Cengage Sales Representative Interview Questions
& Process

This was a long interview process. It involved completing a project and then presenting courseware to the hiring team. The presentation was a role-play scenario, as if you were speaking to an instructor or a committee at a school.

Started with a recruiter phone screen, then interviewed with the hiring manager. Had to complete a task where I mapped out a full day for a campus visit. Presented this to the hiring manager and other leaders. Met with teammates. Had another meeting with the hiring manager. Finally, had an interview with an executive.

It was a few phone interviews, one with my direct manager and then some more with the regional manager and a regional tech support person. The manager knew me from when I was the top rep in the area for over 20 years and mostly wanted to know about my salary expectations and if I could take direction from a manager. The regional manager asked tougher questions, like why I want to return to the industry, why I left, and asked for specific success stories with certain accounts. The tech person wasn't great at interviewing, so I had to ask them questions to keep things moving. Overall, the questions were pretty basic. Because I have a long history of success in this market, I thought this job was a perfect fit and that I could start immediately with no training. I might have been too confident, but I believe my experience and reputation should count for a lot. I've seen companies hire younger, cheaper people from outside the industry, but they rarely last more than a couple of years because they don't understand the nuances of the business, which take years to learn. The direct manager said my answers lacked specifics, but I felt only one question really called for that. My friend later heard from the manager that I might have talked too much and not listened enough, which they thought would be an issue in the field. I found that odd since I was in an interview. My friend also said my confidence might have intimidated them. It's strange that someone with more experience than all three interviewers combined might not be a good fit. I was disappointed not to move forward, but I understand why new reps often fail when companies hire people without industry experience. It's like they could have gotten a high-performance car for the price of a basic one with me. I hope another opportunity comes up.