Tableau Software Account Manager Interview Questions
& Process

I learned about the opening through my network and a contact at Tableau uploaded my CV into their internal referral program. Since I was open to other roles, she noted that. Given Tableau's (Salesforce's) excellent reputation, I expected a challenging but professional recruitment process. Luckily, my contact gave me plenty of insights into daily life at Tableau, painting a great picture. I studied the website, researched, and downloaded the free trial to get familiar with the tool. Shortly after uploading my CV, I received an automated email with a link to fill out details, which seemed very professional. A friendly recruiter reached out with scheduling options. I picked a slot and took the day off. Right before the interview, I got a message that the recruiter couldn't make it and asked if another day was possible. I swallowed my frustration about the lost day, knowing recruiters are human. I confirmed the new date and rearranged my schedule. For the second attempt, I waited for the call, which never came. Checking my emails, I saw: 'So sorry - I just realized I'm already booked at 2 PM. Would you possibly have time tomorrow at 2:30 PM?' My patience was wearing thin. The cancellation email arrived five minutes before the scheduled call. When I still hadn't received a call after five minutes on the third try, I got nervous. The phone rang shortly after, six minutes late. The recruiter was friendly and apologized for the scheduling conflict, but seemed rushed. Despite my extensive experience in Account Management/Sales, she repeatedly stated that my lack of software sales experience disqualified me, even though I had a previous software sales role. She also inquired about my salary expectations, given my openness to other positions mentioned during the referral upload. I stated my desired salary, and she explained that compensation is 50% base and 50% variable. She mentioned achieving the 100% bonus is the norm. She concluded by saying she'd have internal discussions and get back to me by the end of the week. Unsurprisingly, this didn't happen. A standard rejection email from Salesforce arrived mid-next week. Unsure if it was for this specific role, I followed up. Six days later, I received a rejection. That was the end of my application process with Tableau. I don't hold the rejection against Tableau, though I would have liked to meet the hiring team. Applying involves the risk of rejection. Tableau is likely a great employer, and it's tough to get in. No hard feelings. However, the communication could have been better. I was interviewing with Google concurrently and could compare the recruiting experiences. Google felt like a sparring partner, interested in understanding my strengths and finding a solution. This isn't a Google vs. Tableau comparison, as recruiters vary individually. Tableau is likely under pressure due to the pandemic and Salesforce acquisition. However, appreciation, reliability, and professionalism shouldn't suffer.

The interview process was a complete disaster. The HR person seemed disengaged. After an hour-long phone interview and another 1.5 hour technical Webex interview that I nailed, they decided not to proceed with no reasoning. It took them 4 weeks and 3 people to just say NO. They didn't get back to me in a timely manner and I had to constantly follow up even though they reached out to me first. When I asked for a reason, no one got back to me with anything like 'we found a better candidate' or 'you didn't pass the tech interview'. Absolutely disgusting process.

I went to a hiring event, it started with a quick talk to ensure there were no deal breakers, then an actual writing test, with pen and paper. A short meeting with technical questions about analytics and technical questions, a one on one with a support team member, a "prove you can do the work" technical whiteboard troubleshooting session, a meeting with the hiring manager and one with the VP. I thought it was a great interview process and I was very impressed with all the folks I interacted with. I felt like they wanted me to succeed.