OwnLocal Sales Development Representative Interview Questions
& Process

I applied online, which was pretty cool because their site is clean and simple. They asked about my Jedi skills and something surprising, which was a nice change from the usual application questions and felt like it represented their culture. A few days later, I got an email to do a 2-part project with a 4-day deadline. It was about using communication skills for cold calls to set up a demo. The instructions were pretty open-ended, which I liked because it let me figure things out my own way and showed them how I communicate. Some reviews said the instructions were vague, but I think it was on purpose so they could see how I work with less direction. It actually made it easier for me to shape the scenario how I wanted. Plus, I could talk about my strategy, so there wasn't much risk of them misunderstanding my communication choices since I could explain them. A few days after that, I got an email to schedule a phone interview. It was scheduled for [date] and lasted 20 minutes. The interviewer was easy to talk to and clear about wanting to get to know me and discuss the role. I think I messed up at the start when they asked 'tell me about yourself' because I immediately tried to sell myself instead of just talking about myself personally. This goes against a lot of interview advice, but I think they were looking for culture fit more than qualifications since the interviewer noted my skills were transferable. Still, a few days later, I got an email saying thanks but they weren't moving forward. It was a good experience overall, even though I didn't get the job. They were always responsive, even the CEO, and didn't waste my time. The project was something new and I learned from it.

The interview process had 3 main steps after the initial application. First, there was a project where I had to write cold emails to a newspaper and create a cold call script for contacting them. Then, I had a team interview with executives and sales team members in a panel format. Finally, about a week after the team interview, I had a culture fit interview. This was the longest part, with 4 rounds like speed dating, where I met people from all teams and departments. I really enjoyed this last part because I got to know potential colleagues and people from other departments I might work with.

I applied online for an SDR role at OwnLocal and a few days later got an email asking me to do a project. The project was due soon and had two parts: writing a mock email to a potential client and creating a cold call script. It took me about 4 hours, maybe longer than needed, but I wanted it to be good. After sending it, they emailed back saying they were interested and wanted to schedule a phone call. We emailed a bit, and I got a phone interview for the next week. The interviewer was really bad, starting by saying his computer crashed and he didn't have my stuff, so I'd have to really impress him. This was weird since he must have liked the project to even call me. I was surprised but luckily had my resume, the company site, and my project ready on my computer, which I do for all phone interviews. I quickly went over my resume and talked about the project, which seemed to impress him. Then he asked why I wanted to work for a startup like OwnLocal. I mentioned liking the startup culture, benefits, and wanting to work my way up. He cut me off at "work my way up" and said they want people really good at the role, not looking to advance, which was a big red flag for me because I don't want to be an SDR forever. It's strange they'd prefer people not to grow or get promoted. He also mentioned his current role is SDR, which made me wonder why someone not in leadership would do phone interviews – it seemed like a conflict of interest or motivation issue since good hires might outperform him. A few days later, I got an email saying they were considering other candidates. Overall, I think OwnLocal lacks leadership and professionalism. From what I've seen online, it seems like a 'frat house' culture where they only want a very specific type of person, no matter your qualifications.