"Tell me about yourself."
They do not want to know anything personal about you. The only thing they want to know is why they should hire you. If you have an elevator speech (60 seconds to sell yourself), this is the time to use it. If you don't have one, prepare one before you go to the interview. Focus on your strengths in selling, client cultivation and leadership.


"What are your greatest strengths?"
You're the product. They're asking you to sell yourself. Since your strength is sales, this should be easy.

"What are your greatest weaknesses?"
Please don't say "I care too much about winning." Find one or two things that are true but not terrible, and describe them as challenges that you're aware of and are already overcoming. Such as: "I have to work hard to let colleagues have their say, because I have a tendency to jump in and cut to the chase."

Are you pretty sure you don't have any weaknesses? Ask your spouse or your best friend.


"Why are you interested in working for our company?"
The right answer is about the company, not yourself. So your answer depends on the company itself. You want to work there because they are the industry leader, or because you like the excitement of a start-up, or because they have a reputation for integrity, or because you really admired their latest product launch, etc. You've done your homework so you know positive things to say about the company.


"Why should we hire you?"
You know what the goals of the company are -- you found them out during your pre-interview research. Your answer should specifically mention those goals and explain why you are the right person to help them reach those goals faster.


"What do you like to do In your spare time?"
They're trying to learn more about your sales abilities based on your spare time activities. For example, if you coach a child's team or chair a civic committee, that shows off leadership skills and a willingness to sacrifice your own ego for the good of the team. Think about all your hobbies and activities and how they can relate to your sales skills. Pick two or three and prepare an answer based on them.

"What were you hoping we'd ask today, but didn't?"
This is where you get to show your successes. It's "I was hoping you'd ask about my most challenging sale ever" time. They ask this toward the end of the end of the interview, so this is your chance to close the sale by standing out from the competition with a good story.

"Have we answered all your questions?"
This is a trick question. You're supposed to say no, even if the answer is yes. They want to see that you're so eager, you have lots of questions. Prepare some questions ahead of time and ask at least one. These questions should show that you're focused on growing the business for them.