How to hire advertising sales agents
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Draw up contracts for advertising work, and collect payments due. • Explain to customers how specific types of advertising will help promote their products or services in the most effective way possible. • Locate and contact potential clients to offer advertising services. • Maintain assigned account bases while developing new accounts. • Obtain and study information about clients' products, needs, problems, advertising history, and business practices to offer effective sales presentations and appropriate product assistance. • Prepare and deliver sales presentations to new and existing customers to sell new advertising programs and to protect and increase existing advertising. • Provide clients with estimates of the costs of advertising products or services. • Recommend appropriate sizes and formats for advertising, depending on medium used. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: High school diploma or equivalent] • Strong speaking, active listening, reading comprehension, critical thinking, writing and monitoring skills • Working knowledge of sales and marketing, English Language, customer and personal service and communications and media • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $31.16 an hour ($64,820 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for advertising sales agents
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to draw up contracts for advertising work, and collect payments due. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to explain to customers how specific types of advertising will help promote their products or services in the most effective way possible. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to locate and contact potential clients to offer advertising services. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to maintain assigned account bases while developing new accounts. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Explain something technical from your last job as you would to a new coworker.
- Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
- Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What advertising sales agents do
- Draw up contracts for advertising work, and collect payments due.
- Explain to customers how specific types of advertising will help promote their products or services in the most effective way possible.
- Locate and contact potential clients to offer advertising services.
- Maintain assigned account bases while developing new accounts.
- Obtain and study information about clients' products, needs, problems, advertising history, and business practices to offer effective sales presentations and appropriate product assistance.
- Prepare and deliver sales presentations to new and existing customers to sell new advertising programs and to protect and increase existing advertising.
- Provide clients with estimates of the costs of advertising products or services.
- Recommend appropriate sizes and formats for advertising, depending on medium used.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for advertising sales agents
- Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent (BLS)
- Related work experience most have: 1 to 2 years (O*NET)
- Training on the job: Moderate-term on-the-job training (BLS)
- Job outlook: -7.2% over ten years, declining · about 7,800 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay advertising sales agents
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| Washington | $101,320 |
| New York | $98,360 |
| Massachusetts | $80,500 |
| California | $80,360 |
| Utah | $74,260 |
| Louisiana | $48,810 |
| Kansas | $48,660 |
| Tennessee | $40,910 |
See advertising sales agents pay in every state
Related hiring guides
- Insurance Sales Agents
- Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents
- Travel Agents
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel
Post this job on JAI Bot. Free to start: JAI Bot reads every applicant against your must-haves, shows the resume evidence behind each one, and helps you reply to everyone. People make every decision.
Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.