Was first contacted by outside recruiter who screened/questioned very heavily, calling and confirming background with references after the first conversation; very professional/admired. Then the interview process began about 2 weeks later with:
1. Initial meeting with the operations manager. She works closely with the overall sales manager (VP of sales) with the two of them buying the company out from the long-holding owner. She was direct and well-mannered. Upon "successful" discussions, she recommended an interview with Tony, the VP of Sales the next week. (about 1 hour or so, not including factory floor tour)
2. Next interview with the VP of Sales was more directed on what is the mannerisms of your sales process and an overview of he companies methods of sales. The firm is, at best, extremely underutilized and the potential is huge for someone who will actually "get on the phone" and work. Additionally, there are partnerships with major distributors that are possible and Tony would make an excellent partner in sales. However, at this point, the owner of the company is distrusting to a certain extent of outsiders and the distribution model should not be mentioned, as he is against it. Additionally, there are tentative plans to expand the upstairs of the building for outside/hybrid sales department (space for about 20). (about 1.5 hours)
3. The last interview was a joint session with the past/transitional owner and the original interviewer. He is not a "suit 'n tie" guy and is more of a "gut feeling" interviewer. The questions varied quite widely and it was more of a conversation than an interview, as they were quite a family-owned shop and quite tentative of having someone from the outside join. Tread carefully. (about 1.5 hours)
4. After the final interview, it was made know that there were just two people still considered; myself and another. About two weeks past and no follow-up. After numerous attempts, I contacted several people at the firm to find-out what happened and couldn't get an answer. I then called the recruiter, after a month had replied, and informed him that I had a "last-chanced" offer from another firm, which expired. They returned my call and wanted to know if I would be happy to be an outside salesman instead of sales manager, to which I said "yes". After a couple of days, I was told they will be "going another direction", after the operations manager took her cue from the previous owner. The entire process was about 2 months.
