I applied and immediately went to LinkedIn to connect with the recruiters in the area. I received a call the same day I applied and was given a phone interview.
Phone Interview: Recruiter. We seemed to hit it off and she recommended me for an in-person interview with sales managers.
1st Interview: Attendees: Recruiter and one of the sales managers. Went great! Had excellent rapport and they seemed to like what I brought to the table. Said they had no doubt that I could do the job and recommended me for a 2nd interview.
2nd Interview: Attendees: One of the other Sales Managers. Again, went great! Had excellent rapport and she was comfortable moving on to the next step, which was a ride-along with a Sales Rep. Talked about the job, her success, college football, etc. During the interview, I did express some concern with having to travel out of town for 2 solid weeks (including the weekend) for training being that I have 2 young children at home (5-months and 3-years old). She mentioned that she had reps in the past that would come home the weekend in-between if needed, but they could accommodate if needed.
**After this interview, I spoke with the recruiter to schedule the ride-along. She also wanted to schedule the final interview a day or so later with the Zone Manager - who oversees about 5-6 states - as soon as possible. The recruiter said that they would probably be looking to make me an offer and wanted to get everything finalized in the next couple weeks, and that the meeting with the Zone Manager was merely a formality in the process. We scheduled the ride-along as well as the final interview with the Zone Manager.
Ride-Along: Met with the rep at the office and we talked a bit as he prepared for his day. Went out on a few appointments and made a few drop-ins. Talked about the job in more detail along the way. He was excellent at his job and I can see why they sent me out with this particular rep.
3rd Interview: Attendees: Zone Manager. From the beginning, I didn't get the "just a formality" vibe. She seemed a little rushed and almost disinterested in my answers for the 2 or 3 questions she asked. I basically felt like her mind was already made up from the beginning and it wasn't in my favor. One of my follow up questions was again ask about the 2-week training. Her response was "It's a solid 2 weeks. If that's an issue then that is something we would need to consider". Also heard as "I know it's an issue for you, so I've already decided that you don't need to worry about it".
**All-in-all, this seems to be a very good company if you can get in before you have any family responsibilities. I can only speak from what I was told, but the commission/bonus potential seems to be there. The environment is extremely professional and they are well-known in the field. I may be in the minority here, but I don't know many families with children that can spare one of them being gone for 14 days straight. I understand the importance and the benefit of the training, but I've never heard of any Fortune companies that have that requirement at the Sales Rep level.
Also, being that I was under the impression the last meeting was "a formality", I may have mentally let off the gas a little. I take responsibility for that. I've been in the field long enough to know that if you're being sent out with a rep for a ride-along, the company has most likely made their decision to bring you on...otherwise they wouldn't waste their rep's time.
