Touch Of Modern Supply Chain Analyst Interview Questions
& Process

I applied online and then had a phone call with the HR manager. After that, I had an in-person interview with three different people: the recruiter, the VP of Sales, and the Lead Buying Manager. We had to wait two months for the next hiring round because the startup was pausing new hires for that quarter. They later emailed to check if I was still interested, which was surprising because usually, companies just say they'll reach out if something opens up, but they actually did! Then there was a phone interview, and I was surprised by how many position-specific questions they asked since I thought I'd already gone through the interview process. The next step was an in-person meeting with a co-founder, the CCO. It started intimidatingly, but we found common ground on some basic ideals and interests, making it easy and enjoyable. After that, they called to offer me the position. I was really excited and asked about the pay, but it's pretty set for the buying department due to their pay structure. Then it was my first day, and my desk was all set up with my monitor and laptop. They even had a name sign, and people kept welcoming me, making it easy to settle in and feel included.

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.

The interview process was very comfortable and I felt that the team was equally interested in getting to know me as well as my qualifications. I ended up accepting an offer with a different company but I honestly felt like I would have loved working with the people I met during the process. The HR and recruiting team were extremely professional, accommodating and understanding with my time and I never felt as if they had a 'you have to prove yourself to me' type of stance. The company itself has some great momentum and I am excited to see where they are going. The products they offer and the prices they are able to achieve are incredible and I know they will have a bright future.