All SDR jobs

Interview prep

Business Development Representative

Algolia · New York, New York

Apply on Algolia's site
Experience
1–2 years
Motion
Outbound: you'll be cold calling and emailing
Selling to
Enterprise, Mid-market
Level
SDR / BDR

What they'll measure you on

Quoted from the posting. Have a number ready for each one in your answers.

  • “As a Business Development Representative (BDR) at Algolia, you will play a critical role prospecting and expanding business opportunities for our Enterprise and Commercial teams.”
  • “You will take part in a wide variety of responsibilities that will help foster, qualify, and mature our pipeline with high profile customers.”
  • “Work closely with our Enterprise or Commercial Account Executives to strategize on how to approach targeted accounts and build global pipeline”
  • “Research and prospect key contacts at target accounts, creating personalized outreach by understanding each prospect’s business, pain points, and use casesConduct high quality outbound across email, phone, and LinkedIn to build pipeline”

Tools in this posting

  • Salesforce

    Know how a lead becomes a contact, an account and an opportunity, and how you'd log a call and a next step.

Your prep checklist

0/7

Questions they're likely to ask

  • Walk me through why you want to be an SDR, and why here.

    They want proof you chose this role and this company on purpose. Name something specific from their site.

  • Tell me about a time you got a lot of 'no's in a row. What did you do?

    Rejection is the job. Show a habit that kept you going and what you changed.

  • How do you organize your day when you have 80 dials and 40 emails to get through?

    They're checking you can plan: blocks of time, priorities, and when you review what worked.

  • Tell me about a goal you set and hit. How did you track it?

    SDRs live by numbers. Use a real number and say how you measured progress.

  • What would you do in your first 30 days here?

    Bring a short 30-60-90 outline. It shows you think like the job already started.

  • What feedback have you received that changed how you work?

    SDR managers often ask about coachability. Pick something real and show the before and after.

  • Cold call me. You're selling our product to one of their buyers.

    Outbound SDR interviews often include a role-play. Open with who you are, why you're calling, and a question.

  • The prospect says 'Just send me an email.' What do you say?

    Acknowledge it, ask one question to make the email useful, then ask for 15 minutes.

  • How would you research an account before calling?

    Name two or three signals: recent hiring, funding, a new leader, tech they use. Then how it changes your opener.

  • Write a three-sentence cold email to a VP at a target account.

    Short, about them, one ask. Reference something specific.

  • How would you get into an account with 10,000 employees where we know nobody?

    Multi-threading: several personas, a reason for each, and working with your AE on a plan.

Questions to ask them

  • What does a great first 90 days look like for an SDR here?
  • How are SDRs measured: meetings booked, meetings held, or pipeline created?
  • How do SDRs and AEs work together day to day?
  • What's the typical path from SDR to AE here, and how long does it take?
  • What does coaching look like: call reviews, role-plays, 1:1s?

Expect objections in the role-play. The objection library has word-for-word answers to the twelve most common ones.

Read the full posting
Algolia is the retrieval intelligence layer that turns intent into trusted, decision-grade outcomes. Powering more than 1.7 trillion queries a year for over 18,000 customers with millisecond latency and 99.999% reliability, we are the recognized leader for Search and Product Discovery by top industry analyst firms. The Algolia platform turns a company's products, content, and business rules into data that humans, applications and AI agents can act upon. The result is trusted customer experiences with stronger conversions for measurable business impact. At Algolia, we are passionate about helping developers & product teams connect their users with what matters most in milliseconds! We are looking for highly driven individuals with strong technical aptitude and natural sales instincts to join our growing sales organization. As a Business Development Representative (BDR) at Algolia, you will play a critical role prospecting and expanding business opportunities for our Enterprise and Commercial teams. You will take part in a wide variety of responsibilities that will help foster, qualify, and mature our pipeline with high profile customers. We need someone with a hunter attitude who thrives in autonomy. This is a role where your ideas matter! As a BDR, you will research your accounts, hone your craft in effective outreach, and have room to experiment with new ways of reaching prospects. Our team shares what works and what doesn’t, so you’ll grow quickly and help others do the same. We’re looking for a team player who welcomes feedback and is committed to continuous improvement. YOUR ROLE WILL CONSIST OF: • Work closely with our Enterprise or Commercial Account Executives to strategize on how to approach targeted accounts and build global pipeline • Research and prospect key contacts at target accounts, creating personalized outreach by understanding each prospect’s business, pain points, and use casesConduct high quality outbound across email, phone, and LinkedIn to build pipeline • Be an active part of the team, sharing best practices and participating in the Sales Development organization's projects • Manage, track and report sales activities and results using SFDC YOU MIGHT BE A FIT IF YOU HAVE: • 1 - 2 years of experience in outbound prospecting and pipeline generation (SaaS experience preferred, but not required) • A self starter mindset with a competitive drive • Excellent written and verbal communication skills • Ability to quickly learn and adapt to change • Demonstrated success overachieving (professionally/ personally) • You have an interest in the tech industry #LI-hybrid Algolia does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, military status, veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. The annual total cash compensation range (base salary and commission) for this role reflects market pay data within this location. The exact compensation offered for this role may vary depending on specific location and job-related knowledge, technical skills, and experience; and is only one part of our Total Rewards philosophy to compensate and recognize employees for their work. On-Target Earnings Pay Range $76,000—$95,000 USD FLEXIBLE WORKPLACE STRATEGY: Algolia’s flexible workplace model is designed to empower all Algolians to fulfill our mission to power search and discovery with ease. We place an emphasis on an individual’s impact, contribution, and output, over their physical location. Algolia is a high-trust environment and many of our team members have the autonomy to choose where they want to work and when. We have a global presence with offices in Paris, NYC, London, Sydney and Bucharest, however we also offer many of our team members the option to work remotely either as fully remote or hybrid-remote employees. Positions listed as "Remote" are only available for remote work within the specified country. Positions listed within a specific city are only available in that location - depending on the role it may be available with either a hybrid-remote or in-office schedule. WE’RE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WHO CAN LIVE OUR VALUES: • GRIT - Problem-solving and perseverance capability in an ever-changing and growing environment. • TRUST - Willingness to trust our co-workers and to take ownership. • CANDOR - Ability to receive and give constructive feedback. • CARE - Genuine care about other team members, our clients and the decisions we make in the company. • HUMILITY - Aptitude for learning from others, putting ego aside. We’re looking for talented, passionate people to help build the world’s best search and discovery technology. We value autonomy, diversity, and collaboration. We’re committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone is respected and supported—regardless of race, age, ancestry, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, color, veteran status, disability, or socioeconomic background. IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR CANDIDATES - Recruitment Fraud Notice We’ve recently seen an increase in recruitment scams targeting job seekers. To help protect yourself, please keep the following in mind: • Our open positions may appear on third-party job boards, but the best way to apply safely is directly through our careers page. • All genuine communication from Algolia will come from an @algolia.com email address. If you receive an email from someone claiming to work at Algolia who does not have an @algolia.com email address, please do not respond or share any personal information. • We’ll never ask for payments, purchases, or financial details during the hiring process. READY TO APPLY? If you share our values and our enthusiasm for building the world’s best search & discovery technology, we’d love to review your application!

From Algolia's public job board. Details can change; the company's posting is the source of truth.