Smartling Sales Development Representative Interview Questions
& Process

Applied on the company careers page. Got a ping from a recruiter the next day to set up a phone screen, and they were helpful and responsive throughout. Then had a 30-minute phone call with the Director of Sales. About a week later, went to HQ for an onsite interview with the Director of Sales, which included writing a mock email to a prospect. The final step was a phone interview with the VP of Sales. The whole thing took about 4-5 weeks. The questions were mainly about my performance in my last role, my interest in sales at Smartling, my knowledge of the company/industry, and my future goals.

I applied on LinkedIn and got a response the same day. The first call with the recruiter in NY went well and I felt good about the company. But then the SDR Manager seemed to have already decided about me before our call. The 'interview' was all about why I'm not an Account Executive yet, why I applied for another SDR role, and why I haven't applied for an AE role elsewhere. I'd already covered this on the first call and didn't expect it to be the main topic. With every answer, I could tell his interest was fading. By the way he asked 'now, do you have any questions for me?', I knew I was out, which killed my motivation to the point I cut my questions short. I didn't hear anything for 3 days. So I told Smartling I wasn't interested anymore, explaining the above. The next day, I got an automated email from the recruiter saying they weren't moving forward, without mentioning my feedback. I'll give the SDR Manager credit for knowing what he wants, and I respect being cutthroat. If this is your first SDR role application, you'll probably fit in at Smartling. If not, expect the line of questioning above.

The interview process was really thorough, smooth, and totally transparent. It included two phone interviews, an assignment, and one final onsite interview. The first phone screen with HR was a good chance to ask about Smartling and the SDR role. After that, I had a more in-depth talk with a team lead, then a "take home" assignment. This assignment helped me see what the SDR job might be like and learn more about Smartling and its products. The last part was a panel interview with some team members and the hiring manager, plus a mock call. Before the interview, I got a presentation about Smartling's products and was told to really study it. This helped me prepare by focusing on key info and understanding what working at Smartling would be like. After the mock call, I got a quick tour of the office to check out the culture. They said I'd hear back soon since other candidates were still in the process, and I got a reference request followed by an offer about a week later. It all gave me a solid grasp of the company, the job, and the culture. Smartling's communication and transparency throughout were super helpful!