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mr.mcsalesy

Enterprise Account Executive

Valued Contributor
Catalyst
Contributor
+1

What to ask future boss...?

Have an interview with hiring manager at new company this week. Vote for the top question I should ask!


Also, bonus points if you can put the WORST interview question you've had or could think of in the comments...

vote for best interview question I should do for my future boss

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17 comments

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AIDA
Executive
10
Business Development Manager
Another good one to ask is how they handled COVID, ie did they sack everyone when the lockdowns happened etc. 
Do.it.for.the.checks
Politicker
1
Account Executive
Solid. I stupidly never thought of this
CuriousFox
WR Officer
4
🦊
It's not stupid darlin it's still a learning process for us all. 
Do.it.for.the.checks
Politicker
1
Account Executive
Stupid = obvious

Joys of sales is its always a learning process. Steal freely here someone else already has great ideas!
InQ5WeTrust
Arsonist
7
No marketing, mayo isn't an MQL
Probably changed the 'next 2 years' one to ask more about the teams goals for the next year and what's the biggest challenge they face in achieving them. 

Really depends what is the goal of your question to make the hiring manager think you can ask smart questions or to get info on the  managers style? 


Do.it.for.the.checks
Politicker
1
Account Executive
Very important in all questions. Know why you are asking and what info you want to gain. This makes follow-up questions very natural
Do.it.for.the.checks
Politicker
5
Account Executive
How big is the company? I just did a bunch of interviews and here are a few I used with some reasons (sorry in advance for length). And phrasing is how I actually ask it 

1) "I always like to start with a simple question that can tell a lot. Why XYZ company?"
This gives a ton of insight into what they are focused on. Is it culture, growth, product, do they not know? My goal here is to feel out what motives them.

2) "The flip side to this question is why shouldn't I work here? What would make me a bad fit?"
Again a ton of insight into their focus. Also confirmation on first question. My goal is two-front. I want to know what they see as bad. Is it work ethic, culture, team mentality, etc. It also can tell you when to run i.e. says some dated shit about relationship building. And the other side is that you might be able to catch some redflags that you can address.

3) "I noticed you are (owned by a PE, recently recieved funding, privately owned, etc). That usually implies there is a 5/6 year growth plan. Can you walk me through it and give me a sense of what point you are at with it?"
This shows you know your shit, have done research, and are genuinely interested in what they as a company are trying to build. My goal here is to as much disqualify the company as anything. Personally I want a PLG plan. If they brag they are at 100 employee and will be at 300 in 5 years, the follow-up question has to be "whats the plan on individual growth for that? If we are tripling the sales team, how do I know that quota is achievable in 2-3 years?" 
This also is great for senior leadership. To really dive into their shit and how they think.

4) "My goal is to eventually be X (I want to be a CRO. So I usually say that I need 5 years of crushing quota before I want to make the jump to management, but insert your actual goal). What can I expect from you and the broader team in terms of career training and growth assuming I of course am doing my job first?"
This will get a lot into management style. Here my goal is to show my ambition and also see if that ambition is threatening. No one want a to work for a boss who wants to take credit for your work.

5) "Last thing before we wrap up. What redflags did you see today? Was there anything I could elaborate on that might provide more context? Any reason you wouldn't want me on your team?"
3 questions in a row is usually a big no no, but I want this to be vague and show I'm not afraid of any of my answers. Plus gives you a strong guage on where you stand

**Note** I'll add these questions need tweaking for the big guys, but is a generally good set of info gathering and disqualifying questions. It's tempting to want to believe, but you need to also know when a company isn't worth going to. As an example I had an interview where they weren't willing to adjust the base but would move the OTE. HUGE REDFLAG!! That's a bullshit OTE.

Hope this helps.
Diablo
Politicker
2
Sr. AE
I always like to ask about the current challenges they have and how this role will help them achieve their goal.
UrAssIsSaaS
Arsonist
2
SaaS Eater
I would ask how they invest in training and developing their people. 

Worst question, especially if you bomb, is some variation of "what feedback do you have for me/am I the perfect candidate you are looking for" 
hh456
Celebrated Contributor
2
sales
Do you have a lot of turnover? What makes a rep successful here? How does the company support that?
sellingsellssold
Politicker
1
SDR
Worst interview question: how many trees are in Central Park NY
SADNES5
Politicker
0
down voters are marketing spies
It’s not to actually see how many trees it’s how you come up with an answer. “I would take a satellite shot from google earth and grid it into similar sized grids using the street system as a guide. Then I would give a % of approx tree cover in each grid. Using that i would select an average half full area and use that as my base count. Multiply it by the grid. Should take about 15 minutes for a decent guess using that method. You want me to start right now? As the interviewer. This is what I want to hear not a number just barked out.
FamilyTruckster
Politicker
1
Exec Director, Major Accounts
I voted for “reason I shouldn’t join”. 

just had this conversation with a potential employer. Really peeled back some layers which I enjoyed. 
TheOverTaker
Politicker
1
Senior Account Executive
I like to ask "What do you think a candidate needs to overachieve in this role?"

Worst interview question was: "Who do you know here?"
happyhunter
Politicker
1
spittin' sunshine
Some closing questions....Is there any reason why I wouldn't get hired/I'm not the ideal candidate? What are next steps?  When should I be expecting feedback?
WomenWantMeFishFearMe
Politicker
0
AM
asking why they joined is generic, but effective
BlueJays2591
Politicker
0
Federal Business Dev Director
I always ask what separates top performers from middle ground performers

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