I applied through a recruiter. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Gartner (Egham, England) in Nov 2016
Interview
I was approached by one of their recruiters.
- First stage is a general phone interview that lasts 30 mins - try to close at the end, you'll see why when you carry on reading this.
- Second stage is a 1h phone interview with a second recruiter. You need to treat every call with Gartner as a sales call (they will tell you that too), meaning taking the lead at the beginning of the convo by setting your objectives for the call, and close at the end asking whether they want you to carry on to the next stage. The key is to be structured and to LISTEN to their feedback so you can apply it at the very next stage. I have a feeling they check that you apply feedback at the following stage so ensure you do, to show you are coachable.
- Third stage is a 1.5 hour phone interview with a third recruiter. The structure is the same: open by setting objective, go through Gartner, the 4 traits (they assess that by the way you answer questions) and CLOSE. At the end you'll have 2 minutes to prepare a role play. Mine was a mock call with a gym owner that i need to call up to understand his marketing needs as this is what I was meant to sell him.
- If you make it through the final stage, well done as the process is not easy. During that stage you'll meet with senior managers, going through 4 traits again + other role play.
I decided to drop out of the process at the very last stage because I was offered another job that's more in line with what I was looking for but I would encourage anyone to go through this process with Gartner. They give you feedback throughout the process and I learned tons during my 3 phone interviews with them.
When you start working there you go to the Academy, which is 4-7weeks training programme. If you think you've learned a lot during the screening, wait until you go to the Academy. That's what I thought.
Gartner seems like a great company to work for, and you will learn a lot from a sales perspective. I chose not to finish the process but only because something else was more suitable for me.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about a time where you had a goal and what you did to achieve it
Tell me about a time where you lost a deal and what you did next.
Tell me about a time where you got feedback from your manager and how you applied it
They have reached out to me for a job every year and I have interviewed with them 2 times and have never made it past the 1st interview. Confused why a recruiter reaches out to me anymore?
It was long and rigorous, often feeling extremely high pressure, with not a lot of constructive criticism. There are 5 rounds and each with a role-play. It's safe to say this is not an easy interview process. I'm not sure how they do their prospecting, but I was apparently a 'great fit' for the role - didn't show that enthusiasm during our calls.
Intensive - multiple rounds led by a recruiter. Expect 2 rounds of role play, around 4 rounds total. 2 with a recruiter, one with a lead skills expert and another panel with VPs and hiring managers.