DISCLAIMER: THIS HIRING PROCESS WAS DONE DURING THE EARLIER STAGES OF COVID-19 RECOVERY IN CANADA; HENCE IT WAS CONDUCTED EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE AND VIRTUAL MEETINGS, WHICH MIGHT CONSTITUTE THE REASON FOR THE EXTENDED DURATION OF THE INTERVIEW PROCESS.
It only fits I begin with how I found out about the opening for this position. I found out about this job opening through a LinkedIn reach-out from the Recruiting Manager of the company.
For a company that invests a lot in its workforce, it is no surprise that they conduct an in-depth hiring process.
In total, I had seven virtual sessions (Plus a handful of email correspondence) before I got a verbal job offer. Yes, seven sessions sound intimidating, but not all 7 were interviews. The process felt less of an interview process and more of a meet-and-greet with members of the company. Below I have outlined what each session was aimed at and what to expect from each.
*1st Session: Intro Call with Recruiting Manager. Brief Background on Company and SDR role
*2nd Session: Prep Session with Recruiting Manager. Preparation for meeting with Global SDR Leader
3rd Session: Interview with Global SDR Leader. In-depth conversation on the SDR role and FastSpring Sales ecosystem.
*4th Session: Prep Session with Recruiting Manager for Role Play Session with Global SDR Leader.
5th Session: Role Play Session with Global SDR Leader. B2B Customer-and-recruiter style role-play.
6th Session: Interview with VP, People & Culture. Conversation on personal fit with the FastSpring culture and Leadership.
*7th Session: Peer Interview with an in-house SDR. Opportunity to ask how the day-to-day in the role is.
8th Session: Verbal Job Offer with Recruiting Manager and Recruiting Representative.
(* - These are more informative sessions than critical spotlight interviews and are partly voluntary; though I would advise AGAINST trying to opt-out of any of them to avoid information loopholes)
Overall, the interview process touches base with every level of the company's Leadership, allowing you to learn more about the FastSpring culture after every session. Each stage will enable you to recoup and reinvest into the process with more information about the company.
WORD OF ADVICE: Don't try to be unauthentically perfect through the whole process. Try to be YOU. The interview team is very keened on making sure that you would be happy and comfortable with the position. They are very keen on how well you 'fit' into the company's workspace than what qualifications you have or don't have (though the qualifications are still essential).
Now for the PROFESSIONAL advice, Go into each virtual meeting with some level of research on either the company, interviewer and information from the previous interviewer. It shows that you are actively paying attention and understand what is being talked about.
