This outlines the process experienced in 2002-2005. They have an extensive computer based questionaire system for new applicants at this time as well as a different process for interviews today..
ONLINE APPLICATION AND RESUME
Typical online application, work history, etc... You were required to submit a list of hardware and software that you have personal work experience with as well. We were told back then they received upwards to 200 applications a month, so having recording experience, being current with software applications, and experience with equipment they regularly sell was key to getting through to the next step.
PHONE INTERVIEWS
Once selected, you had a phone interview with the HR director. The phone interview was the standard personality interview, "What motivates you to do your best work?" "What are your strengths and weaknesses" "Tell me a story of your greatest acheivement." "How do you deal with stress?" etc... They also asked you to rate your competencies (examples From 1-10 what is your ProTools knowledge. From 1-10 what is your FOH knowledge. From 1-10 what is your MIDI knowledge etc...) These questions ran the gamut from studio recording to live sound. The phone interview took approximately one hour.
After a few weeks, I was eventually interviewed over the phone by one of the Sales Managers. This was a fairly standard sales experience question and answer. I recall this interview being more conversational and casual. This interview took approximately 20-30 minutes or so.
About a week later I was contacted to schedule a flight for a face-to-face interview in Fort Wayne, IN. They paid for the flight, rental car, and hotel room. They flew me in on a Saturday, interview was on Monday, and return flight was Tuesday morning. In retrospect, I feel they wanted me to check out Ft Wayne so I could check out the city since I would be relocated once hired.
FACE TO FACE INTERVIEWS
I arrived to Sweetwater at 9:30 to begin the onsite interview. The HR director had me fill out a few standardized tests, like personality and business math tests. Once these were completed, I was taken down to the main sales cubicle area to take product knowledge and application test. You were in the middle of the "sales floor" while taking this test and all you could hear around you was their sales force of 50+ people talking on the phones to their customers. The product knowledge test consisted of industry vocabulary, multiple choice questions, and some short essay answers. I remembering having to write out how to mic a drum set, naming specific mics by type and model. Lastly, there were some sample emails, like "How would reply to this email to get this customer to call you?" and "Please write an email introducing yourself to a new Sweetwater customer." I believe this portion of the test took approximately an hour.
From the testing phase, I was taken out for a face-to-face interview with the VP of Sales and the HR Director. This interview consisted of the standard, "Tell us about yourself and work history." "What is the hardest lesson you've learned" The interview also included some role playing scenarios on handling customers over the phone. At the end of the interview, the VP showed a number of charts to illustrate how much money people potentially make, spiffs, and employee benefits, etc... The lunch interview may have taken 90 minutes to 2 hours.
Once we returned to Sweetwater, I was led to a Sales Engineer's desk to listen in on their phone conversations for about 20 minutes. The purpose of this was to understand the actual work environment and key activities of the job.
Lastly, I had a final face-to-face interview with a Sales Manager, which ended with a tour of the building.
The interview took up almost all day. I believe I left the building at 4:00.