ifm efector Interview Questions
& Process

The first interview was for me to introduce myself, talk about my current job, and share why I'm interested in the company. They also asked some technical questions which went well. After that first interview, they sent me a calipers assessment. They reviewed my results and then told me the role wasn't a good fit for me.

I went through eight interviews for an entry-level SDR role at ifm efector. The initial interviews were pretty standard. For the second-to-last one, I had to take a day off and drive three hours out of state to a small sales office, without getting reimbursed. This interview was a role-play where they acted like rude, uninterested customers, and I had to pitch to them. It seemed to go okay, and they invited me to the final round. The final interview required me to fly to their HQ in Pennsylvania. The flight they booked got canceled last minute, so I had to book a new one myself, and again, no reimbursement. I got to the hotel at 1 AM. The CSO picked me up at 7 AM and drove me to the office in his Porsche. Four execs interviewed me for an hour each, so four hours total. The first three were chill and easy to talk to. I was getting tired but felt confident. The last interviewer was the sales director. He seemed annoyed and like I was bothering him. He asked why I looked so nervous, which felt aggressive, and I admitted I was a bit nervous because it seemed normal to be. He didn't like that. Then he asked what I knew about the job. I repeated what others said and what I read. He said I was wrong and offered to draw it on the whiteboard. He then explained their whole internal sales structure. I still don't know how I was supposed to know that. He stayed standoffish, and I couldn't get him to change his attitude. They asked us to bring questions, but he didn't give me time to ask mine, unlike the others. He didn't make eye contact when I went to shake his hand, which felt like the end. After the interviews, I had lunch with some newer SDRs. They said he's always like that, and people try to avoid him. That's when I knew I didn't want to work there anymore, even though I thought I might get an offer because the first three interviewers liked me. They called later to say no. They said I was too nervous and didn't ask questions, which was funny given the circumstances. It felt like a waste of time, but I learned some people are just impossible to please.

So there were three parts to the interview. First, I spoke with HR, then the Quality Manager, and finally, there was an on-site interview. The initial contact was a phone call with the HR manager, followed by a one-hour call with the Quality Manager. During these calls, they asked me about basic quality management stuff and some behavioral questions about my previous work.

First interview was a standard vetting by HR. It was pretty easy, just be polite and advocate for yourself. Ask questions to show enthusiasm. After the interview, I advanced to the next round, the Bennett mechanical aptitude test. Practice tests are available online. I aced the mechanical test and moved on to the Caliper personality test round. I did not pass the personality test, and then I GOT GHOSTED BY THE HIRING TEAM. Through reddit research, I concluded that my personality test indicated I'm not "coachable," and that's why I'm no longer a candidate. My advice: don't show empathy/feelings/sympathy on the personality test, or they will ghost you.