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W.W. Grainger Territory Sales Representative Interview Questions & Reviews

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Web: www.grainger.com | HQ: Lake Forest, IL

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Updated May 25, 2012 – Interview questions and reviews posted anonymously by interview candidates.

Difficulty Rating [?] Based on 7 ratings

2.7

“Average” Interview

Interview Experience [?] Based on 7 ratings

Positive	29%
Neutral	29%
Negative	43%

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1–7 of 7 W.W. Grainger Interviews

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4.0

Difficult Interview

Overall Neutral Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed May 2012 in Santa Clara, CA (took a day)

Interview took place in a hotel in a small boardroom by two managers from the district. First question they asked is "Tell me in your own words about the job description?" "If there is a list of the top 500 sales in the country, where do you see yourself?" "How would you solve a complex problem?" 'What do you like about working in sales?"

Interview Questions

"Out of the list of 500 reps in the country, where do you see yourself in the ranking?" "What if you're in the bottom 20%?

Answer Question

Other Details

I got the interview through a Recruiter and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview and a Personality Test.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

3.0

Average Interview

Overall Neutral Experience

Received and Declined Offer

Interviewed Feb 2011 in Champaign, IL (took 2 weeks)

I applied online then about week or two later I received a phone call to set up an interview. The interview consisted of two men sitting at table asking me the normal questions. They seemed kind of cocky and made fun of my work history.

Interview Questions

They gave me a pen and asked me to sell it to them

Answer Question

Reason for Declining

I was unable to take the offer due to them wanting me to start right away when I still had finish my degree

Other Details

The interview consisted of a Phone Interview and a 1:1 Interview.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

4.0

Difficult Interview

Overall Negative Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed Dec 2011 in Winston Salem, NC (took 2 weeks)

I was contacted via phone by an HR rep who was very nice and said she saw my resume online. She asked me a few basic questions regarding my experience and told me I would be contacted soon. A few days later I was emailed and asked to list some times in which I would be available for a phone interview. I was contacted 25 minutes late by a gentleman who sounded disinterested and like he was eating a bag of fritos. I was asked basically the same questions and told a little bit more about the company.
Next was an 1:1 scheduled 2 hrs away. I got there 15 minutes early and was treated like I was a disease by the office staff. The hiring manager came to get me about 20 min late offering no apology for her tardiness. She asked me a series of behavioral questions, which I was prepared for. But she was very aggressive and seemed to be looking for any reason not to hire me. Not a very good experience.

Interview Questions

Describe a time when you were faced with a challenge and how did it make you feel?

Answer Question

Other Details

The interview consisted of a Phone Interview and a 1:1 Interview.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

3.0

Average Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Received and Accepted Offer

Interviewed Jan 2010 (took a day)

2 on 1 interview at Corporate headquarters in Lake Forest. I was asked to walk through my resume. Interview was mostly behavioral based. Since it is a sales position, I was given an object and I was asked to sell the object to the 2 interviewers. Interview lasted about an hour and it was formal but also causal at times.

Interview Questions

Sell me this blackberry

Answer Question

Why do you want to work in sales?

Answer Question

Other Details

The interview consisted of a Group/Panel Interview.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

2.0

Easy Interview

Overall Negative Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed Jan 2012 in Chicago, IL (took a day)

I was contacted by a 'Senior Recruiting Official' out of Tennessee who left me a message stating she would like to set up a time to speak with me about the position. I called her back like 3 minutes later and left a message stating that anytime after 12:00PM would work well for me. I never heard back so around 2PM Eastern Time I called her and we agreed to have the 'interview' right then. She described the position as 'walking door to door to sell products to mom and pop mfg shops' and told me the starting pay was $27,000 - non-negotiable. She also told me specificially how many paid days off there are (21 including holidays) which I found a bit odd but my guess is she was trying to justify the extremely low pay. After dicussing the position and its benefits she asked me why I applied and why I think I would make a good fit. When I initially started to answer 'why I applied to Grainger' she told me to stop because she couldn't understand what I was saying so I started over and tried to be more specific. I was very surprised when she told me she didn't understand what I was saying because I was being quite clear and have told a similar story in many job interviews w/o being told that.

After reading a bunch of these reviews I began to notice a pattern of people voicing their displeasure with the poor management of Grainger as well as an abundance of long-term employees (my interviewer included) whose skills are no longer relevant in today's economy. Basically it sounds like Grainger is on the way out and I personally won't dont' care to be part of it.

I was not told when the 'hiring manager' would get back to me by but suffice to say that I have no interest in working for this poorly run company.

Interview Questions

Why do you think you would be a good fit for this position (Territory Sales Rep)?

Answer Question

Other Details

I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

2.0

Easy Interview

Overall Positive Experience

Received and Accepted Offer

Interviewed Mar 2011 (took 3 weeks)

The hiring process was very pleasant. The hiring agency was good, competent, and led me through the process well. I was very pleased.

Interview Questions

How would you sell me this product?

Answer Question

Other Details

I got the interview through a Staffing Agency.

Helpful Interview?

Yes | No

Inappropriate?

1.0

Very Easy Interview

Overall Negative Experience

Interviewed and No Offer

Interviewed May 2010 in Fort Worth, TX (took a day)

I was telephoned by a recruiter who "saw my resume online" The phone interview was 5 minutes or less, and the person was unable to answer basic questions regarding products, sales goals, current structure, or even the status of parking near the interview site. She sounded early twenties, and very unprofessional. The interview was scheduled for the following week. After driving 2 hours in rush hour traffic and very turbulent weather I found the hotel downtown Ft. Worth, and arrived ten minutes early. The meeting room was equipped with a projector, elegant appointments, and notepads, which were never touched. I was greeted by 2 arrogant men in mid thirties, who were not interested in conducting an interview, or sharing any information about this company called Grainger. One of the two did all of the talking, stating that the company planned to add approximately 15 people to their current team. The new sales force was expected to make 20 to 30 presentations a day to small or medium businesses "only mom and pop stores" The company will provide company cars "that you can take home", and pay a mileage rate. These details are the extent of what was shared. When I questioned them about the corporate accounts, or bring new industry in as clients, I was told that the company handled that internally with a "different team". These two fellows were sadly inept, unpleasant, with extremely poor social skills. They admitted to interviewing "hundreds", while looking at me as though I were a grain in the sand. The interview lasted precisely 4 minutes and 35 seconds. They apparently had a quota of persons to interview that needed to be logged in, and documented on company time. It almost seemed like they were inconvenienced by being asked to perform this function, and planned to close up early to go out for their company paid steak dinners.