The SDR Job Description That Actually Helps You Hire
Your last SDR quit after four months. The one before that never hit ramp. Both were hired off a job description that said "CRM proficiency" and "self-starter" - nothing about what the job pays, what tools they'd use, or how success gets measured. That's the problem with most SDR postings: they're written for compliance, not for hiring.
Grab the copy-paste template below, customize it in five minutes, and stop losing candidates to vague listings.
Why Most SDR Job Descriptions Fail
Candidates scan three things before they apply: compensation, daily expectations, and the tech stack. Most SDR postings nail zero of those. They list "drive pipeline growth" without mentioning how many meetings per month that means. They require "experience with sales tools" without naming a single one. And a common complaint on r/sales? Postings labeled "entry-level" that demand two years of experience.
Here's the thing - if your posting reads like every other one on the job board, you'll attract the same pool of candidates who spray-apply to everything. Specificity is your filter.
Copy-Paste SDR Job Description Template
[Company Name] - Sales Development Representative
About Us [2-3 sentences about your company, product, and the market you serve. Include stage, funding, or team size to help candidates self-select.]
The Role You'll be the first point of contact for prospective customers - qualifying inbound leads and running outbound campaigns to build pipeline for our Account Executives. This is a [full-time/hybrid/remote] role reporting to [title].
What You'll Do
- Run multi-channel outbound sequences - cold calls, personalized email, social touches - in 90-minute focused blocks
- Qualify inbound leads from marketing campaigns, demo requests, and content downloads
- Book and confirm [X] qualified meetings per month for AEs
- Maintain CRM hygiene: log every activity, update deal stages, flag data issues
- Hand off qualified opportunities with context including pain points, timeline, and budget signals
- Hit daily activity targets: [X] calls, [X] personalized emails, [X] social touches
Required Skills & Experience
- [0-1 / 1-2] years in a customer-facing or outbound sales role (adjust honestly)
- Comfort with high-volume outreach across phone, email, and social channels
- Strong written communication - you'll write dozens of personalized emails daily
- Coachability and resilience in a metrics-driven environment
Nice to Have
- Prior experience in SaaS or B2B sales
- Familiarity with [your industry]
- Experience with [named tools from your stack]
Education: Bachelor's degree preferred; equivalent experience accepted.
Tools You'll Use
- CRM: [Salesforce / HubSpot]
- Engagement: [Outreach / Salesloft / Lemlist]
- Data & Intelligence: [Prospeo, ZoomInfo, or Apollo]
- Conversation Intelligence: [Gong / Chorus]
Compensation $[X]-$[Y] base + $[A]-$[B] variable (OTE: $[Total]). Variable comp tied to [meetings booked / qualified pipeline / deals signed].
Benefits [List your actual benefits. Don't say "competitive." Be specific.]
KPIs to Include in Your Posting
Putting real numbers in your posting signals you've thought about the role - and it helps candidates self-select. We've found that teams publishing specific KPIs attract candidates who already understand metrics-driven sales and need less hand-holding during ramp.
| Metric | Inbound SDR | Outbound SDR |
|---|---|---|
| Meetings/month | 20-25 | 12-15 |
| SQL conversion | 25-35% | 15-25% |
| Emails/day | 30-50 | 50-80 |
| Cold call connect | N/A | 5-8% |
| Show rate | 80-85% | 75-80% |
Top outbound performers push 18-20 meetings per month. But if your reps are working cold lists in a tough market, 8-10 is more realistic during ramp. Don't set quotas only your best rep could hit - Bridge Group research shows roughly 57% of SDRs hit quota industry-wide, and companies tracking full-funnel SDR metrics see 22% higher meeting-to-opportunity conversion and 34% shorter sales cycles. Include the funnel SDR metrics that matter beyond just "meetings booked."
You just listed KPIs like 50-80 emails/day and 12-15 meetings/month. Your SDRs can't hit those numbers if half their emails bounce. Prospeo delivers 98% email accuracy on a 7-day refresh cycle - so every sequence your reps send lands in a real inbox, not a dead end.
Give your SDRs data that actually converts on day one.
SDR Compensation in 2026
Candidates skip postings without a comp range. And they should.
Glassdoor puts the median SDR total pay at $102K/year, with base ranging $53K-$71K and additional pay adding $30K-$57K. RepVue data shows a lower median OTE of $85K, with top performers clearing $127,955. The gap reflects company stage and market - a Series A startup in the Midwest isn't paying what a late-stage SaaS company in SF pays.
If your OTE is below $75K, you're not hiring SDRs. You're renting them for three months until they find a real offer. Pay competitively or budget for constant turnover.
For comp structure, the standard split is 70-80% base and 20-30% variable. We've seen the best retention when variable is tied to something the SDR directly controls - meetings booked, not closed revenue. Tying comp to deals signed sounds aligned on paper, but it punishes reps for AE performance they can't influence, and it's one of the fastest ways to breed resentment on a sales floor.
Tools to List in Your JD
Name the stack. Candidates want to know whether they'll be learning Salesforce or HubSpot, not "a leading CRM." Listing specific tools also filters out candidates who've never touched a sequencer - that's a feature, not a bug.
Your SDR's data provider matters most for day-one productivity. Prospeo's 98% email accuracy and 7-day data refresh cycle mean reps aren't burning sequences on bad addresses, and the free tier gives new hires 75 verified emails per month to start prospecting before procurement approves budget. For engagement platforms, Outreach and Salesloft typically land around $100-$150/user/month. ZoomInfo starts around $14,995/year, while Apollo offers a free tier with paid plans from roughly $49/user/month. Gong handles call recording and coaching. Round out the stack with Zapier, Clay, or Make for workflow automation.
If you want a quick checklist of categories and options, use this SDR tools breakdown.
Skip listing tools your team doesn't actually use. I've seen postings that name six platforms the company hasn't bought yet - it just confuses candidates and sets wrong expectations during onboarding.
Common Mistakes in SDR Postings
The entry-level paradox. Don't write "entry-level" and then require two years of SaaS experience. Pick one. If you genuinely need experience, call it "junior" or "associate" and adjust the comp accordingly.
Missing comp ranges. Postings without pay ranges get fewer qualified applicants, and many states now require them by law anyway. Even where it isn't legally mandated, transparency builds trust before a candidate ever talks to your recruiter.
Vague responsibilities. "Drive pipeline" means nothing. "Book 12-15 qualified meetings per month via outbound sequences" tells the candidate exactly what success looks like and whether they can do it.
Let's be honest - a strong job description for a sales development representative does three things: sets honest expectations, names real numbers, and gives candidates enough detail to self-select in or out. Use the template above, plug in your specifics, and post something worth applying to.
If you're also building the onboarding plan behind the posting, pair this with a 30-60-90 day plan so expectations match reality.
You told hiring managers to name the stack in the JD. Here's the tool worth naming: Prospeo gives SDRs 300M+ verified contacts, a Chrome extension with 40K+ users, and a free tier of 75 emails/month so new hires can prospect before procurement even signs off.
Stop listing tools your team hasn't bought - start with one that works at $0.01/email.
FAQ
What's the difference between an SDR and a BDR?
The terms are used interchangeably at most companies. When distinguished, SDRs typically handle inbound lead qualification while BDRs focus on outbound prospecting. The difference is lead source, not skill set - both roles book meetings for account executives.
What should an entry-level SDR salary look like in 2026?
Expect $53K-$71K base with $85K-$102K OTE for entry-level reps. Structure comp as 70-80% base and 20-30% variable tied to meetings booked, not closed revenue the rep can't control.
What tools should I list in an SDR job description?
Name your CRM (Salesforce or HubSpot), your data provider (Prospeo, ZoomInfo, or Apollo), and your engagement platform (Outreach, Salesloft, or Lemlist). Candidates want the actual stack - "CRM proficiency" tells them nothing useful.