SmartBiz Manager Interview Questions
& Process

If you are interested in this company and looking for career growth, go ahead and apply. Despite some reviews you might see, if you are serious about joining and making an impact, you will get the job. The whole thing took about 3 weeks from start to offer. I found the role on Linkedin and the recruiter messaged me. Contrary to some comments you might have read, the recruiter was very responsive and kept communication clear. We had a quick phone chat about my background and the role. Then, I got a small assignment about what an RM does. After I sent that back, I spoke with an Operations Trainer on the phone about my work. The next week, I went in for an in-person interview with four Lending Managers. This interview was pretty intense at first, but we ended up connecting well. The day after that, I met with some senior team members. Similar to the first interview, it started a bit tense but ended positively. We talked more about the RM role and the company's history. I got the offer the next day. While it was more demanding than my previous interviews, I actually enjoyed it. They are looking for 'Team Members' not just employees, hence the thorough process. Don't let negative reviews deter you if you're seeking a meaningful career.

It started with a phone call to go over the role. Then there was a cash flow exercise, which they said is mostly for recent grads, but it's not a tough one. The final stage was a one-hour interview with four people, split into two parts. First, two managers asked me to talk about myself and my sales experience. They wanted to know how I'd assess a convenience store's health just by looking at it and its balance sheet. Then, two other managers asked me to talk about myself again and my sales experience. They had me roleplay a situation with an angry client upset about variable loan rates. After that, they asked me to 'sell myself' for a good 15-20 seconds. My guess on why they repeated questions is that the first two managers missed my answers, because the job involves repeating sales pitches daily, or maybe their process isn't that great. I think the 'sell yourself' question was long to test my ability to understand, process, and recall information, which is key for sales.

Recruiter from Director of Recruitment contacted me on Linkedin. We had a phone call which led into a cash flow exercise. After submitting the exercise, I was invited for an on-site interview with 4 employees. They were friendly and mostly discussed my past experience and how it applies to the role, also reviewing the cash flow exercise. About a week later, I was called back on-site to meet with two directors and a VP. The first interviewer was late, so I met with the second one first. Unfortunately, the HR coordinator gave the director the wrong resume, making the start awkward. The questions were identical to the first round. The other director eventually arrived and we had a brief chat with vague questions, surprisingly for a third round. Finally, I spoke with a VP who was eating, making tea, and constantly on his phone. He was the only one who asked challenging technical questions and pressed on my prior experience. After the interviews, I followed up after 4 days. The HR coordinator mentioned the VP or director would contact me soon. I never heard back and received a rejection email from HR stating they chose another candidate without any feedback.