17 tips for employers hiring early career, salespeople

Hiring early-career sales professionals requires a focus on communication skills, resilience, and a willingness to learn. Employers should look for candidates who are naturally persuasive, thrive in fast-paced environments, and demonstrate a strong work ethic through internships, part-time jobs, or extracurricular leadership roles.

While industry experience is a plus, qualities like adaptability, confidence, and a results-driven mindset are often better indicators of long-term success. Providing structured training on product knowledge, sales techniques, and customer relationship management can help new hires ramp up quickly. Creating a supportive and high-energy culture that recognizes effort and encourages continuous development will keep early-career salespeople motivated and set them up for long-term success.

We recently reached out to 17 hiring experts to get their tips for employers who are hiring students, recent graduates, and other candidates early in their careers for sales positions.

• Implement Mock Client Calls
• Focus on Candidate Potential
• Ask Candidates to Sell
• Prioritize Relationship-Building Skills
• Hire from Service Industries
• Reevaluate Candidate Attributes
• Assess Coachability and Drive
• Create Structured Mentorship Programs
• Leverage Your Brand Reputation
• Use Behavioral Metrics
• Test Flexibility in Sales Scenarios
• Streamline the Hiring Process
• Evaluate Sales Process Analysis
• Offer Shadowing Opportunities
• Involve Current Sales Team
• Hire for Coachability
• Integrate Training Certifications

Implement Mock Client Calls

Mock client calls revolutionized our sales recruitment process. Traditional interviews and role-play scenarios did not reveal true potential, especially for candidates with limited experience and natural talent. This led to hiring polished interviewers who sometimes struggled with real client interactions.

We developed a comprehensive practical assessment system where candidates navigate through real-world scenarios. Instead of hypothetical questions, we create mini-client meetings where seasoned team members play challenging prospects with specific objections and concerns. This simulation includes everything from initial discovery calls to handling pricing objections, giving us insight into how candidates think on their feet.

This approach recently helped us identify a remarkable hire who lacked traditional sales experience but showed exceptional listening skills. During the mock calls, she consistently asked insightful questions before proposing solutions—something even experienced candidates often missed. Within three months, she became one of our top performers because she could truly understand client needs rather than just follow a script.

Our biggest learning? Real-world scenarios reveal talent that traditional interviews miss. When you create authentic testing environments, natural ability shines through.

Aaron Whittaker, VP of Demand Generation & Marketing, Thrive Digital Marketing Agency

Focus on Candidate Potential

When hiring for early career sales roles, the biggest thing to focus on is the potential of the candidate rather than just their past experience. Early career candidates might not have years of sales under their belts, but they can still have all the qualities that make a great salesperson. Things like being curious, having a strong drive, and being able to connect with people are just as important as sales numbers. These qualities are what really help people grow in the role, especially since sales is about constant learning and adapting.

One way to really get a sense of a candidate’s potential is to incorporate some hands-on exercises during the interview. Instead of just asking about their experience or qualifications, give them a real-world scenario to see how they think on their feet. You could have them pitch a product they’re not familiar with, or ask how they would handle a tricky customer situation. Watching them handle these situations will tell you a lot about their problem-solving skills and how well they can stay calm under pressure. It’s a great way to see how they adapt in real time, and it often shows you their true potential for success.

Katie Breaker, Sales Director, Birdieball

Ask Candidates to Sell

Ask the candidate to “sell” one of your products. Observe the energy and passion, curiosity to learn, ask questions, and gain insight. That’s what makes the difference in sales. Interestingly, in sales, it doesn’t matter how experienced someone is. What matters is whether the candidate knows how to recognize new opportunities and close deals. Technical skills are easy to pick up, but selling skills aren’t. Asking them to sell you a product tells you if the candidate can drive revenue even if they lack the experience. It also expands your talent pool and brings in people with fresh perspectives.

Lev Tretyakov, CEO and Sales Director, Fortador

Prioritize Relationship-Building Skills

My suggestion is to focus on the candidate’s ability to build relationships and their willingness to learn, rather than just their past experience. Real estate is a people-driven industry, and while experience is valuable, a fresh perspective can bring a lot of energy to a team. 

I’ve found that candidates who demonstrate strong communication skills, a passion for real estate, and a drive to help clients often thrive, even if they don’t have years of experience. For instance, I’ve worked with new recruits who weren’t familiar with all the ins and outs of real estate transactions, but they were quick to learn the ropes and connect with clients. 

Providing them with mentoring, offering hands-on learning experiences, and letting them shadow experienced agents allows them to gain confidence and expertise over time.

Sebastian Wade, Real Estate Consultant, Eden Emerald Buyers Agent

Hire from Service Industries

In my 30 years of real estate, I’ve learned that the best entry-level sales hires often come from service industries like restaurants or retail, where they’ve already mastered customer interaction. I always look for people who can tell me specific stories about how they’ve handled difficult customers in their past jobs, rather than just saying they’re “good with people.”

Judy Michaelis, Real Estate Broker, Judy Michaelis

Reevaluate Candidate Attributes

If you want to improve early career hiring for sales roles, I suggest you reevaluate what attributes you really want in a candidate. Give more weight to qualities that are essential for sales success, such as empathy, perseverance, and effective problem-solving techniques, than to credentials or past experience alone. Often, these are more accurate indicators of long-term success than formal qualifications.

We began employing a more participatory hiring procedure. Including real-world sales scenarios in interviews was one approach. Candidates would be given a straightforward assignment, such as managing a fictitious client objection or pitching an unknown product. We were able to observe how they handled difficulties, spoke under pressure, and changed their style elements that are difficult to determine from a typical interview.

Additionally, we changed our evaluation standards to give a growth mindset more weight. “How do you handle setbacks?” is one example, and, “Can you describe a moment when you had to learn something entirely new?” provided us with a glimpse into the candidate’s future growth.

Employers should hire for potential rather than perfection. You can build a pipeline of driven salespeople that are prepared to succeed and advance with your company by combining this with effective onboarding and mentorship programs.

Ben Schreiber, CMO, Latico Leather

Assess Coachability and Drive

In my experience, one key suggestion I have for employers looking to improve their early career sales hiring is to focus on assessing candidates’ coachability and drive rather than just their existing skills. Many recent graduates or those new to sales may not have direct experience, but if they demonstrate a willingness to learn, resilience in the face of rejection, and an inner motivation to succeed, they can often be molded into top performers with the right training and mentorship. Look for signs of grit, emotional intelligence, and a growth mindset during interviews. Skills can be taught, but an innate hunger to improve is harder to instill.

I once worked with a company that was struggling to find strong entry-level sales hires. They had been prioritizing candidates with formal sales training and internship experience. However, when they started evaluating for traits like resilience and a competitive spirit, they found diamonds in the rough—recent graduates who may have lacked direct experience but possessed an unrelenting drive to learn and achieve their targets. With comprehensive onboarding and coaching, many of these hires went on to become the company’s top sales performers within a year.

Jack Reamer, CEO, SalesBread

Create Structured Mentorship Programs

Improving early career hiring for sales roles begins with creating a structured environment that prioritizes mentorship and development. Sales is a skill that often requires hands-on learning, and pairing new hires with experienced professionals can accelerate their success. By bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world application, companies can unlock the potential of their early-career hires.

In a previous role, we launched a structured sales mentorship program designed to provide immersive training during the first 90 days. New hires shadowed top-performing sales professionals, participated in role-play scenarios, and received regular feedback on their progress. This approach not only helped new hires adapt quickly but also instilled confidence in their ability to meet key performance indicators. As a result, the team experienced a 25% increase in early-career hire productivity within six months and saw greater retention rates due to the supportive environment.

To replicate this success, start by identifying top-performing team members willing to mentor and create a framework that includes shadowing, personalized coaching, and milestone-driven evaluations. Complement this with clear growth pathways and opportunities for professional development. A strong onboarding and mentorship strategy doesn’t just improve hiring outcomes—it builds a high-performing, motivated sales team that delivers long-term results.

Laura Beaulieu, VP Marketing, Holistiplan

Leverage Your Brand Reputation

Your brand is your best recruiter. When people hear your company name, they should think, “That’s the place to be.” A good reputation attracts customers and pulls in top talent. I’ve seen it time and time again: the companies people want to work for never struggle to find great hires.

Nobody wants to join a company they’ve never heard of or, worse, one with a bad rep. If your brand is known for valuing employees, offering growth, and treating people right, it’s like having a 24/7 ambassador out there promoting you.

I’ve found that hiring gets easier when you build a reputation as a great workplace. You’re not just another company posting job ads; you’re the company everyone wants to join.

Katie Weissert, Sales Director, Reindeer Logistics

Use Behavioral Metrics

Hiring sales reps based on personality alone is lazy, and it’s why so many companies churn through mediocre talent. Just because someone’s charming in an interview doesn’t mean they can handle a tough quarter or stick with a deal when it’s falling apart. You need to look under the hood, and that’s where you can consider behavioral metrics.

Tools like DISC or Predictive Index show, with specificity, how a person acts when under pressure. Does this individual feed off competitive situations? Can he or she understand a frustrated client and re-pitch? Does he or she have the stamina to move through the hills and valleys of rejection to get back up? These are the attributes that cull the closers from the clock-punchers.

For example, a reserved candidate scoring high in problem-solving and grit may not stand out on day one but could consistently exceed quotas by month six.

Instead of asking, “What’s your biggest weakness?” ask something like, “Tell me about a time you were completely out of your depth, what did you do to turn it around?” Or, “Describe a situation where a client rejected your pitch. How did you handle it, and what was the outcome?”

Behavioral assessments are a tool, not a shortcut. They give you a clear starting point, but the real approach is combining that data with a sharp eye for how a candidate thinks, adapts, and handles challenges. That’s how you build a sales team that is loyal and performs.

Peter Lewis, Chief Marketing Officer, Strategic Pete

Test Flexibility in Sales Scenarios

As the owner of a sales agency, my top advice for improving early career hiring in sales is to look for candidates who balance flexibility with following guidelines. You don’t want someone who sticks to the SOP so much that they can’t handle the unexpected. In sales, exceptions happen daily, and they will blame the instructions when they fail. But you also don’t want someone who thinks they always know better and ignores the playbook. A simple yet powerful test I recommend is giving candidates a sales scenario where the usual process doesn’t work and asking how they would adjust while still meeting company goals. This exact employee quality is more valuable than knowing any specific sales techniques or theory.

Michael Maximoff, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Belkins

Streamline the Hiring Process

If you are an employer looking to improve your hiring process for early-career sales roles, you must make it as fast and efficient as possible. Sales attracts people who are driven and eager to prove themselves, but if your hiring process is slow, unclear, or filled with unnecessary steps, you will lose great candidates before they even get to the final round. The best salespeople know their value, and they will not wait around for weeks while a company drags out the process.

Many employers make the mistake of turning hiring into a marathon of interviews, tests, and paperwork. Sales is about performance, not just credentials. Someone’s ability to sell should be assessed early in the process, not buried under multiple rounds of interviews. A simple phone screen, followed by a live sales exercise or role-play, tells you more than three rounds of behavioral interviews ever will. Candidates who can handle objections, think quickly, and sound confident on a call are the ones who will succeed.

Filip Dimitrijevski, Business Development Manager, CLICKVISION BPO

Evaluate Sales Process Analysis

Employers should evaluate early-career sales candidates by assessing their ability to analyze and improve an existing sales process. In my opinion, giving candidates an exercise where they critique a fictional or real sales funnel provides insight into how they approach problems and identify opportunities for growth. For example, candidates could be given a sample sales pipeline with data points like client drop-off rates, deal timelines, and conversion metrics. I’ve seen companies use this method to identify high-potential hires, with those candidates improving sales efficiency by 20% within their first year by addressing bottlenecks they spotted even during the hiring process.

I think this strategy works because it goes beyond evaluating whether a candidate can sell—it tests their ability to think strategically and understand the mechanics of the sales process. Metrics like the quality of their analysis, the practicality of their recommendations, and how well they articulate solutions provide a clear picture of their potential. It also demonstrates whether they can combine attention to detail with a broader understanding of business goals, which is a critical skill in sales roles.

Toni Norman, Senior Marketing Manager, Tingdene Residential Parks

Offer Shadowing Opportunities

Offering shadowing opportunities before hiring is a game-changer in the recruiting process. It gives candidates a real sense of the day-to-day work, allowing them to see firsthand how your sales team operates.

By letting them observe the team in action, they can assess whether the role aligns with their expectations and whether they’re passionate about the work. It also helps you gauge their enthusiasm and adaptability in a real-world environment.

Beyond that, it provides a valuable opportunity to build rapport and answer any questions they may have. This transparency in the hiring process really sets the stage for a more informed decision and attracts candidates who are genuinely interested in the role. It fosters mutual trust and ensures that both the employer and candidate are aligned from the start.

The result is a smoother transition, more motivated hires, and reduced turnover.

Greg Arnold, General Manager, Kitchen Mania

Involve Current Sales Team

It’s a great idea to get your current sales team involved in the hiring process. No one knows the ins and outs of what it takes to succeed in that role better than them. You could have them conduct informal chats or casual Q&A sessions with the candidates which can actually be a really engaging element in your hiring process. 

It will give candidates a feel for the team culture and also let your team weigh in on who they think would mesh well with them. Your sales team will also be a lot better at evaluating whether candidates possess those traits beyond what’s listed on their resumes.

Mike Handelsman, CEO & Owner, FoamOrder

Hire for Coachability

One key suggestion for employers looking to improve their early career hiring processes for sales roles is to hire for coachability over experience. Many early-career candidates may not have extensive sales backgrounds, but the most successful reps are those who are eager to learn, adapt, and take feedback well.

To identify coachability, incorporate role-playing exercises and real-time feedback sessions in the interview process. See how candidates respond to constructive criticism and if they can quickly adjust their approach. Additionally, providing a structured onboarding and mentorship program will help new hires develop skills faster, ensuring they ramp up quickly and contribute to long-term sales success.

Rizala Carrington, CEO, MyGrowthAgent.com

Integrate Training Certifications

Integrating training certifications into the onboarding process can significantly enhance new sales employees’ confidence and competence. It’s important to offer certifications that are not just generic but tailored to your company’s products and industry specifics. Creating custom modules that focus on real-life scenarios they might face in your particular market can make learning more relevant and engaging. Encourage completion of these certifications progressively during the onboarding phase, rather than cramming them all at once. This approach allows new hires to build their skills systematically, apply what they’ve learned gradually, and feel a growing sense of accomplishment and capability.

Utilizing a peer mentorship system during this training can further enrich the experience. Pair newcomers with experienced salespeople who can provide insights and share valuable, on-the-ground experiences. This peer support doesn’t just make the new hires comfortable, it also reinforces the learning process, offering practical advice and answering questions in real-time. When new employees see what success looks like from those who’ve walked the road before them, it instills confidence and a clearer understanding of sales techniques that work in your specific business context.

Sara Millecam, Founder and Director of Education, Beautiful Brows and Lashes