Cbeyond Sales Associate Interview Questions & Reviews

Interviewed Sep 2008 in Santa Clara, CA (took 2 weeks)

The real Cbeyond interview has 3 parts, although you're only told about the first two.

First, you get a one-on-one interview with their hiring manager. If your recruiter is any good, they will basically couch you through exactly what to say. It's a pretty standard interview, and basically if you are an outgoing person, they'll move you on. Because the turnover rate is so high, they'll hire pretty much anybody as long as you're not hesitant and shy. The hiring manager will make the job sound WAY better than it actually is, and tell you that it's easy, and that you will make a lot more than what is actually average for the first year, and not tell you specifics like how a few thousand dollars of the proposed "salary" is actually gas reimbursement (which doesn't even nearly cover what you'll spend). If you actually really want this job, then be proactive and ask to move forward.

The second step is an all-day field ride with a certified employee. Talk to everyone you see in the office and be super friendly, and then build a lot of rapport with the person you're riding with. Also, volunteer to start cold-calling during the field ride. As long as you are friendly, outgoing, and proactive, you'll get an offer.

This experience can vary, depending on who you're riding with. One time a guy on my team had a field ride near the last day of the month. Halfway through, he figured she was hampering him and had no chance of the job anyway, so he dumped at a gas station 40 miles away from the office and told her to find her own way back. On the other hand my field ride was really pleasant--he was nursing a hangover from the night before, so we only hit less than 30 doors in this beautiful coastal town by Santa Cruz, and we ended up spending over an hour eating pizza. Then he told me to say we actually hit the required 50 doors, and he gave me a great recommendation.

After this step, you'll get the job offer, but you're actually not done yet. After you're hired, you start a week-long on-site crash course into telecom sales, no experience necessary. On the fourth day, you head out to your territory for the first time, and during that day your new manager will cold call with you for about an hour. Even though they never tell you, THIS is actually the final interview, where they see if you can cut it or not in the field. They WILL fire you the fourth day on the job if you can't cold call. If you pass this, then you get sent for the one week of actual training at HQ in Atlanta.

Honestly, the job kinda sucks, and I deeply regret turning down better offers because I was lured in by the "fun" youth culture they presented. But if you really just want a job, just be outgoing and you're hired because they really don't care about past experience or education when hiring.