AMA: LinkedIn Director, Sales Strategy & Operations, Global Clients, Manish Krishnan on Revenue Ops Interviews

Love this question. I like to test both how a person thinks & solves problems (situational/ case) as well as how they show up at work (behavioral). While I have multiple go-tos - one of my favorites is a role play on "Sales leader calls a meeting to express that they feel that the quota they have been given is too high". I play the tough sales leader, and the candidate plays the Sales Ops partner. The objective here is to assess how the candidate reacts - do they hold their ground, do they s ...Read More

On the resume, I typically look for sustained impact/ performance in a role or company. If the candidate has moved around multiple times (say, less than 1.5/ 2 yrs in each role), it raises eyebrows. If the candidate still makes it through to the interview, they would need a clear rationale for it. In interviews, a few red flags I avoid (unless more than offset by other skills) Long & windy communication that is unclear Not having done the research & prep on the company, business, role th ...Read More

This depends on the role (Rev Ops v. Sales Ops v. CS Ops v. Marketing Ops), the level (Analyst/ Associate v. Leadership) and the organization/ business (SaaS v. Ad based v. Subscription for B2C/ SMB/MME/Enterprise/Verticalized v. Horizontal) you're hiring the role for. Typically, there are a few areas that are common to assess, but it would help to probe further in pockets depending on the above. Key areas to test: Analytical skills Problem Solving & Strategic Thinking Technology skills (CRM ...Read More

RevOps roles require a generalist mix, with the ability to flex across skill-sets (e.g. Analytical, Stakeholder management, operational excellence, collaboration etc.) depending on the project & situation. When I hire candidates, I look for these spikes: Clear, Structured communication: Everything we do in RevOps from simplifying complex ideas to influencing leadership requires simple, clear communication tailored to the audience. Proactiveness/ Being a change agent: While harder to test for ...Read More

I definitely recommend candidates going above & beyond. Beyond just a glimpse into thought process, it shows proactiveness and hunger for the role, which is what every hiring manager wants to see, especially for hotly contested roles. That said, given it is easy to build these with AI today, it needs to be a very authentic POV, and used strategically in situations where 1/ You are really keen on the role and 2/ You have a good shot at it (say, if you've qualified beyond the first couple of r ...Read More

RevOps analyst roles require a good mix of analytical/ problem solving, team skills and a growth mindset. Analytical & technical skills: This is the 'get stuff done' portion of the skill-sets. It is core, and a non negotiable. Where one can differentiate oneself is either being able to do more complex modeling, or the ability to code (e.g python, VB) or be proficient in leveraging AI. Communicate business insight: It's not sufficient to just complete analyses. In order to drive impact, you s ...Read More

Great question. Revops experience is highly valuable because it requires a unique blend of strategic, analytical, operational, stakeholder management and team skills. It can open doors to multiple paths within & outside RevOps. Within RevOps: progression to senior management (manager, director, VP) Lateral moves to specific GTM functions: Sales Ops, Marketing/ Demand Gen Ops, CS Ops Business Leadership: Sales leadership, Marketing leadership, General Management & CRO roles at smaller cos ...Read More

To be fair, I don't completely understand in which context this question was raised, and how the hiring manager responded. Typically, you would expect the hiring manager to be able to answer that question, yes. RevOps roles are more mission based, and fewer in number when compared to, say, management consulting roles. The hiring manager usually has a clear mission for the role - if it's a backfill, they would know where exactly you need to slot in. And if this is a net new role, they should have ...Read More