Block Account Executive Interview Questions
& Process

I interviewed for an Outside Account Executive position at Square. The recruiters were great, making the initial steps smooth and professional. Interviewer #1 was a standout leader, making me feel valued. However, the rest of the process didn't align with Square/Block's values. There was a lack of transparency, it seemed like they'd already chosen someone as the job posting was down before my interview. This made the presentation and role-play feel disrespected. During the role-play, my innovative idea was shut down by the hiring manager who said, "That's not how we do things here." The hiring manager also lacked empathy, not showing his face on camera, seeming disinterested, and blaming recruiters for scheduling issues. Interviewer #2 was closed-minded, focusing on my lack of an official B2B title rather than how my experience aligned with the role.

Had a 30min call with the recruiter, then got an email about moving forward with role play instructions, a live prospecting exercise, and 2 30min interviews all on the same day. The role play was standard, but I didn't see the point of the live prospecting exercise since I spent a lot of time creating a deck of 8 prospects. The 2 interviewers used a list of generic questions like 'tell me about...', 'how do you structure your day...', and 'KPIs' instead of questions relevant to the role. Two days later, I got an email for another follow-up interview with a different hiring manager, making it 5 interview sessions in total. Preparing for these interviews took a lot of time, and I was disappointed to not get any feedback after asking the recruiter why I wasn't selected. I know recruiters are busy, but it's disrespectful to candidates who spend hours prepping (unpaid) to learn about a company, prepare for role plays, and practice for panel interviews, only to receive a generic 'Thank you from Block.' My friend interviewed with Toast and their recruiter offered a 15min feedback meeting. Based on other reviews, it seems I might have been better off not getting selected.

Had two phone screens, then 4 30-min 1-1 in-person interviews on site plus lunch. The on-site was standard, all personality and fit questions, nothing too hard. They asked about my Salesforce knowledge (I had none then). It was for the SMB role and they didn't make me do a pitch. They knew about Square from a friend who's a big user, so I learned everything from him and lived a day in the life. I told that story and got the job offer.