6 step interview process (as described to me): recruiter, hiring manager, VP of sales, fellow AE, mock sales call, QBR.
The first interview was with the recruiter. 30 mins. They seemed slightly disinterested and read off a list of typical interview questions. There was no follow up on any answers, which gave the impression they were going through the motions. One thing that stood is that the recruiter didn't understand how software or data worked at a high level and how that was relevant to what Tractian does. It is a hardware company with a software/SaaS component, so it was difficult to explain how other software experience was directly related to what they do. The recruiter simply didn't get it, which negatively affected my interview. If they don't understand that how can they assess if you're a good fit? They seemed to want an engineering or mechanical background and the questions fit that theory. Outside of the typical interview questions, the recruiter boasted about how the company has a "high performance culture" and only "hire the top 1%."
The next interview was with the hiring manager. 30 mins. Standard Q&A for 27 mins, then gives you 3 mins to ask your questions. Seemed to judge harshly the questions you ask, giving unprompted feedback about whether they were the "right or wrong" questions to ask. He also boasted about their "high performance culture", but after learning more it sounded like a overly critical environment masquerading as "feedback culture." There was a lot of sports analogies, and talk about Tractian trying to replicate the greatest college football team ever, by only having "A+ players, no B players will make it here". The conversation ended with this quote "I will send my interview notes to the VP of sales and they will decide if they want to interview you."
Overall the company came across like it had very high standards but in my interactions with them, they didn't live up to those standards. The sales leadership is comparatively inexperienced, the interviews were not polished or intentional, a little naive, and the confidence bordered on cockiness. It seemed like all talk but no walk. One thing was clear over the interviews: they really want AEs to be young, hungry, impressionable, to NOT be from a SaaS background (mentioned multiple times), and to take daily critical feedback (read: easy to control). In the future, they need to work on setting longer interviews (after the initial recruiter screen, 30 mins is rushed), giving the candidate a chance to ask a series of questions and gauge the culture fit for them (not just for Tractian), and eliminate the cocky language (it does something for Tractian's ego but nothing for the candidate).
