I applied through an employee referral. I interviewed at Airtable in Apr 2020
Interview
The first interview/phone screen was 45 minutes and not what I would have expected as an introduction to the company. It was 15 minutes of my background, 15 minutes of behavioral questions, and then 15 minutes for me to ask questions.
For a first interview I didn't even get the opportunity to get a sense for the role and it didn't feel like a good introduction. I am all for behavioral questions, but not on the first phone call. It is imperative that you are able to interview them as they interview you.
I thought the tone was also very negative, the first question that was asked was "what is the biggest mistake you have made for a client". While I understand the importance of the question, I also think the tone that this sets the conversation off to is quite dampened. I personally have also never received this question and it kind of shocked me. I have mentally prepared scenarios in my head of situations I turned around, but the worst? And if I truly did not give the worst situation would they judge me on the integrity?
At the end, I asked if they had any concerns and she did give them to me which I actually appreciated because so many will say "no" then reject you. But I was also surprised by the concerns because they said I was missing a couple key job requirements, but these requirements were not laid out in job description. They seem to have high standards — which I understand — but I would recommend them to make these standards more prominent.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Walk me through a time where you had to explain a very complex and technical problem to a client.
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Airtable (Philadelphia, PA) in Jun 2022
Interview
Very similar to what you've read here:
- Screening call/interview with hiring manager
- Multi-step second interview with: 1) Additional hiring manager interview, mock EBR, product walkthrough with an implementation consultant
- References
- Call with head of dept
The interview process requires an unreasonable amount of work. I made it through and to the final interview with the head of the department, but not before they contacted my references.
The final interview apparently didn't go well because it didn't result in an offer. I thought the dept head was pretty arrogant, which is odd because there's so much emphasis on humility at the company.
What bothered me beyond everything else was that they contacted my references and wasted their time for a process that didn't ultimately end up with an offer. It was incredibly inappropriate and the follow up from Airtable afterwards, after all the time spent in the process, was weak.
I stewed on the entire thing for a couple of weeks but I think they did me a favor and to their credit, I wasn't a good fit. Airtable is looking for robots--people they can mold/morph into what THEY think a great CSM is. That isn't me and I'm glad they passed on my candidacy--I found a job a month later for the same money that was a great fit.
I doubt they read these, but for the love of god--do NOT contact references unless an offer is coming. It's horribly unprofessional.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Describe a time when you had to persuade an executive to do something.
I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Airtable in May 2022
Interview
1) Phone screen with recruiter
2) 45 minute Zoom interview with hiring manager
3) Mock QBR with hiring manager and two peers
4) Product exercise with implementation manager
5) Cross collaboration interview with implementation manager
The entire process took a month. They moved quickly with their decision to move you to the next interview round. The mock QBR was the most difficult part of the entire process as they want you to review metrics and utilization without providing mock metrics to base your assumptions off of.
You receive a GrubHub gift card for your time which is a nice touch.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Describe a time where your manager asked you to do something that you felt was unfair.
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Airtable (Denver, CO) in May 2022
Interview
1. Phone Screen with Recruiter
2. Interview with HM
3. 4 hour interview- again with HW, Product Exercise and Mock Adoption Review
I’ve interviewed with many companies throughout my career, and this was easily one of the worst, most disorganized processes ever. Over the 3 weeks I interviewed, I worked with literally 5 different recruiters. They rescheduled who I was meeting with numerous times. They then told me that I would hear back the next day, and of course I didn’t- I had to follow up only be told that my “background and experience would not set me up for success in the role.”
Overall- pretty sure I dodged a bullet here. Don’t bother wasting your time like I did. Only good part was the GrubHub gift card they send you.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about a time where you received negative feedback