Remote Interview Techniques

SDRs & AEs - if you do this, I can almost guarantee you that you will land an interview with your dream company. I’ve interviewed HUNDREDS of salespeople over the last 5 years and nobody ever does this: Step 1: Stop Applying through Job Boards Most sales roles get HUNDREDS of applications. It’s very difficult for hiring teams to go through each one. You have to break through the noise and go directly to the hiring managers and show them you can prospect (especially in sales). Step 2: Show Don’t Tell You MUST treat the interview process as if you are an actual rep. Hiring managers are judging all of your communications with them because it’s likely close to how you are going to interact with prospects. Make sure all communication and follow ups are: -Quick (get back to managers within 1 hour if possible) -Short and Concise -Intentional Step 3: Do the Work Ahead of Time Most SDR and AE interviews that I’ve seen recently require a rep to do some kind of prospecting assignment. Get ahead of this and stand out by doing this for your top 3-5 companies proactively build a presentation that shows off your skills and proves you can prospect. You don’t even need to spend hours building decks. Just use Tome which uses AI to build professional decks quickly using a prompt (if you have an outline in mind, use that as the prompt). Best part is that you can share the deck via a link and even include recorded narrations so that you can explain your thoughts as the hiring manager is going through it. Here’s an example one I quickly built out as if I was applying to an SDR role at Deel and wanted to present Clari as a great potential customer: https://tome.pub/3U0CQfy #sales #prospecting #outbound

Here’s why you’ll never crack your dream remote job interview (until you stop doing this) You show up like a perfect candidate on paper... But sound like a pixelated version of yourself on camera. That’s the harsh truth. In remote interviews, it’s not your resume that gets judged first, it’s your energy through a screen. And most candidates lose that battle before it even begins. Here’s what 90% of people do wrong (and why they never make it past the virtual round): ✖️ They sound robotic because they over-rehearse their answers. ✖️ They don’t test their camera angle, lighting, or background thereby killing credibility instantly. ✖️ They forget that digital interviews demand digital presence not just verbal answers. Here’s exactly how you can fix these mistakes and crack your dream remote job: 1️⃣ Eye Contact ≠ Staring at Screen Look at the camera lens, not your face preview. It mimics natural eye contact and instantly builds connection and confidence. 2️⃣ Create a “Digital Setup Zone” Lighting facing your face. Camera at eye level. Neutral background. 3️⃣ Rehearse in Recording Mode Record your mock interviews. Watch for tone, filler words, and posture. You’ll see what recruiters see and fix it before they do. 4️⃣ Personalize Your Intros Start with: “I’ve been following [Company’s recent project/initiative], and I’m genuinely excited about…” Remote interviews miss small talk so add context to sound human, not scripted. 5️⃣ Master Asynchronous Communication Many remote hiring rounds use tools like HireVue or SparkHire. Practice delivering concise answers under 2 minutes — no one wants a 5-minute monologue on Wi-Fi lag. 6️⃣ Replace “Availability” With “Reliability” When asked about WFH challenges, don’t say, “I’m available full-time.” Say, “I maintain structured hours, daily updates, and async communication routines.” That’s how you sound hire-ready. ✅ Bonus: My secret remote-interview 3-step ritual → Pre-prep buffer: Log in 10 mins early. Check your link, camera, lighting, mic. → Story mapping: 3-key wins ready → what your remote team setting looked like → what you imagine delivering in this job. → Post-call note: Within 30 mins send a tailored thank-you. One sentence on what excited you + one sentence on how you’ll add value. It keeps you remembered. If this was helpful, repost this to help your friends land their dream WFH role too! #interviewtips #remotejobs #careergrowth #workfromhome #interviewcoach #dreamjob

I am wrapping up our hiring process for our first two sales roles at Lawfully. We had over 700 applicants apply—standing out isn’t easy. For these roles I was the recruiter, hiring manager, and executive sponsor. Here’s my advice on how to stand out: Getting Through to the First Stage— 1. Reach out directly to the recruiter, hiring manager, or executive sponsor I gave priority to candidates who reached out personally. Some sent LinkedIn DMs, while others crafted thoughtful cold emails. Two memorable examples: one email had the subject line “Matt, I’m skiing my way into your inbox,” and another featured a personalized video introducing herself and addressing common interview questions. Make sure your outreach is thoughtful, creative, and mindful of people’s time. Done right, it sets you apart Done poorly, it can backfire. 2. Make your Linkedin look professional Many applicants had unprofessional profile photos, large employment gaps, or short stints at companies. While you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, with 700 applicants to review, these things can quickly lead to being passed over. You control your LinkedIn narrative and the professional story it tells. Demonstrate to recruiters that you can commit and follow through. 3. Use the right professional jargon. For this SDR role, candidates with SDR experience were fast-tracked to interviews. Ensure your job titles and descriptions align with industry standards to avoid being missed. Make it clear what you do, especially if your role mirrors the position you’re applying for. Getting Through the Interview Stage— 1. Research the company before your interview. Out of 60 people I interviewed, only one could identify our competitors, and few provided detailed responses about our products and services. One candidate couldn’t name a single thing about Lawfully, while another was clearly reading straight off our homepage. Take the time to learn about the company. It shows genuine interest and sets you apart. 2. Answer all the questions. I evaluated candidates on several criteria, including experience, passion, coach-ability, and their ability to learn. To gauge learning, I asked their favorite books—professional or otherwise. If someone admitted they didn’t read, it was a quick signal to move on. 3. Answer positively and tie it back to the role and your strengths. Strike the right balance between positivity and authenticity. Candidates who dwelled on negative experiences sent a clear sign they weren’t the right fit. 4. Align your answers with company & hiring manager goals When candidates nailed this, they were an automatic pass. One standout example was a candidate who asked about our goals right at the start of the interview. Throughout the conversation, he consistently explained how he would help us reach our milestone. I’ve got 20 more tips to share—including what it takes to crush the final round. Drop a comment, and I’ll send them your way!

If I were applying for an SDR role today, here’s exactly what I’d do: Research deeply : I’d go beyond the company website—dig into recent news, funding rounds, product updates, and even the company’s competitors. This shows that I’m genuinely invested. I don't care who referred me or how I got the interview. I'd bring my A game in every interaction. Your research will show when you talk. Tailor my resume : Every company has its own language. I’d match their tone, key phrases, and highlight the skills most relevant to that SDR role. Don't blidly add tools. No one is impressed with how you know sales navigator when your last job didn't require one. Show me the real deal. Engage with their content: I’d interact with their posts on LinkedIn, follow key employees, and leave thoughtful comments. Let them see I’m already in their ecosystem. Build a custom outreach sequence: I wouldn’t just wait for them to reach out. I’d send personalized emails that showcase my ability to prospect effectively, using the company’s own product or service as an example. Don't wait for them to send you an assignment. While others are waiting, you take the lead and stand out. Cold call prep: I’d practice cold calling using Blue with the persona they sell to as if I’m already working for them. I’d create a pitch for their target persona, download the recording, and send it to the hiring manager. Why leave anything to chance when you can start strong? What did I miss? #sales #sdr

After my last post where I shared how I received a positive response from a CEO whom I reached out to for an SDR job, I received lot of messages asking me how I would approach an SDR job in 2024. Here’s a Detailed step by step guide 👇 Step 1: Self-Assessment Instead of applying to every company with an open SDR profile, start by asking yourself questions about: 1. Types of companies you would love to work for 2. Target personas you would love to prospect 3. The product that you think is actually solving an important problem 4. Salary expectations 5. Work culture in the sales team Step 2: Research and Prospecting Now once you have selected the companies, go to LinkedIn to find the SDR Manager, SDR team lead, and 2-3 more contacts in the SDR team If you want to go higher up, you can also target the Director or VP of Sales from your target companies Utilize free credits from platforms like Apollo, Uplead, or Hunter.io (there are 100s of them) to find their email IDs. Additionally, leverage AI tools like ChatGPT or Perplexity AI for the research purpose to learn about the company you're interested in. Ensure you know these four key things about the company: 1. Their product/service 2. Customer stories / whom do they sell to 3. Revenue model 4. Recent company news (funding, acquisitions, etc.) Step 3: Showcase Your Skills This is crucial. Instead of simply sharing your resume, think about how you can add value to the hiring manager: 1. Craft a cold email sequence tailored to their needs (use Lavender 💜 or Twain) 2. Use Hyperbound to showcase your cold calling skills and share the recording. 3. Develop a 30-60-90 plan outlining how you'll drive success if hired. 4. Propose creative prospecting ideas, such as leveraging videos, memes, or LinkedIn voice notes. Share these insights via email or LinkedIn DMs or, If you find their number then you can directly cold call them and book the first interview If the SDR manager gets pissed off because you cold called them then it's a great signal not to work for that company Step 4: Track Your Progress Utilize tools like Aligned (free for job seekers) to track if your emails or resources have been viewed. This helps you follow up effectively. Create a Digital Sales Room where you can share: 1. Your resume 2. Resources created for the company 3. Testimonials from past employers or peers 4. A call-to-action, such as a calendar link (Shared 3 great Aligned Room examples in the comment section) Step 5: Document Your Job Hunting Journey (Optional) Share your job hunting journey transparently on LinkedIn. This not only involves others in your journey but also increases your visibility. More exposure could lead to more opportunities. Step 6: Persistence and Follow-up Use a multichannel approach to follow up with your prospects, especially the hiring manager. *Continued in comments 👇

Below are companies currently hiring remote AE / BDR / SDR roles. Most people will do the same thing: • Click apply • Upload resume • Wait • Repeat 47 times • Wonder why nothing happens That strategy fails because it treats job hunting like a lottery. Remote roles are more competitive, not less. You’re no longer competing with people in your city. You’re competing with the entire country. If you want to approach these roles like a professional, do this instead: Step 1: Don’t apply first. Research first. Before you submit anything, understand: 1. What problem the company solves 2. Who they sell to 3. How/why they win deals 4. Who they lose to and why 5. What their reps are saying on RepVue 6. What customers are saying on G2 If you can’t talk about the business for 10 minutes, you’re not ready to apply. Step 2: Identify future peers. Find 2–3 current SDRs or AEs on the team. Reach out intelligently. Not “Hi can you refer me?” Ask specific questions that show you’ve done your homework. Build insight before you build interest. Your goal in networking is not to ask for a job. It’s to gather intelligence. Questions like: 1. What are the managers priorities for the team this quarter? 2. Who are the tops reps and why? 3. If you were going after this job, what would you do to be successful in the territory it covers? 4. Why is the job open? 5. If you were interviewing for this job, what would be 1 think you would be sure to bring up that you know the hiring manager would appreciate? Step 3: Develop a point of view. Once you understand the company and the role, create something tangible: 1. A territory approach 2. A sample prospecting sequence 3. A 30/60/90 plan 4. A breakdown of how you’d approach a named account This immediately separates you from 95% of applicants. Step 4: Then contact the hiring manager. Not with “I applied.” With: “Based on my research and conversations with your team, here’s how I would approach this role.” That changes the conversation from: “Why should we interview you?” To: “When can you start?” Remote jobs require more initiative, not less. If you treat this like a structured sales campaign instead of a job application process, your odds change dramatically. Approach it like a seller. Because that’s what they’re hiring for. If you need help doing this well. Check out the Pursuit app. This is exactly why we built it. To help people hunt for jobs in tech sales the same way you are expected to do the job. Reach out if you have any questions. Here are the roles - get after it. SDR / BDR (Remote) Huntress - SDR Orkes - SDR Attentive - SDR Smartling - BDR Saviynt - SDR Entry-Level AE / Inside Sales (Remote) Vonage - Inside Sales Account Executive Swiftly, Inc. - SMB Account Executive Tekmetric - Account Executive Acquia - Associate Account Executive LINQ - Inside Sales Representative Grafana Labs - Commercial AE

Last night I reviewed 165 applications for our entry-level SDR role. This morning? Another 84. Here’s what’s standing out so far: Do’s: - Apply to the role, then send a thoughtful note about why you’re interested and what you’re excited to learn. - Write your answers like a human. Clear, specific, and intentional > generic, AI-sounding fluff. - Ask questions that go beyond the job description. Show curiosity, not shortcuts. - Personalize your outreach. A little effort goes a long way. Don’ts: - Ask questions that are already answered in the job description. (Attention to detail matters.) - Misspell my name or message me with someone else’s name. Yes, it happens. No, it doesn’t help. - Send videos, resumes, or long paragraphs without applying and ask for an interview ASAP. Apply first. - Submit incomplete applications. It’s an easy way to get filtered out. - Rely 100% on ChatGPT for your resume and application answers. (Yes, I can tell 🤨 ) Also, shoutout to these aspiring BDRs who absolutely nailed personalized outreach and grabbed my attention, Haylee Nobles, Jackie Burgess, Carmony Price and Jacob Johnson. Keep up the great work. Hiring managers, what grabs your attention when hiring?

The most common DM I get: "Tyler, how do I break into tech sales?" It's a fair question. Seemingly every SDR job on LinkedIn has hundreds of applicants. Which makes standing out harder than ever. This means you can't just send in an application and hope to get an interview. You gotta do some extra work. Here are 6 steps to make yourself stand out among a sea of applicants: 1. Change Your Mindset You're not applying for a job. You're offering a solution to a problem. And that solution is YOU. 2. Make A List Of 50 Companies Scour LinkedIn to find companies who are hiring. Then cross-reference them using RepVue to make sure they're good companies. You can also use RepVue to find other good companies you may want to work for that haven't posted jobs on LinkedIn. Go to their website to see if they're hiring. 3. Make A Top 10 List Narrow down your list to 10 companies you REALLY want to work for. These are who we'll focus on first. 4. Start Connecting With SDR / BDR Managers Send out LinkedIn connect requests to the SDR / BDR managers at those 10 companies. These are the people who will be doing the hiring. So naturally they're who you want to get in front of. You get about 100 connect requests per week. So use the rest to connect with managers at other companies in your top 50 or SDRs / BDRs in your top 10. Chatting with other SDRs / BDRs is a great way to get your name on the manager's radar. 5. Send Videos to People Who Have Accepted Your Request Rather than selling yourself through written LinkedIn DMs (like most people), You're going to send LinkedIn videos. There's a good chance you will be the only applicant to send the hiring manager a video. Which means you've FINALLY differentiated yourself from the hundreds of other applicants. But what to say in that video? Use this structure: - Thank them for connecting - Mention that you saw they're hiring - Connect your skills back to their SPECIFIC job description - Tell them that this makes you the best candidate for the position - Thank them for their time and ask to have a deeper conversation about the position Keep it under 1 minute. You can only send LinkedIn videos through the LinkedIn app. I typically just record them on my phone and then send them through the app from there. Lastly, send a short written note immediately after you send your video. Something like: "Hey (NAME), written messages get boring so I thought I'd send over a video to shake things up :)" 6. Do This Over and Over and Follow Up You can't just send one video and expect to get a job. You have to send them to a lot of different people. And then follow up 2-3 times to see if the manager saw the video. Once your videos are of high quality, it then becomes a numbers game. Trust the process. If you follow these steps, I am confident that you will finally get an interview. It's a lot more work than sending in an application, But it's necessary if you really want a job in tech sales.

Yesterday, I publicly shared my phone number on LinkedIn. Within 24 hours, 50+ SDRs cold-called me asking about the role. I ended up scheduling 5 meetings with really strong candidates. Here’s why I booked those calls 👇 1️⃣ They led with curiosity, not a resume. Most said: “Hey Mav, I saw your post - I have 3+ years of experience hitting quota…” The best said: “Hey Mav, to make sure this is worth both our time, what are you looking for in an ideal candidate?” 2️⃣ They did their homework. Some asked, “Hey man, what’s the product and how big is your team?” The top ones already knew what we do and who’s on the team. 3️⃣ They owned the close. Most reps ended with: “Cool, just text me the next steps.” The best ones said: “When should I expect to hear back? Can we set up next steps now?” If you’re interviewing or job hunting - treat it like a sales process. The best SDRs don’t pitch. They qualify, research, and close.

Most people job hunt like it’s 2015. I teach my clients to job hunt like an SDR - and it works. One client had zero B2B experience - she booked 6 interviews in 1 week. Another came back from a year-long gap - got hired in 5 weeks using this strategy. This works if you’re new. This works if you’re stuck. Because here’s the truth: If you don’t stand out, you get ignored. The same skills that help SDRs book meetings... Are the ones that help you get hired. What doesn’t work: → Hitting “Easy Apply” and waiting → Commenting “Interested” without adding value → Blasting out your resume and hoping for the best What does work: → Researching companies like prospects → Reaching out to actual decision-makers → Sending short, relevant messages that show effort → Tracking everything like a pipeline Here’s how I coach clients to run it like an SDR: 1. Skip the 10-company rule - if the product’s cool or the manager seems sharp, reach out. 2. Study the company’s product, vibe, and recent posts 3. Identify 1-2 hiring managers per company 4. Send a short message with 3 things: - Why them - What you understand about their work - What you bring to the table 5. Follow up across channels (LinkedIn, email, cold calls - even voice notes) 6. Treat interviews like demos. Come prepped. Come sharp. This approach has changed my clients’ job search and their confidence. PS: Found this helpful? Repost to help someone who needs this. Save it for when you do.