So I’m getting traction on an application for a Partner Account Executive role for a Belgium company, although the role is located in Canada. Pretty brutal process if you ask me, but maybe, just MAYBE this is just the norm now.

Some background:

- Company is in the cyber-security field
- About 400 employees worlwide
- Goal: manage and grow the partner community
- Pay range: OTE USD $124-187 range. A bit of a flag here as the HR person wasn’t able to share package in CDN, but only in USD based on Austin TX USA. This can be a serious flag that I will clarify shortly
- Quota-based, non-manager role
- Some travel required, but limited
- Remote will occasional trips to Montreal area.
- I’m 49 with 25+ years in consultative technical sales experience with some pretty big names on my resume.

So here is the interview process:

- Step #1: HR interview screening call (that took place on March 20th)
- Step #2: interview call with Sales manager that the role will report into
- Step #3: interview call with VP of sales (note: this one didn’t happen and was pushed all the way to the end)
- Step #4: Panel Interview with 4 people: the sales manager from call #2, another PAE from Latam, the CRO (Chief Revenue Officer) and the Commercial Sales Manager out of EMEA / Belgium. This was a 40-mn call that lasted about an hour with 3 separate parts and 2 pages of preparation instructions: market study, strategy draft, role-play call simulation where they play a prospect and test you, product deeper dive. Oh and in their instructions, they mention that the candidate shouldn’t take more than 4 hours to prepare.
- Step #5: PAPI (Personality and Preference Inventory) online test: 162 questions (WTF) <-- I am here, I did this test today.
- Step #6: interview call with the HR Business Partner out of Belgium to determine personality and company culture fit
- Step #7: final interview with the VP of sales, she’s the one taking the final decision.
- Step #8: offer or rejection.

So there you have it. Things look good so far but hell… Let me know your thoughts… curious to know others’ experience. Good luck out there, it’s a freakin’ jungle.