How to Hire an SDR

Key Takeaways

If you are working out how to hire an SDR, start by writing down what a qualified meeting means, because that one definition shapes the job, the targets and the hire.
Judge finalists on the work: a cold email to one of your real target accounts and a mock call where you give feedback and ask for a second go.
Book every interview stage before the first one, because good SDRs are in demand and get other offers.

To hire a sales development representative (SDR), agree what a qualified meeting is before you post the job, then test the real work, not the interview. Ask finalists for a cold email to a real target account, run a mock call with feedback and a second attempt, and book every stage up front so you do not lose them to a faster offer.

Where SDR Hires Usually Go Wrong

An SDR prospects target accounts, qualifies interest and books meetings for the Account Executives (AEs) who close. Most guides list the traits to look for. The problems we see start earlier, with assumptions the hiring team never writes down. Each one maps to a step below.

What hiring teams often assume	What the evidence says	What to do instead
A booked meeting is a booked meeting	Quotas vary with how strict the definition is (see Step 1)	Define a qualified meeting before the job goes live (Step 1)
A strong interview means a strong SDR	Polished interviewing is not the same as selling on the phone	Ask for a cold email to a real account (Step 3)
Experience matters most	Coachability and quick thinking under objections are core SDR traits	Give feedback in the mock call and ask for a second go (Step 4)
We can take our time	Good SDRs are in high demand and often interview at several companies	Book every stage before the first interview (Step 5)
They will be productive within weeks	Average SDR ramp is 3.0 months in the latest Bridge Group study	Plan the first 90 days before day one (Step 7)

How to Hire an SDR in Seven Steps

Each step has one output. Do Steps 1 and 2 before you speak to a single candidate.

Step 1. Define a Qualified Meeting Before You Post the Job

If you skip this, you risk hiring someone who books calls your closers do not want. Write two to four criteria a meeting must meet, such as the buyer's role, company size, a live problem and a rough timeline. Agree them with the AEs who will take the meetings.

The definition changes the job. In the Bridge Group's SDR Models, Motions & Metrics 2025 report, based on 351 business-to-business (B2B) companies, the global median monthly quota was 10 meetings held. By model, it was 16.0 where SDRs book introductory meetings, 10.4 for semi-qualified and 9.0 for fully qualified. The same seat can mean very different work.

Then fill in the rest of a one-page brief: target accounts, channels (phone, email, LinkedIn), tools, who they report to and who coaches them each week. SignalFire's guide to hiring a first SDR notes that SDRs are usually paid on meetings (scheduled, held or meeting agreed criteria), opportunities or closed business. Pick one primary measure and say which in the advert.

Step 2. Set a Package and a Career Path You Can Explain

Decide base, on-target earnings (OTE) and the split before you go to market. SignalFire says SDR pay has moved away from a 50:50 base-to-variable split towards 60:40 or 70:30. The Bridge Group put median SDR OTE at $80K with a 68:32 split. That is a mostly North American, US dollar figure, so use it as a ratio check, not a UK salary guide. RevOps Co-op's SDR hiring guide puts it simply: check your market, because good SDRs are in high demand.

Be ready to explain progression too. Most SDR candidates will ask where the role leads. The Bridge Group put average SDR tenure at 1.9 years and median annual attrition in 2024 at 40%, split 13% involuntary, 11% voluntary and 16% promotions. If the path to AE exists, say what it takes and how long it usually runs at your company.

Want a second opinion on your SDR brief?

The Emily James Partnership, part of CloudScope Group, recruits SDRs, AEs and sales leaders for SaaS businesses. Start with a free, no-obligation hiring conversation with the team: email team@cloudscopegroup.com or call +44 20 3740 1409.

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Step 3. Ask for a Cold Email to a Real Target Account

Widen the pool before you narrow it. Many strong SDRs have not held the title yet. People from customer service, hospitality and retail often bring the habits the job needs: high volume, calm under pressure and good notes. We have written about moving from customer service into tech sales.

For finalists, the cold email is the best single test. Send one real account from your target list, a job title and your one-line pitch. Ask for a first email, one follow-up and a sentence on why they chose that angle. Allow a day.

You are checking three things. Did they research the account and find a real reason to get in touch? Is it short? Is it about the prospect, not your product? An email that could go to any company tells you what their real emails will look like.

Step 4. Run a Mock Call, Give Feedback and Ask for a Second Go

Send your positioning the day before. On the call, a manager plays a busy prospect and raises an objection your team hears every week. Watch whether they say who they are and why they called, handle the objection briefly and ask for a specific next step. RevOps Co-op lists coachability and quick thinking with unexpected objections among the qualities SDRs need.

Then give one piece of direct feedback and ask them to try again. Miki's SDR hiring guide argues that this moment tells you more than any behavioural question. A coachable candidate adjusts. A defensive one explains why the first attempt was fine.

For UK roles, ask what they check before dialling. The ICO's guidance on business-to-business marketing says live B2B calls must be screened against both the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) and Corporate TPS (CTPS) registers, plus your own do-not-call list, and the caller must say who is calling.

Want a faster, fairer SDR process?

CloudScope Group is a collective of specialist niche recruitment brands backed by shared group infrastructure. Book a free, no-obligation hiring conversation with the team to tighten your process, or see how we work with employers. Email team@cloudscopegroup.com or call +44 20 3740 1409.

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Step 5. Book Every Stage Up Front, Because Good SDRs Get Other Offers

Miki's guide notes that SDR candidates often interview at several companies at once. Before the first interview, put every stage and its date in the diary, and tell the candidate the timeline. Keep it to four stages:

Screen (30 minutes): motivation, availability, package expectations and the numbers from their last role.
Cold email task: one real account, returned within a day (Step 3).
Mock call and hiring manager interview (45 minutes): the call, feedback and second go (Step 4).
Final conversation (30 minutes): with the AE they will book for, plus package, start date and questions.

Score every candidate on the same scale. Google's re:Work guide to structured interviewing describes using the same questions, grading answers on an identical scale and deciding on predetermined criteria. We see the cost of slow processes on our live AE searches too, where strong candidates withdraw between stages after accepting elsewhere.

Step 6. References, Right to Work and the Offer

Ask a former manager how they handled a slow month, how they took feedback and whether they would hire them again. Get permission first and ask every referee the same questions.

GOV.UK guidance on checking a job applicant's right to work says you must check an applicant is allowed to work for you in the UK before you employ them, online with a share code or by checking original documents. In the offer, set out what earns commission. Acas guidance on commission says an employer should include an employee's entitlement to commission in their written statement of employment particulars.

Step 7. Plan the First 90 Days Before Day One

The Bridge Group put average SDR ramp at 3.0 months, the lowest since 2010. We have covered why ramp matters as much as track record separately. Judge a new SDR on what they can control at each stage:

Days 1 to 30, learn: the product, the ideal customer profile (ICP), your positioning, the customer relationship management (CRM) system and calling rules. Shadow live calls.
Days 31 to 60, practise: sequences running, call blocks with a manager listening and a weekly call review. Track replies and conversations.
Days 61 to 90, own: a weekly qualified-meeting target that the AEs accept, reviewed as a trend over several weeks.

SignalFire suggests keeping a first SDR's ramp simple, with a non-recoverable draw or objectives-based plan for the first month and structured weekly one-to-ones.

FAQ: Hiring an SDR

What does an SDR do?

An SDR (sales development representative) researches target accounts, starts conversations by phone, email and LinkedIn, qualifies interest and books meetings for the Account Executives who close.

What should you look for when hiring an SDR?

Short, specific writing, real listening on calls, resilience after rejection and coachability. Test them with a cold email to a real account and a mock call with feedback and a second go. Tool experience can be learned.

How long does it take a new SDR to ramp?

The Bridge Group's 2025 SDR report put average ramp at 3.0 months across 351 B2B companies, mostly in North America. Set rising targets for the first 90 days.

Should an SDR report to sales or marketing?

Most report to sales. In the Bridge Group's 2025 study, 60% of SDRs reported to sales, 26% to marketing and 10% to a chief executive or other C-level leader. Reporting to whoever owns the meetings keeps feedback on quality short.

Should you hire an SDR or an AE first?

If nobody can close the meetings an SDR books, hire the closer first. Our guide on how to hire a SaaS Account Executive covers that seat.

Should you use a recruiter to hire an SDR?

A specialist recruiter helps when you need candidates who are not actively applying, a faster process or a second opinion on your brief and package. Otherwise, you can run these steps yourself.