Cars.com Sales Manager Interview Questions
& Process

Got referred by a current employee. HR was quick to schedule a phone interview. The recruiter call was pretty basic, covering my experience, background, knowledge of the company, and how I manage sales teams. It wasn't too tough and finished in about 30 minutes. I could ask questions after. I sent a thank you email with some questions on Monday, but heard nothing for a week. I followed up again the next week, repeating my questions and checking in. Still silence. After 3 weeks, I saw the job wasn't listed on the site anymore. I hadn't heard anything, not even a rejection email, so I figured it was filled or canceled. I emailed the recruiter one last time, pointing out the lack of communication and asking about the status. Surprisingly, I got a response within an hour: 'My apologies,' and the job was filled. The kicker was them suggesting I keep checking their careers page. I know this sounds harsh, and I hate to say it, but given I was referred and the recruiter's history of job hopping, the complete lack of communication and basic courtesy is appalling. It seems like 'silence is the new rejection' here, at least with this recruiter. My advice to Cars.com is to really consider the communication skills of your talent acquisition team. It reflects poorly on the company and makes you not want to join. I love the site, but not their recruitment team.

This interview experience needs improvement. The Chicago office staff seemed out of sync with the field operations. There was conflicting information regarding my candidacy; one person stated I wasn't selected, while the interviewers indicated I was among the top three. Furthermore, they appeared unfamiliar with hotel meeting space rentals. The interview itself took place in a poorly chosen, disruptive corner of a lobby, with continuous interruptions. I would advise avoiding this company. If they struggle with basic HR and hiring procedures, their overall work environment might be problematic.

it starts with HR, then the hiring manager, then the hiring manager's manager. The questions are pretty generic and they really want to know about your background. They really want a hunter mentality, big time, so present that as much as possible. Know the 'challenger sales' method as it is their primary sales training/technique.