Sales applicants have rated the interview process at IBM with 3 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 100% positive. To compare, the company-average is 63.3% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
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I applied online. The process took 2 days. I interviewed at IBM in Apr 2012
Interview
They were phone interviews. 2 phone interviews with very nice poeple. They called me to schedule the interviews. The entire process was done quickly, which is more than can be said for most companies. There were no technical questions. They just wanted to see what type of personality I had. Very high regard for the process.
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at IBM (Orange, CA) in Apr 2009
Interview
Very detailed and spread over multiple weeks. Had to speak with multiple people in multiple capacities. Had to make multiple inquiries to make sure the process was still moving forward. Culminated in an onsite interview on the East Coast
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 6 months. I interviewed at IBM in Jan 2009
Interview
I came prepared with a 30-60-90 day plan that outlined how I would ramp up in a new territory. This including all possible penetration angles, including 1) Networking, 2) Inside Sales, 3) Cross Sell into install base, and 4) Provocative Executive Pitches for the Tier 1 "whitespace" accounts. I also researched the top accounts in the patch and developed a tactical plan to build awareness/interest/sponsorship at different levels of the org chart to schedule an executive meeting by the end of 90 days. Lastly, I rehearsed an elevator pitch for the various roles that would be involved in the sales process, with different pain points and compelling reason to act for each.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
overcoming objections for a solution that is only understood conceptually, not from experience