This site has been fairly quiet this week because I was preparing for a job interview yesterday. Quite exciting because the company is a world class operation and because this position will put me, for the first time, in a sales role. For now let’s leave the hiring company name out of this but I will say the position would not require relocation as the (headquarters) office is less than 15 miles from Casa Lazar in Mountain View.
The whole process began when I found out about the opening and contacted a friend who works in this division in a different location. He made some inquiries and sent my resume and a positive cover message directly to the hiring manager. Networking really is key in this miserable economy, all three of my recent opportunities have come due to some variant of it. The hiring manager called me Monday afternoon and we had a very good 30-35 minute chat; at the end he said I would hear shortly from his staff recruiter to slot me in for a visit and further interviews.
Turns out that this company has made a decision to significantly increase the number of individuals doing this particular job. This isn’t pure sales but instead has a significant technical overlay and specializes in a product category in which I have very solid experience. All, or most, of the people filling the newly created positions will be new hires, very cool in this (as I already said but bears repeating) miserable economy. The recruiter did call the following afternoon and explained that they were holding an open house for candidates Friday morning at 8 a.m. Each of the 10 candidates invited would have two one on one interviews and then make a presentation to a third person.
Apparently, having candidates for sales positions make a presentation is a standard part of the interview process at this company. I’d never had to do so before but it does make good sense since success in the job is heavily dependant on presentation and communication skills. Many companies hiring programmers give them programming tests or at least pose technical questions as part of the interview, so why shouldn’t sales interviews force candidates to do some selling? The recruiter provided me with a basic presentation that included the hypothetical customer, their objective, and a three part outline.
I went right to work, doing some substantial research on the hiring company’s website. This company is a firm believer in using the web to make their operations as effective and efficient as possible, so I was able to read white papers, customer case studies, even watch some high level product briefings. All in all, this made understanding the necessary content very easy and accessible. Plus, my sister, a high level, very successful salesperson herself, reviewed my draft and gave some very useful feedback. I had hoped to practice the presentation in front of one or more of my technically literate friends but none could be scheduled on such short notice. But the Sweet One was more than willing to sit and listen, even though she knows nothing about these kind of products.
Friday was very strange, getting up, showering, shaving, dressing up, and heading to an office as if it was a normal workday but of course I haven’t had a normal workday in so long! Traffic was really light on 101 at 7:30, I suppose just confirming what I’ve been reading in the newspaper lately. No problem getting to my destination 10 minutes early where I found the other candidates already waiting and all feeling at least some of the same last minutes jitters as me. After waiting a few more minutes for another person (who never showed), we were escorted upstairs to a conference room.
The division’s regional vice president, a very comfortable, experience woman, welcomed us all and gave a twenty minute presentation on the company, the division, and the positions in question. I’ve never really been involved in this type of hiring situation before, not even when graduating from Rutgers with the MBA, so this was pretty cool. Nice to be catered to a little bit. The recruiter had set up a matrix for the interviewers, showing each of them who would be doing the interviews in each time slot.
I don’t think I will write much about the actual interviews. I feel I did very well with each of them, particularly the presentation, and hopefully each recommended me. In fact, someone experienced in sales suggested that I close each interview, when asked if I had any questions for the interviewer, by asking for the job. “Based on what you’ve heard in our conversation, do you think you can recommend me for this position?” And I did ask them. Of course none gave a straight answer, though they did generally give me pretty good feedback on our talk and what would factor in to the decisions.
I left a few minutes after 10:00, feeling drained and exhilarated. Driving home I tried to process the event but it was difficult. I called the Sweet One and a few others to fill them in on the morning but I am a naturally optimistic person. I was told that a follow up phone call will probably come in the early part of this week to give me the result but I am confident. Keep your fingers crossed, okay? I know I am well suited for this position, prepared for success, and ready to go.
Update, 1/25: Thanks Rob but as cool a company as Microsoft is, it isn’t the company I’m talking about here.
BillSaysThis 