How to Hire a Sales Development Representative

SDR is frequently a first or second job, so the pool is wide: recent grads, people from competitive backgrounds (athletes, debate, hospitality, retail), and career-changers with hustle. You're hiring for trajectory, not pedigree. Source from LinkedIn, campus pipelines, and referrals from your current top SDRs, who tend to know other driven people. The best predictor is rarely a perfect resume; it's evidence of resilience, competitiveness, and the willingness to do unglamorous outbound work consistently.

For an entry-level SDR, coachability, work ethic, resilience, and curiosity beat polished technique every time, because technique is what you'll train. Look for genuine interest in learning, a track record of grinding through something hard, and a personality that recovers fast from rejection. Probe how they handle being told no, since the job is a high volume of rejection. Raw talkers who can't take feedback flame out; humble, hungry, coachable people compound quickly.

A live role-play is the single most predictive step. Give a quick mock cold call or have them handle a few objections after light prep, and grade how they research, open, ask questions, listen, and handle pushback, not whether they're perfectly smooth. Even better, give feedback mid-exercise and watch whether they apply it immediately; that real-time coachability is exactly what predicts on-the-job ramp. Also have them send a short written outreach to gauge their writing.

SDR comp is typically a modest base plus variable tied to meetings booked or pipeline generated, with the real draw being the path to Account Executive. Hiring is fast (one to three weeks) because volume and time-to-productivity matter. Be honest that the role is repetitive and rejection-heavy. Candidates motivated by the AE path and skill-building will thrive; those who see it as a dead-end won't. Set the promotion criteria explicitly so the role reads as a launchpad, not a treadmill.

Close SDRs on growth: a clear promotion path, strong coaching and enablement, and a product they can believe in. They'll choose the role where they'll learn fastest and get promoted soonest. After hiring, ramp matters as much as the hire; structured onboarding, call scripts, fast feedback loops, and a supportive manager turn raw potential into pipeline. A great SDR hire with poor onboarding still fails, so invest in the first 90 days.