Pareto Business Development Manager Interview Questions
& Process

The hiring process felt disorganized and not ideal for assessing candidates thoroughly. It included one-on-one interviews which seemed unnecessary if you weren't selected, and a prepared speech at the end of the assessment day that felt like a waste of time, as decisions seemed to be made beforehand. There was a strong perception that candidates from non-white ethnicities were disadvantaged, with all selected individuals being white British or having adopted a British accent, while darker-skinned candidates were not hired. Dress code instructions regarding piercings for males were also not strictly enforced for white British candidates. Feedback is not provided on the assessment day itself, and candidates were asked not to post feedback online.

I had three initial calls with a recruiter from Randstad, which were good. After some discussion, the recruiter arranged an interview for me with a VP at Pareto. The role sounded really appealing, and my interactions with Randstad were positive. However, during the interview, the VP mentioned they hadn't read my CV. This wasn't a great start, making it hard to connect, especially after such a cold opening. It felt a bit lazy, like saying 'I don't like reading job descriptions, tell me about the role.' I tried to build some rapport, but it was challenging. It was a unique interview experience. They said I'd get an update on Monday, but I didn't. I followed up and was told on Friday (after chasing) that I'd receive a call with an update, but that call never happened. I decided to withdraw my interest shortly after. Overall, this experience has made me hesitant to apply for roles at this company again. I had invested over two hours talking to the recruiter about this specific position, and the unprofessional interview and follow-up process was quite off-putting.

After an initial Q&Q, there was a group task. Then, I was asked to do a 5-minute pitch in front of about 7 people, including the recruiter I had spoken to earlier, explaining why I wanted a career in sales. Everyone was nice, and it was a good experience.