I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at LinkedIn (Singapore) in Mar 2013
Interview
Screen call by Talent Manager in AU followed by interview with Talent Manager of APAC.
Initially interviewed for a Corporate Sales Manager role however they felt I do not have the necessary skills yet to be on that level but Talent Manager liked my enthusiasm for the organization and recommended me for the Sales Development Specialist role.
Web-call with hiring manager - Head of BD in AU at their office in Singapore.
Rejected once and I wrote in explaining I had the exact same background as the 2 SDS sitting in Singapore and agreed to meet me when she's in Singapore.
Met her again in Singapore and finalized interview and selection process.
For an organization that is all about talent & efficiency in sourcing talent, LinkedIn talent takes a very long time in getting good feedback and interview response. I am sorry but a mere "we found someone else that has a better fit for the role" is not going to cut, a great Talent Manager should be able to give real time feedback in helping the candidate improve and better her performance in her next interview. I had come in for a great experience by LinkedIn in terms of talent acquisition however they seems to be very slow and ineffective in their response.
And in the midst of the interviews the Talent Manager was transferred to the UK & there were no formal introduction to the new Manager - I only learnt all this via her auto reply. Again not in favor of LinkedIn. For all the emails I sent to follow up, I had to sent them twice (in a spread of 4-5 days) before getting a response - this is consistent through out.
It was a rejection that was very hard for me to accept because there were 2 SDS in Singapore and they were from the same background as I was, if not with lesser experience than I had.
I came in with such great enthusiasm for the culture and brand of LinkedIn that it was unfortunate the Hiring Manager could not see that because I really could not foresee anyone who has more experience than me applying for a entry level sales role because he or she would then be over qualified for the role.
I had a theory it was due to her not liking enthusiastic sales people or due to my ethnicity as her team were mostly of the same race as she was.
I had even done background checks on the 2 SDS as they were working in my previous company and I had gotten feedback from their Sales Directors and they were not that great sales people - looking at numbers and targets achieved.
So it really isn't about your sales skill and talent at LinkedIn - based on my experience.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
How did you overcome your biggest obstacle in sales, tell me about your biggest sales deal, sell me this pen (in a native language)
I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at LinkedIn (Chicago, IL) in Jan 2018
Interview
The interview process was pretty redundant. I went through 3 phone interviews and 90 minute on site interview. I was asked the exact same questions during each phone interview, one definitely could have been skipped. When asked during the 3rd interview why I enjoyed sales, I gave the same answer that I had during the previous two (which both of them had been very receptive to), and the 3rd one reacted completely different and he told me that was the reason I didn’t move forward.
I applied through an employee referral. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at LinkedIn (Dublin, Dublin) in Jan 2018
Interview
Extremely friendly interviewers, smooth process, many behavioral questions. In general a very interesting and enjoyable process, emphasis on open communication and cultural fit. It is important to show your interest both for the job and for the company as well as the industry and product.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Describe a situation when you were misunderstood by your team
I applied through an employee referral. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at LinkedIn (San Francisco, CA)
Interview
Applied through employee referral and was contacted by a recruiter a few days later. The recruiter scheduled a phone interview with a hiring manager within two days. After the phone interview I was invited onsite. The onsite interview was about 2 hours. I then had one follow up phone interview three days later. A week and a half later I was offered the position.
