Hilti Group Business Development Manager Interview Questions
& Process

It was a long interview process, with 4 separate sessions and 7 people interviewing me. They admitted the process is long, and I felt it was a waste of time and resources. For Hilti, a company that provides more of a commodity hardware than a capital purchase as an OEM, this interview process for the 'ideal candidate' is excessive. There's no such thing as an 'ideal' candidate or company. It's odd that any company would invest so much time and resources into a process that feels like acting, where everyone puts on their best behavior. The interview process was so lengthy and detailed that by the fourth round, I understood precisely what was needed, even without a formal job description.

I was contacted pretty quickly after applying. The first HR interview was a discussion with a mix of general questions and questions about the construction sector. Some very brief situational role-plays. At the end of the interview, they explained the next steps in the recruitment process. After two weeks with no news, I followed up, and they told me it was still pending. It's been 4 months, about ten calls, and several emails with no news or explanation. I understand that the period is difficult for companies, especially due to a lack of visibility. But we must remember that the period is also difficult for candidates; there's no visibility on their future. A simple email response or a call to give a bit of explanation would have greatly improved my candidate experience, which is extremely negative. Being ghosted by a recruiter is never pleasant.

The HR department contacted me to set up an interview for three days later, which was a phone call. They gave me some tips on how to prepare for it when they first got in touch. After the initial phone call, I was contacted by the CRV for an in-person interview that included a sales pitch where I had to sell a fleet of cell phones. After that, I was offered a "TC" (which I assume means trial day or similar) with my current predecessor for a full day. Then, the recruitment person contacted me again to go over the hiring paperwork and discuss my salary and benefits at Hilti, and to set a date for signing the contract. Two weeks later, I had a meeting with the CRV for onboarding and contract signing.