Touch Of Modern Interview Questions
& Process

First, I had a phone screen with a recruiter. Then, I went for an onsite interview which had 3 rounds. Before the first round, the receptionist gave me a paper describing a sales scenario. I had to identify mistakes in it, and we discussed my answers in round 2 during the excel exercise. Round 1 was with the hiring manager where they asked standard interview questions. Round 2 was with teammates, doing an excel exercise simulating my day-to-day tasks. I struggled with remembering excel formulas off the top of my head, at my old job I kept my formulas in a notebook for reference. Round 3 was with the head of department.

I got an email asking if I could do a quick phone interview. They asked me some basic stuff about my past and resume, it was pretty chill. It went fine, so they said they'd email me a case study with questions to answer and also asked me to make a PowerPoint presentation. This part felt a bit off to me. For the presentation, they wanted me to find 3-5 suppliers, include pictures and brand/company names, and importantly, their phone number, email, and address. Like some others, this was a big red flag for me to hand over my contacts without any job offer certainty. But, I did it anyway because I was really interested in the job and wanted to see what happened next. What happened next was an in-person interview that was supposed to be 90 minutes long, where I'd talk about my presentation with someone from the buyer team, someone from HR, and maybe one of the founders. When I got there, it seemed like they weren't really expecting me. The usual interview room was occupied, so we ended up in a corner table in the warehouse, which was fine, very casual. I met Sally from HR, the same person I spoke to on the phone. She was nice, but again, didn't seem super prepared. She eventually pulled up my presentation on her laptop after some trouble, and we just chatted about it casually. She didn't ask me many questions, and kept asking if I had questions for her, which became the main theme. After that, I thought it was going okay, and was told to wait for someone else. I had no idea who, as nothing seemed planned. Then, another person from HR, I assume, came over with an iPhone and explained that the other person I was supposed to talk to, the VP of sales, was home sick, so we'd do a speakerphone interview instead. This really threw me off; I felt super awkward talking loudly towards a phone on the table, and I doubt she could even see my presentation, but we went over it anyway. I admit I didn't do as well in this part. This was only my second interview in 5 years (the first was last week and I got offered the job). After a few questions and the usual 'do you have questions for us?', it was over. I never met a buyer or a founder. The whole thing lasted about 40 minutes, not 90, which makes me think. I'm highly qualified for this role, maybe even overqualified, so I'm not sure why I wasn't offered the job. They said the products I chose were things they'd never sell, which was weird because Sally seemed to like them, as did the other HR person, Allie. I suggested a modern pool table, but I guess that style isn't what they're looking for, even though I sold one to a 49ers player. They sell a $25,000 music box, but my ideas weren't relevant. I kept mentioning they lack home entertainment products, and that men like games and competition, and my leads would fill that gap, but they weren't interested. It's funny though, I'm now seeing game-related items like dice and cards pop up on their site... coincidence? My feeling is that maybe I wasn't a good fit, and that's okay, I'm not a young hipster. But, since I'm not the only one who thinks asking for leads before an offer is unethical, maybe Touchofmodern should stop doing that. It just makes people feel used and uncomfortable, leading to negative feedback like mine and others. I hope this helps someone; good luck.

I had a generally good experience going through the initial rounds and the coding challenge. The phone call with the member of the team was a bit awkward as he was reading from a list of questions that didn't seem well suited to my experience. I believe I answered the questions to the fullest and to my surprise I was sent an email inviting me to an on-site interview. The following day, I received another email stating the position was filled and they passed on my application. I was a bit disappointed as I believe I had done fairly well and their response was totally out of the blue.

It was a step by step process with lots of follow ups. Very professional and maintained a high level of respect from all parties. The process took anywhere from 2-4 weeks, but still felt an atypical corporate way of engaging future prospective employees. It is however understandable due to the nature of most companies within the startup parameters. Show enthusiasm for whichever role you plan on being a part of. Typical background questions and familiarity within the role. There are assessments and skill tests, albeit verbal or written. Overall it was a positive experience.