How to Stand Out in a Sales Interview: A Recruiter's Perspective

Heather Allen spent years at Spectrum building a career, sharpening her skills and growing with the company across roles in call center sales, field sales, retail, and eventually, sales leadership before deciding she was ready for a new career challenge. Today, instead of leading sales teams, she’s helping to identify sales talent as a Talent Acquisition Manager for Spectrum’s Retail Sales team, which means she's spent her career on both sides of the interview table.

We sat down with Heather to ask the questions candidates want answered.

What skills matter most for sales roles at Spectrum?

Charisma tops Heather's list, but not in the "loud and outgoing" sense. "You have to be willing to talk to people. You can't be scared to have conversations, and you can't be scared of the 'no,’ because you are going to hear it from someone eventually," she says. She calls it being pleasantly persistent: staying engaged, interpreting what a customer actually needs and listening more than talking. "You need to capture people's attention and listen and really hone in on people's needs and wants." She also shares that sales can be fast paced, so staying resilient and managing that matters just as much.

Does previous sales experience matter?

Not as much as you'd think. "You have to have the attitude and the drive for sales. And if you have that, you don't need the experience because we will teach you," Heather says. Plus, many sales roles at Spectrum start at entry-level. "Sometimes it's easier to have someone join our team who doesn’t have sales experience, because they're willing to learn. It's a fresh slate to work with."

What's the most common question candidates ask?

Questions about the work environment usually come first, even ahead of commission. When candidates ask what it's really like to work at Spectrum, Heather leans on her own experience. "I use my story as an example because in 28 years, I've never wanted to leave." she says, citing our career resources and benefits as particularly meaningful, including mentoring programs, the Spectrum Women Business Resource Group community she's part of and our Education Benefit, which she's currently using to pursue her master’s degree.

What makes a candidate stand out?

For Heather, it comes down to communication skills. "Can the person hold a conversation with me? Are they keeping eye contact? Do I genuinely feel like this is someone I'd like to talk to?" she says. She's also quick to debunk a common misconception: "You can be an introvert or an extrovert and do well in sales. A lot of people don’t realize that."

Heather's own path from sales to recruiting is proof that a job at Spectrum can be just the beginning of a long and successful career here.

As she puts it, "I always tease and say they found me in a spool of cable when I was two. But truly, this company has done so much for me. There's nowhere I'd rather be."

If you’re interested in helping people connect to what matters most while building a career you love, explore Sales Careers at Spectrum | Unlock Your Potential.

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