Riskified Account Executive Interview Questions
& Process

The entire interview process wrapped up in under a month. A recruiter named Laura from Riskified initially contacted me via AngelList, and that's how we connected. The process involved a brief phone chat with Laura, followed by an hour-long in-person meeting with the head of sales. Next, there was another hour-long in-person session which was a lunch meeting with the head of sales and another Account Executive. Then, I had a video call for an hour with the VP of Sales/Business Development. This was followed by a mock sales call with the head of sales. After that, I was given a home task. The final step was a ~30-minute in-person interview with the CEO. Throughout this period, Laura kept in touch with periodic check-ins. The home task was the most challenging part, being quite open-ended with multiple potential correct approaches. However, I found the project enjoyable and it offered a clear picture of the role's day-to-day responsibilities. Overall, it was a great experience, largely thanks to Laura's infectious enthusiasm and her skill in making candidates feel valued.

The interview process seemed pretty disorganized and unprofessional overall. There was obvious tension between recruiting and sales leadership, which was even commented on during the interview, making the role less appealing. Almost every single meeting started late, showing a lack of respect for my time. While Valerie the recruiter was great, the sales leadership I met lacked prior experience and seemed to have gotten their roles by excelling as AEs. Heads up, the deal cycles are 18 months long and it's tough to measure success. Plus, there are many competitors, and some people have left to work for them, raising retention concerns. The in-person interview was mediocre from start to finish. Employees seemed disengaged, had cold attitudes, and I was glared at while waiting. The interview itself was quite poor. The interviewer frequently interrupted me, asked confusing two-part questions, and was condescending. In sales interviews, the focus should be on listening and speaking minimally to assess fit, but my interviewer spent the time correcting me on their product and process details. It's a niche area, and while I prepared, this wasn't my only interview. I was interrupted the whole time, which is a major pet peeve. Ultimately, I should have recognized the red flags earlier. It felt like a huge waste of time and effort, and I was actually relieved to hear I wasn't moving forward due to my recent closing experience. Good luck trying to attract good salespeople in NYC!

Riskified really tries to hype up their image as a great place to work in NYC, but it's pretty hollow. The hiring process involves case studies, tests, and chats with lots of people from the sales team and leadership. As you go further, you start to see a lot of employees who don't seem to have much corporate sales experience, which is a bit concerning but maybe understandable for their size. But the big red flag for me, the reason I backed out, was how arrogant some of the leaders came across. Definitely a no-go for me.