Rippling Account Executive Interview Questions
& Process

I applied for the Account Executive role on Rippling's website on November 13th. I got an immediate automated confirmation of my application. Then, within a couple of hours, I received another automated message saying they were impressed with my qualifications but decided to go with other candidates. Two things struck me: first, there's no way a person actually reviewed my resume and cover letter that quickly, so my application probably didn't get past the AI. Second, even if someone did look at it, it's hard to believe they'd pass over someone with over 25 years of IT sales experience so fast. I'm not sure what they're looking for, but I'd be cautious about applying.

The interviews went really well, and everyone was super nice. They have this panel interview where everyone is assigned a topic to ask you questions about. The person who would have been my manager if I got the job was tasked with asking me about performance management and dealing with difficult conversations. At the end of that part, she mentioned I was clearly qualified, but I apparently didn't use the word “leadership” enough, even though I was definitely a leader to my team. She made it clear she wasn't happy with my word choice. I remember thinking right then that I probably wasn't going to get the job over something as minor as word choice. The other interviews were great, though.

The interview process kicked off with a call where the interviewer congratulated me on getting that far, which felt a bit off. I spent a lot of time hearing about the founder and how amazing he is, and I was told I should research him more. Turns out, doing that research after the fact showed some major red flags. It felt like they weren't really looking for talent, but rather someone to stroke their ego and praise Rippling. I thought I was applying for a sales role, but it seemed more like they wanted someone to validate how great they are. Despite being a top performer in sales at my last job and making my previous company a lot of money (my old manager could vouch for that), and even though this job would have been a pay cut, I was excited about a new opportunity in tech sales. My take is that you shouldn't judge a salesperson just by their personality; I'm a 'shark' at cold calling, even if I'm not loud. Listening is key in sales to understand customer needs, which is your selling advantage, not just talking a lot with a loud personality. Also, when hiring managers avoid disclosing pay information, especially after a nearly two-hour interview, it suggests they pay below market rate. This lack of transparency is a huge red flag for me, and I wouldn't want to work for a company like that. The only reason I'm sharing this is because they followed up asking for feedback, but I'm returning to my old job to earn money, which is what a true salesperson prioritizes.