Mintel Account Manager Interview Questions
& Process

I was contacted on LinkedIn about a Mid Market Account Manager role, targeting CPG companies. It seemed comparable to my current job, maybe with slightly lower targets but better pay in some ways. The HR side of things was good - quick, clear communication, and I got an offer within 3 weeks. The interviews started with HR, then a hiring manager, then a business assessment where I talked about a successful sale. After that, I had another interview with a different potential hiring manager. I got an offer, but decided not to take it. My main issues were with the sales targets. First, HR told me 6% YoY growth, then a week later it was 8%. When I asked why, they gave a vague answer about their team's performance. It took until the final round to get clear numbers, but those were for existing team members, not someone new who wouldn't make commission for the first 2-3 months. I was getting conflicting info on attainment percentages (70% from HR, 90% from a hiring manager). Then, the offer had one growth target ($120K), but the hiring manager emailed HR to change it to $140K without changing my pay. I'd initially discussed overall comp of $130K with HR, but the offer's 100% attainment was only $125K. They cited the specific accounts. Then the manager changed the target again without adjusting pay. I also interviewed with two hiring managers and they didn't know who I'd report to, which was concerning. When I got the offer, I found out it would be the manager I felt less aligned with. I talked to this manager about compensation. The conversation was fine until the last 15 minutes when he told me all the reasons he normally wouldn't hire someone like me. He said most of his team had at least 2 years of account management experience (I was close to 2 years) and he wouldn't normally hire someone with 'so little experience', despite my Master's degree and related field background. He also asked why I didn't send thank you notes and went on about never hiring someone who didn't. He also said I didn't ask enough product and account book questions, suggesting I should have googled it. He mentioned I'd already asked those questions to the other manager I interviewed with. I found him critical and condescending, and was surprised he'd even made an offer. When I asked why, it seemed like a team decision and maybe he was annoyed I was still asking questions after the offer. That experience made my decision to reject the offer much easier.

The interview process had over 3 rounds where I met with many people sequentially. It felt like it was too many people and they couldn't make a decision. After I was hired, I learned they wanted to hire me from the first interview but needed to get approvals from multiple other people. I was given access to their database and had to write reports based on sample topics.

The interview process was pretty in-depth and thorough, but it actually moved pretty fast. First, there was a Phone Screen with the Corporate Recruiter. Then, another Phone Screen with the Direct Report. After that, there was a Role-Play Interview and a Personal Interview with the Direct Report and a Senior Level Account Manager Peer. The last step was a Final Interview with the Team Lead. They were great with communication the whole time!