I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Gartner (Barcelona) in Feb 2025
Interview
I applied through LinkedIn.
The first interview was a 20-minute phone call — really easy and casual. The recruiter explained the position to me, and everything felt straightforward.
But the second interview was a bit strange. They sent me an email with some PDFs to prepare, but the info was for the SDR role, not the Account Executive position I applied for.
During the interview, it felt very robotic. The recruiter was writing down everything I said, and whenever she missed something, she asked me to repeat myself so she could take notes. When I mentioned the Account Executive role, she said we were actually interviewing for the SDR position and that I should have noticed that in the documents.
It was confusing because I never applied for SDR, and in the first interview, she had clearly explained the AE role to me.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Why sales? Why Gartner? Time you had a difficult client situation (using STAR method). Another question was about what I think would be the most challenging part of selling a service like Gartner’s. I explained that it’s harder to show the value upfront because it’s not a physical product, so you have to really understand the client’s needs and be able to communicate how the service will solve their problems.
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.