How to hire sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products
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 • Answer customers' questions about products, prices, availability, or credit terms. • Contact new or existing customers to discuss how specific products or services can meet their needs. • Emphasize product features, based on analyses of customers' needs and on technical knowledge of product capabilities and limitations. • Maintain customer records, using automated systems. • Negotiate prices or terms of sales or service agreements. • Prepare and submit sales contracts for orders. • Quote prices, credit terms, or other bid specifications. • Visit establishments to evaluate needs or to promote product or service sales. 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: Bachelor's degree] • Strong speaking, active listening, reading comprehension, active learning, critical thinking and writing skills • Working knowledge of customer and personal service, sales and marketing, design and English Language • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $50.44 an hour ($104,920 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products
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 answer customers' questions about products, prices, availability, or credit terms. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to contact new or existing customers to discuss how specific products or services can meet their needs. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to emphasize product features, based on analyses of customers' needs and on technical knowledge of product capabilities and limitations. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to maintain customer records, using automated systems. 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 sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products do
- Answer customers' questions about products, prices, availability, or credit terms.
- Contact new or existing customers to discuss how specific products or services can meet their needs.
- Emphasize product features, based on analyses of customers' needs and on technical knowledge of product capabilities and limitations.
- Maintain customer records, using automated systems.
- Negotiate prices or terms of sales or service agreements.
- Prepare and submit sales contracts for orders.
- Quote prices, credit terms, or other bid specifications.
- Visit establishments to evaluate needs or to promote product or service sales.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products
- Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree (BLS)
- Related work experience most have: 2 to 4 years (O*NET)
- Training on the job: Moderate-term on-the-job training (BLS)
- Job outlook: +1.2% over ten years, little or no change · about 23,600 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| Colorado | $135,000 |
| New Jersey | $131,360 |
| Kansas | $130,850 |
| New York | $129,410 |
| Georgia | $128,850 |
| Mississippi | $74,990 |
| Oklahoma | $72,480 |
| Arkansas | $71,830 |
Related hiring guides
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products
- Sales Engineers
- Industrial Production Managers
- First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers
- Sales Managers
- Advertising Sales Agents
- Purchasing Managers
- 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.