How to Screen Sales Representative CVs

Screen sales representative CVs against the role: what to look for, quota and metric red flags, and proven sales interview questions.

Sales CVs are full of confident claims, so screening is about separating quota-carrying performers from people who sat near revenue. Look for hard numbers — quota attainment, deal sizes, sales cycle — and consistency across roles.

What to look for:

Quantified results: quota attainment, revenue, % to target.

Relevant sale type: deal size, cycle length, inbound vs. outbound.

Industry or buyer-persona fit with your market.

Progression: promotions, growing patch or quota over time.

Red flags to probe:

No numbers anywhere — only responsibilities and 'exceeded targets'.

Wildly inconsistent results between similar roles.

Mismatch between their sale (transactional) and yours (complex).

Track record

What was your quota and your attainment in your last two roles?

Walk me through the biggest deal you closed end to end.

Method

How do you build and qualify a pipeline from scratch?

Tell me about a deal you lost and what you changed afterwards.

What's the biggest signal in a sales CV?
Quantified, consistent quota attainment against a comparable sale type. Screen for the numbers first, then verify them in interview.

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