at 2 hours and ask for a short note on why they chose that account and person.
Look for relevance over polish. A good first email is under 100 words, mentions one thing specific to the prospect and asks for something small. Follow-ups should add something new each time.
Scoring rubric
| Outcome | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualified meetings | No example of hitting a target | Hit targets with close supervision | Hit targets on their own | Hit and beat targets, can explain how |
| Meeting-to-opportunity rate | Would book anyone | Basic idea of fit | Clear qualification criteria | Qualifies as well as an AE would |
| Learning speed | No change after feedback | Small change | Clear improvement | Big improvement, asks for more |
| Messaging experiments | No idea how to test | Changes things at random | Tests one variable at a time | Designs tests and reads results |
| Market insight | No research | Company homepage only | Knows buyer and pains | Brought a new insight about our market |
Where Funded.club fits
We run SDR and BDR searches on a fixed fee agreed upfront, often in our $4,900 band, with one dedicated recruiter and first screened candidates within 7 days. See pricing.
Frequently asked questions
How long should an SDR interview process take?
Aim to finish within two weeks. Strong junior candidates often have several offers, and a slow process loses them.
Should SDR candidates have sales experience?
Not always. Learning speed, writing and resilience predict success better than a year of experience. Put those in your SDR job description and test them directly.
When should a startup hire its first SDR?
Once someone has the time and skill to run the meetings the SDR books, and you know which buyers respond. Our guide to building an SDR team covers the timing.
Worth a brief chat about your next hire? Book a free call.
Hiring after a funding round?
First candidates in 7 days. Fixed-fee, no commission.