Hiring Manager Resource

Sales and BD Candidate Screening Template.

The full candidate screening framework Evara uses for senior sales and BD shortlists. Designed for hiring managers running their own first-round conversations or briefing an internal recruiter. Print it, copy it, or work through it on screen.

Ask Rachel to run this for you

How to use this

  1. Run sections one to four in the first conversation. They are diagnostic, not interrogative.
  2. Capture answers in writing. Senior hires fall apart on detail later, not on impression in the room.
  3. Run sections five to nine in a second, longer conversation once the basics check out.
  4. Score against the rubric at the end. Reject, keep warm, first interview or priority. No fence-sitting.

Jump to

Basic informationCareer history. Current role.Career history. Previous role 2.Career history. Previous role 3.Sales ability and commercialityPersonal, lifestyle and motivationsLifestyle and financial driversCareer motivation and valuesPersonality and culture fitCriteria for next moveRed flags and green flagsRecruiter notes and scorecard
Section 01

Basic information

Capture the essentials before anything else, so you can decide quickly whether the conversation is worth having and the role is even the right shape.

  • Full name
  • Mobile
  • Email
  • Location
  • Current company
  • Current job title
  • Notice period
  • Current salary (base, bonus, total)
  • Bonus and commission structure
  • Desired package (base, OTE, equity)

Working preference

RemoteHybridOffice
Section 02

Career history. Current role.

Spend the most time here. Most senior commercial hires fail because the current role was never properly understood in the first place.

Company

  • Company name
  • Industry or sector
  • Company size (headcount and revenue)
  • Start date

Role overview

  • Job title
  • Main responsibilities
  • New business and account management split
  • Typical clients and customers
  • Average deal size and value
  • Sales cycle length

Channels used

PhoneLinkedInEmailNetworkingReferrals

Targets and performance

  • Revenue target
  • Activity KPIs
  • Current performance vs target
  • Best month, quarter and year
  • Team ranking
  • Biggest client and biggest deal won
  • Typical monthly billings or revenue generated

Key achievements

  • Biggest commercial achievement
  • Promotions and awards
  • What they are most proud of
  • Examples of growth or impact made

Reason for leaving

  • Why are they looking?

  • What would improve their current situation?

  • Why now?

Key reference

  • Reference name
  • Job title and relationship (manager, peer, customer)
  • Email or mobile
  • One-line context (what would they verify?)
Section 03

Career history. Previous role 2.

Company

  • Company name
  • Industry or sector
  • Dates

Role overview

  • Job title
  • Main responsibilities
  • Type of sales or business development
  • Market and client focus

Targets and performance

  • Targets and KPIs
  • Performance vs target
  • Key numbers and results
  • Biggest client and biggest deal won

Key achievements

  • Biggest win
  • Promotions and recognition
  • Strongest contribution

Reason for leaving

  • Why did they leave?

Key reference

  • Reference name
  • Job title and relationship
  • Email or mobile
  • One-line context
Section 04

Career history. Previous role 3.

Company

  • Company name
  • Industry or sector
  • Dates

Role overview

  • Job title
  • Main responsibilities
  • Market and client focus

Targets and performance

  • Targets and KPIs
  • Performance vs target
  • Key numbers and results
  • Biggest client and biggest deal won

Key achievements

  • Biggest win
  • Promotions and recognition
  • Strongest contribution

Reason for leaving

  • Why did they leave?

Key reference

  • Reference name
  • Job title and relationship
  • Email or mobile
  • One-line context
Section 05

Sales ability and commerciality

This is the section where pretenders show themselves. Push past generic answers and look for specifics.

Business development ability

  • How comfortable are you with cold outreach?

  • Talk me through how you win new business.

  • Tell me about a client you won from scratch.

  • What makes you successful in sales or BD?

  • How do you handle rejection and setbacks?

Process and ownership

  • Are you CRM and process driven?

  • Do you generate your own leads?

  • Pipeline management approach?

  • Follow-up discipline?

  • What motivates you most commercially?

Section 06

Personal, lifestyle and motivations

Senior hires are made by people, not roles. The personal context is the part most recruiters skip and most hiring managers wish they had.

Personal snapshot

  • Family situation
  • Relationship status
  • Children
  • Hobbies and interests
  • What do they enjoy outside work?
  • What keeps them motivated personally?
Section 07

Lifestyle and financial drivers

Current lifestyle goals

  • What is important to you at this stage of life?

  • What are you working towards personally?

  • What would a great next 3-5 years look like?

Financial motivation

  • What income level are you aiming for?

  • Why is earning important to you currently?

  • Any major goals influencing your next move?

Drivers behind the next move

HouseFamilyTravelInvestmentsLifestyleSecurityFreedom
Section 08

Career motivation and values

What truly drives them

  • What gives you satisfaction at work?

  • What environments bring out your best?

  • What type of leadership do you respond best to?

  • What frustrates you most in a business?

  • What would make you excited to get out of bed for work?

Ambition

  • Long-term career goals
  • Leadership ambitions
  • What does success look like personally?
Section 09

Personality and culture fit

Working style

  • Competitive or collaborative?

  • Structured or autonomous?

  • Fast-paced or stable?

  • How do you handle pressure and stress?

  • What type of people do you work best with?

Self-awareness

  • Biggest strengths
  • Areas they are improving
  • Typical feedback from managers and colleagues
Section 10

Criteria for next move

What they want next

  • Ideal role
  • Preferred sector and market
  • Earnings goals
  • Career progression expectations
  • Preferred culture and environment
  • Management preferences
  • Non-negotiables
  • Deal breakers

Hiring process

  • Interviewing elsewhere?

  • Other opportunities or offers?

  • Timeline for the move?

  • Level of urgency?

Red flags

Things that should give you pause.

  • Avoids specifics and numbers
  • Blames previous employers constantly
  • No clear targets or KPIs
  • Talks effort over outcomes
  • Job hopping without progression
  • Weak energy around BD and new business
  • Unrealistic salary expectations
  • Poor communication and accountability

Green flags

Things to lean into.

  • Clear numbers and results
  • Strong commercial ownership
  • Competitive but coachable
  • Resilient and proactive
  • Self-aware
  • Strong reasons for moving
  • High standards and ambition
  • Stable progression

Recruiter notes and scorecard

Score them, do not guess.

Strengths

Concerns

Scores (1-10)

  • Commercial ability
    12345678910
  • Communication
    12345678910
  • Energy and drive
    12345678910
  • BD capability
    12345678910
  • Stability
    12345678910
  • Culture fit
    12345678910
  • Leadership potential
    12345678910

Overall recommendation

RejectKeep warmFirst interviewPriority candidate

Final notes

Want this run for you?

We do this professionally, every week.

If you would rather not run a structured 90-minute screen on every shortlisted candidate yourself, this is exactly what Evara is built to do, properly, and at the level you would expect.

Email Rachel

rachel@evaraconsultancy.co.uk · Reply within one working day

Related: Hiring Scorecard Builder · Role Profile Designer · Hiring Readiness Scorecard