I applied through an employee referral. The process took 6 weeks. I interviewed at Paychex
Interview
I have seen a lot of comments about recruiters not responding and what not. If you are applying for a sales job with Paychex you need to show some proactive behavior and resiliency. After all, this is sales, you can't give up after one rejection. I will admit that the process got a touch annoying at times but if you are confident in your abilities, you will be fine.
I had three interviews before I was offered a position. The interview questions were pretty standard but make sure you are prepared to discuss numbers/goals/future goals. Be goal oriented, tell them how you have achieved recent goals and overcame tough situations. Most importantly, sell yourself. The interviewers I had during this process were with some of the most savvy sales managers I have ever interviewed with. Bottom line, they can see through BS. My main piece of advice is to prepare for each interview and no matter how much you think they like you, stay prepared.
Also, keep in mind that as much as you need to be a fit for Paychex, they need to be a fit for you.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Nothing out of the ordinary. What do you see as your main challenge in this position?
I applied through an employee referral. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at Paychex (Rochester, NY) in Dec 2011
Interview
The interviews (4 rounds) for the 401k sales rep position were very professional and thorough. Once I was given a verbal offer on a Friday, with the promise of a written offer the following Monday, I was very disappointed with the results.
After patiently waiting until Wednesday to get the formal offer, I contacted the hiring manager's office to check in. I was told that hiring manager left the company for another opportunity, leaving this 401k sales territory vacant.
After staying in contact with the Regional Manager who conducted the third round interview, she connected me with the replacement manager to "re-do" the interview and make sure I would be a good fit on the new team. After acing that interview, I again was given assurance that a formal offer would be delivered the following Monday. After again waiting until Wednesday, I contacted Paychex and was informed that the Regional Manager took a leave of absence.
Either I am the most unlucky candidate, or Paychex has a hard time telling people that they did not get the position. I viewed this as a blessing in disguise and decided that wasting almost two months and five total interviews of my time was better than getting involved in a company whose management fluctuated so frequently.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
When shadowing a rep for half a day, the rep was speaking negatively towards sales. Instead of agreeing, I let him vent. His feedback to the hiring manager was that I was not excited about sales. Be aware that this process is also a test/interview and all interactions are reported.