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Hiring Guide

How to Hire a Sales Development Representative

To hire an SDR, prioritize coachability, work ethic, and resilience over polished sales experience, since the role is often entry-level. Source from competitive, high-energy backgrounds, run a role-play cold call or objection-handling exercise, and test their curiosity and grit. Look for people who ask great questions and bounce back from rejection, then ramp them with strong onboarding and a clear path to AE.

Where do you find good SDR candidates?

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.

What traits matter most when sales experience is thin?

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.

How do you run an SDR role-play and assessment?

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.

What does the SDR ramp, comp, and career picture look like?

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.

How do you close and set up an SDR to succeed?

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.

The hiring process for a Sales Development Representative

  1. 1
    Hire for trajectory, not pedigree Target driven, competitive, coachable candidates from varied backgrounds rather than insisting on prior SaaS sales experience for an entry-level seat.
  2. 2
    Write a launchpad JD Be honest about the volume and rejection while making the path to AE, the coaching, and the skill-building explicit so the right people self-select.
  3. 3
    Screen for energy and grit Use a short screen to gauge enthusiasm, curiosity, and evidence of pushing through something hard, since these predict ramp better than resumes.
  4. 4
    Run a live cold-call role-play Have them open a call, ask questions, and handle objections after light prep, grading research, listening, and composure under pushback.
  5. 5
    Test real-time coachability Give feedback mid-role-play and watch whether they immediately apply it, plus review a short written outreach sample for clarity.
  6. 6
    Close on growth and onboard hard Close on the promotion path and coaching, then invest in a structured first-90-days ramp with scripts, feedback, and a strong manager.

What to look for

  • ✓Applies feedback immediately when coached mid-role-play
  • ✓Recovers quickly and stays composed after a hard objection or rejection
  • ✓Asks genuine, curious questions rather than just pitching at the prospect
  • ✓Shows evidence of grinding through something difficult in their background
  • ✓Demonstrates real interest in learning the craft and the product
  • ✓Writes a clear, concise outreach message without filler
  • ✓Energetic and competitive without being arrogant or uncoachable

Red flags to avoid

  • !Gets defensive or makes excuses when given coaching feedback
  • !Crumbles or sulks after a single objection in the role-play
  • !All smooth talk with no curiosity, listening, or genuine questions
  • !Sees the SDR role as beneath them or a dead-end to endure
  • !Can't recall a time they pushed through rejection or hard work
  • !Sloppy, rushed written outreach that suggests low attention to detail
→ Interview questions for a Sales Development Representative → Sales Development Representative job description template ← All hiring guides
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Should an SDR have prior sales experience? +
Not necessarily. SDR is often a launch role, so coachability, work ethic, and resilience matter more than a sales resume. Many top performers come from sports, hospitality, or other high-effort backgrounds. Prior SaaS SDR experience is a plus for faster ramp, but never filter out a hungry, coachable candidate just because they're new to sales.
What's the best single interview step for SDRs? +
A live cold-call or objection-handling role-play. It reveals composure under pushback, listening, curiosity, and how they think on their feet, far better than behavioral questions alone. The most telling moment is giving feedback mid-exercise and seeing whether they apply it instantly, which directly predicts how fast they'll ramp on the job.
How do I keep SDRs from quitting quickly? +
Set clear promotion criteria to AE, invest in real onboarding and coaching, and be honest upfront about the rejection-heavy nature of the work. SDRs churn when the role feels like a dead-end or when they're thrown in without enablement. People who see a learning path and feel supported by their manager stay and produce.
How fast should the SDR hiring process be? +
Fast, usually one to three weeks. SDR talent moves quickly and a long, drawn-out process loses strong candidates to competitors. Because you're hiring for traits more than a long track record, you can run a tight loop: screen, role-play, manager interview, and decision. Speed signals that you value momentum, which appeals to driven candidates.
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