Interview preparation roadmap · Sales
Finding and closing deals and partnerships, negotiation, pipeline management and business sense.
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- 01Interview foundations
- 02Sales core
- 03Business sense
- 04Practice
- 05Behavioral & HR
- 06Company & final prep
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01Interview foundations
What every interviewer sees first.
01.1Resume
A one-page resume you can defend line by line.
What this covers
- One-page format — Reverse-chronological, clean fonts, no photos or tables that confuse parsers.
- Project bullets — Action + what you built + a number (users, speed, accuracy).
- Skills section — Only skills you can answer questions on for two minutes.
- ATS readability — Export a text-based PDF and check it with a parser.
- Working links — GitHub, LinkedIn and a live project link that open.
- Tailoring — Reorder bullets to match the job description.
What to practise
- Run your PDF through a parser test
- Rewrite each bullet as action + result
- Remove any skill you can't explain for 2 minutes
Common questions
- Walk me through your resume.
- Which project here are you most proud of, and why?
- Why is this skill on your resume?
Free resources
- OpenResume — Free ATS-friendly resume builder and parser test (Free)
- Jake's Resume (Overleaf) — The LaTeX resume template most SDE freshers use (Free)
- Resume Worded — Resume and LinkedIn scoring (Free plan)
- Jobscan — Match your resume against a job description (Free plan)
Free courses
- Professional Resume Writing — Alison (Free course)
- Resume, Networking, and Interview Skills — Fullbridge (Free to audit)
01.2Tell me about yourself
A 60–90 second answer: present, past, why this role.
What this covers
- Present — Who you are now: degree, year, focus.
- Past — One or two proof points: a project, internship or result.
- Future — Why this role and this company next.
- Length — 60–90 seconds; stop before you list everything.
- Delivery — Calm pace and eye contact, not a memorised script.
What to practise
- Write it, then say it out loud 5 times
- Record yourself and cut anything over 90 seconds
Common questions
- Tell me about yourself.
- Why should we hire you?
- Where do you see yourself in a few years?
Free resources
- Google Interview Warmup — Free spoken mock interview that prints your transcript (Free)
- BBC Learning English — Structured free English lessons and podcasts (Free)
Free courses
- English@Work: Basic Job Interview Skills — The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Free to audit)
- Job Interview Preparation For Tech Professionals — University of Cape Town (Free to audit)
01.3LinkedIn & online presence
A profile that matches your resume and shows your work.
What this covers
- Headline — Role you want plus your strongest skill.
- About section — Three lines: what you do, proof, what you want next.
- Featured work — Projects, GitHub, portfolio or writing links.
- Consistency — Dates and titles match your resume.
- Clean public footprint — Check what a search of your name shows.
What to practise
- Rewrite your headline and About section
- Ask one senior for a review of your profile
Free resources
- LinkedIn — Job alerts and, more importantly, referrals (Free)
- OpenResume — Free ATS-friendly resume builder and parser test (Free)
Free courses
- Building a Professional LinkedIn Profile - 2022 — Alison (Free course)
- Create Your Resume, Cover Letter, and LinkedIn Profile — Aptly (Free to audit)
02Sales core
The main rounds.
02.1Sales fundamentals
How deals are found, qualified and closed.
What this covers
- Sales process — Prospecting to closing.
- Prospecting — Cold calls, emails, LinkedIn.
- Qualification — BANT and similar frameworks.
- Discovery — Questions that uncover needs.
- Closing — Next steps and commitments.
What to practise
- Write a cold email and a call opener
- Practise five discovery questions
Common questions
- Sell me this pen.
- How do you qualify a lead?
- How do you handle rejection?
Free resources
- HubSpot Academy — Marketing, sales and content certifications (Free)
- Salesforce Trailhead — Free CRM, sales and service learning (Free)
Free courses
- Effective Sales Skills — Alison (Free course)
- Introduction to Sales Management — Alison (Free course)
- Introduction to Telemarketing and Sales Training — Alison (Free course)
02.2Sales role-play & objections
The mock call most sales interviews include.
What this covers
- Opening — Earn the next two minutes.
- Discovery — Listen more than you talk.
- Pitch — Benefits tied to their needs.
- Objections — Price, timing, "we already have one".
- Close — Ask for a clear next step.
What to practise
- Do five role-plays with a friend
- Write answers to the ten most common objections
Common questions
- It is too expensive. What do you say?
- Pitch our product to me in two minutes.
Free resources
- HubSpot Academy — Marketing, sales and content certifications (Free)
- Salesforce Trailhead — Free CRM, sales and service learning (Free)
Free courses
- Negotiation Skills in Sales — Great Learning (Free course)
- Mastering Goals and Rapport in High-Stakes Sales Negotiations — Alison (Free course)
- Sales and Negotiations Skills — Alison (Free course)
02.3CRM & sales operations
Pipelines, forecasting and the CRM data sales teams run on.
What this covers
- CRM basics — Leads, contacts, opportunities, stages.
- Pipeline metrics — Conversion, velocity, win rate.
- Forecasting — Weighted pipeline and accuracy.
- Territories & quotas — How targets are set.
- Reporting — Dashboards for sales leaders.
What to practise
- Complete a beginner CRM trail
- Build a pipeline dashboard in a spreadsheet
Common questions
- How would you improve forecast accuracy?
- What is pipeline coverage?
Free resources
- Salesforce Trailhead — Free CRM, sales and service learning (Free)
- HubSpot Academy — Marketing, sales and content certifications (Free)
- Excel Easy — Free Excel tutorial from basics to pivot tables (Free)
Free courses
- Salesforce Trailhead — Salesforce (Free course)
- Salesforce Essentials — Great Learning (Free course)
03Business sense
Deals that make sense.
03.1Business fundamentals
How companies make and lose money, in plain words.
What this covers
- Business models — How the company earns.
- Revenue, costs, profit — The basic P&L and margins.
- Unit economics — Cost and value per customer or order.
- Competition — Why customers choose one company over another.
- Reading news — What a funding round, IPO or acquisition means.
What to practise
- Explain three companies' business models in two lines each
- Read one business news story a day
Common questions
- How does a food delivery app make money?
- What is a gross margin?
Free resources
- Khan Academy: Economics and finance — Free lessons on accounting, markets and banking (Free)
- Investopedia — Plain-English definitions of finance terms (Free)
- Zerodha Varsity — Free modules on markets, analysis and finance in India (Free)
Free courses
- Fundamentals of Finance & Economics for Businesses – Crash Course — freeCodeCamp (Free video)
- Business Fundamentals for Entrepreneurs — IIT Bombay (Free course)
- Business Fundamentals For Entrepreneurs (Part 1: Internal Operation) — IIT Bombay (Free course)
03.2Guesstimates & market sizing
Estimating numbers out loud with clear assumptions.
What this covers
- Top-down vs bottom-up — Two ways in; use one, sanity-check with the other.
- Assumptions — State them, round sensibly, keep going.
- Segmenting — Split by age, city, income or usage.
- Sanity checks — Is the answer plausible?
- Common guesstimates — Cars in a city, cups of tea sold, phone users.
What to practise
- Solve one guesstimate a day aloud
- Write down assumptions before calculating
Common questions
- How many two-wheelers are sold in India each year?
- Estimate the market for coaching classes in Pune.
Free resources
- PrepLounge — Case partners and practice cases (Free plan)
- CaseInterview.com — Free case interview videos and frameworks (Free)
- Exponent — Product, data and engineering interview questions and guides (Free plan)
Free courses
- AI‑Powered Market Sizing — Microsoft (Free to audit)
03.3Account management
Keeping and growing client relationships.
What this covers
- Relationship building — Trust and regular check-ins.
- Account planning — Goals, stakeholders, risks.
- Upsell & cross-sell — Finding new needs.
- Renewals — Preparing early.
- Escalations — Handling problems openly.
What to practise
- Write an account plan for a sample client
- Practise a quarterly business review
Common questions
- How do you grow an existing account?
- A client is unhappy with delays. What do you do?
Free resources
- Salesforce Trailhead — Free CRM, sales and service learning (Free)
- HubSpot Academy — Marketing, sales and content certifications (Free)
Free courses
- Strategic Account Management — Queen’s University (Free to audit)
04Practice
Rehearse it out loud.
04.1Mock interviews
At least two full practice interviews before the real one.
What this covers
- Realistic setting — Same format, time limit and dress as the real round.
- Common questions first — Introduction, motivation, experience, weaknesses.
- Feedback — Ask what was unclear or too long.
- Recording — Watch yourself once; fix fillers and pace.
- Role questions — Add 3–5 questions specific to your field.
What to practise
- Do two mock interviews with a friend or senior
- Use a spoken practice tool and read the transcript
Common questions
- Tell me about yourself.
- Why this role?
Free resources
- Google Interview Warmup — Free spoken mock interview that prints your transcript (Free)
- Pramp / Exponent peer mocks — Free peer-to-peer mock interviews (Free plan)
- Tech Interview Handbook — Free guide to coding and behavioral interviews (Free)
Free courses
- Software Engineering Job Interview – Full Mock Interview — freeCodeCamp (Free video)
05Behavioral & HR
How you work with people.
05.1Behavioral & STAR
Stories about teamwork, conflict and failure, told with STAR.
What this covers
- STAR structure — Situation, task, action, result. Spend most of the time on action.
- Story bank — 6–8 real stories you can reuse across questions.
- Teamwork & conflict — Disagreeing respectfully and what you changed.
- Failure & weakness — A real one, what you learned, what you do now.
- Ownership — Times you took initiative without being asked.
- Common HR questions — Why us, why you, strengths, relocation.
What to practise
- Write 6 stories in STAR form
- Map each story to 2–3 common questions
- Practise one story with a friend
Common questions
- Tell me about a time you failed.
- Describe a conflict in a team and what you did.
- What is your biggest weakness?
Free resources
- Tech Interview Handbook — Free guide to coding and behavioral interviews (Free)
- Google Interview Warmup — Free spoken mock interview that prints your transcript (Free)
- Pramp / Exponent peer mocks — Free peer-to-peer mock interviews (Free plan)
Free courses
- Master Behavioral Interviews (for Software Engineers) — freeCodeCamp (Free video)
- Behavioral Interview Practice for Computer Science Students — CodeSignal (Free to audit)
- Soft Skills For Tech Professionals — University of Cape Town (Free to audit)
05.2Strengths & weaknesses
Honest strengths with proof, and a real weakness you are working on.
What this covers
- Strengths with proof — Pick 2–3 and back each with one short example.
- A real weakness — Not a disguised strength; something you are actively improving.
- What you are doing about it — The habit, course or system that shows progress.
- Fit to the role — Strengths that matter for this job, not any job.
What to practise
- Write three strengths with one example each
- Practise the weakness answer until it sounds calm, not rehearsed
Common questions
- What are your greatest strengths?
- What is your biggest weakness?
- How would your friends or teammates describe you?
Free resources
- Google Interview Warmup — Free spoken mock interview that prints your transcript (Free)
- Indeed career guide: interviewing — Articles on common interview questions and answers (Free)
- Tech Interview Handbook — Free guide to coding and behavioral interviews (Free)
Free courses
- Software Engineering Job Interview – Full Mock Interview — freeCodeCamp (Free video)
- A Complete Job Interview Skills Guide — Alison (Free course)
- English@Work: Advanced Job Interview Skills — The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Free to audit)
05.3Common HR questions
The questions almost every HR round asks, answered honestly and briefly.
What this covers
- Why this company — Specific reasons from your research, not praise.
- Why should we hire you — Match two needs of the role to your proof.
- Gaps and changes — Explain gaps, backlogs or a branch change without excuses.
- Relocation, shifts, bonds — Know your real answer before the interview.
- Career goals — A realistic next step, connected to this role.
- Notice period and joining — Facts you should have ready.
What to practise
- Write short answers to ten common HR questions
- Say them aloud to a friend and cut anything over a minute
Common questions
- Why do you want to join us?
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
- Are you open to relocation?
- Why did you choose your branch or degree?
Free resources
- Indeed career guide: interviewing — Articles on common interview questions and answers (Free)
- Google Interview Warmup — Free spoken mock interview that prints your transcript (Free)
- AmbitionBox interviews — Interview experiences and company reviews from Indian candidates (Free)
Free courses
- Software Engineering Job Interview – Full Mock Interview — freeCodeCamp (Free video)
- A Complete Job Interview Skills Guide — Alison (Free course)
- Interview Preparation Skills for Accountants — Alison (Free course)
06Company & final prep
The last 48 hours.
06.1Company research
The product, the role, the job description and recent news.
What this covers
- The business — What it sells and to whom.
- The role — What the job description really asks for.
- Recent news — Launches, results, announcements.
- Interview format — The rounds, if the company shares them.
- Your fit — Three reasons, matched to the job description.
What to practise
- Write 3 reasons you want this role
- Match 3 JD lines to your experience
Common questions
- Why do you want to work here?
- What do you know about our product?
Free resources
- GeeksforGeeks — Company-wise questions and theory (Free plan)
- Tech Interview Handbook — Free guide to coding and behavioral interviews (Free)
06.2Questions to ask
Two or three good questions for the end of the interview.
What this covers
- About the team — How work is planned and reviewed.
- About growth — Mentoring, learning, the first 90 days.
- About the product — What is hard right now.
- What to avoid — Questions a quick search answers.
What to practise
- Write 5 questions, keep the best 3
- Prepare one question about the team's own product
Common questions
- Do you have any questions for us?
Free resources
- Tech Interview Handbook — Free guide to coding and behavioral interviews (Free)
06.3Salary & offer basics
How to read an offer, answer salary questions and compare offers.
What this covers
- CTC vs in-hand — CTC includes PF, bonuses and benefits; in-hand is what you receive monthly.
- Fixed vs variable — Variable pay and joining bonuses may have conditions.
- Bonds and clawbacks — Read the service agreement before you sign.
- Answering "expected salary" — Give a researched range or ask for theirs first.
- Comparing offers — Role, learning, location and in-hand pay, not only CTC.
What to practise
- Look up salary ranges for the role and city
- Calculate in-hand pay for one sample offer
Common questions
- What are your salary expectations?
- Do you have any other offers?
Free resources
- Levels.fyi — Salary data shared by employees, mostly tech roles (Free)
- AmbitionBox interviews — Interview experiences and company reviews from Indian candidates (Free)
- Glassdoor interview questions — Interview questions and reviews shared by candidates (Free plan)
06.4Final checklist
Logistics, documents, setup and a calm night before.
What this covers
- Logistics — Time, timezone, link or address.
- Documents — Resume copies, ID, certificates if asked.
- Tech check — Camera, mic, internet, charger.
- Night before — Sleep, light revision, no new topics.
What to practise
- Do a 5-minute tech check the day before
- Lay out documents and clothes the night before
Free resources
- Google Interview Warmup — Free spoken mock interview that prints your transcript (Free)
06.5Job & interview safety
Spot fake offers, payment requests and fake interview links.
What this covers
- Payment requests — Real employers don't charge for jobs or training.
- Email domains — Check it matches the company's own site.
- OTPs & logins — Never share them with anyone.
- Fake interview links — Care with unknown chat apps and downloads.
- Reporting — The 1930 helpline and cybercrime.gov.in.
What to practise
- Check one recent offer against these rules
- Confirm the opening is listed on the company's own careers page
Free resources
- National Cyber Crime Portal — Report online fraud and job scams (Free)
- Have I Been Pwned — Check if your email appears in a data breach (Free)