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How to Run a Sales Role-Play Interview That Predicts Real ...
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There's no rubric. The interviewer watches the role-play, then says "they were pretty good" or "something felt off." Without defined scoring criteria, you're back to gut feel — which is the thing the role-play was supposed to replace. “The evaluator's job is to create realistic friction — the kind the candidate will face in the actual role.” Fix these three things and the role-play becomes your most valuable interview stage.
There's no rubric. The interviewer watches the role-play, then says "they were pretty good" or "something felt off." Without defined scoring criteria, you're back to gut feel — which is the thing the role-play was supposed to replace. “Neither generates useful signal.” Fix these three things and the role-play becomes your most valuable interview stage.
That's not a role-play. It's a party trick. And it tells you absolutely nothing about whether someone can run a discovery call with a skeptical VP who has three competing vendors in their inbox. “The difference comes down to three things: Is the scenario realistic? Is there a rubric? Does the evaluator know what to listen for?” Here's how to design role-plays that actually predict on-the-job performance, with scenarios for both SDR and AE hiring.
The scenario is fake. "You're selling software to a CEO of a Fortune 500 company who has unlimited budget." Nobody has unlimited budget. Nobody buys software in a vacuum. When the scenario doesn't feel real, the candidate performs in a way that doesn't feel real either. You learn nothing. “Without defined scoring criteria, you're back to gut feel — which is the thing the role-play was supposed to replace.” The evaluator plays wrong. Some interviewers play the prospect as an impenetrable wall ("I'm not interested." "Still not interested." "I said I'm not interested."). Others fold immediately and agree to everything. Neither generates useful signal. The evaluator's job is to create realistic friction — the kind the candidate will face in the actual role.
"Sell me this pen." “That's not a role-play. It's a party trick. And it tells you absolutely nothing about whether someone can run a discovery call with a skeptical VP who has three competing vendors in their inbox.” A sales role-play interview can be the highest-signal stage in your hiring process — or it can be pure theater. The difference comes down to three things: Is the scenario realistic? Is there a rubric? Does the evaluator know what to listen for?
Three problems kill most role-plays before they start: “When the scenario doesn't feel real, the candidate performs in a way that doesn't feel real either. You learn nothing.” There's no rubric. The interviewer watches the role-play, then says "they were pretty good" or "something felt off." Without defined scoring criteria, you're back to gut feel — which is the thing the role-play was supposed to replace.