AMA: LinkedIn Vice President of Global Sales Operations, SaaS, Akira Mamizuka on Revenue Ops Interviews

In RevOps, we are looking for people who are both a "scientist" and a "business leader". A "scientist" in the sense of being data-driven, strong problem solver and seeker of the truth. A "business leader" in the sense of challenging the status quo, who can operate under healthy tension, and who's always willing to do what is right for the company. I always start by asking for the candidate's elevator pitch. Can they articulate their story (experience and objectives) in a crisp and compelling way? Then I probe for personal impact. I ask for 1-2 key accomplishments in their last job, things they are proud of. I am looking for a structured answer using the STAR framework. Next, I probe to see if the candidate has a good understanding of cause-effect and ask them if, in their example, which circumstances would need to change in order for the tactics deployed not have worked. Intellectual horsepower is a must have in RevOps. I always give a short case study that tests the candidate's ability to understand patterns on the data, and to draw connections between operational aspects of the business and financial outcomes. For leadership roles, I ask them to share an example of an inspirational leader they have worked together with. I find this is a good way to understand if the leadership traits the candidate values match our company's culture and leadership expectations.

Networking is key. Finding someone who works in RevOps for the same company and asking them for help with common interview questions can provide serious competitive advantage. If this is not possible, I'd find someone who works in RevOps for a company of the same profile (e.g. medium sized SaaS). LinkedIn is a powerful tool to help jobseekers connect with insiders. In addition to the above: * Get a referral. LinkedIn data shows that candidates with an internal referral have much higher odds to land the job * Check materials on "Consulting Interview Prep". There are extensive resources available online, and a RevOps interview, although unique, will include some common aspects * Do basic research on the company (product portfolio, growth trends, culture) and the market it plays (competitors, industry trends) * Understand who is your interviewer and mention common experiences or connections during the interview. Also, understand the function they represent and reflect on the angle they might be evaluating you from * Prepare for an Excel test (when applicable). If you are not proficient at Excel, go learn it - this is a critical skill for the job, and you will need it beyond the interview

When hiring for individual contributor roles, I personally encourage my teams to hire a healthy mix between seasoned and unexperienced individuals. Although a seasoned individual will ramp much faster and work more independently, a recent college grad often brings fresh energy and curiosity to the team. When interviewing individuals with limited work experience, I focus mainly on: * Raw horsepower: strong quantitative and problem-solving skills. Applying a case study is a must - does not need to be a business strategy case, it can be a pure quantitative case study. One case I like is "How many people ever lived on earth?" (fun fact: this case was part of the interview process for my first job out of college) * Attitude: In RevOps, there are times when workload is very high (e.g. planning season) and we need to be able to rely on our team members. I firmly believe the age of 20s and early 30s is the period when folks will learn the most skills professionally but do so, they need to be willing to work hard. Attitude is something not trivial to evaluate during an interview - but an interviewer can get signals by asking questions such as "Tell me one situation when you were working against an aggressive deadline and that required you to go the extra mile. How did you handle that? What did you learn about your limits?". Also, describing the job expectations and its ups and downs allows you to evaluate how the candidate responds or perhaps even opt-out

I prefer to keep questions such as 30-60-90-day plan and SWOT analysis for internal applicants only. In my experience, external candidates lack depth in this type of question, and they will always be in disadvantage against internal candidates who have the benefit of being insiders. For internal candidates, this type of approach can be helpful to learn a few things about them: * Have they done proper research and due diligence on the role? What is their real level of interest? * Do they understand some of the main challenges and opportunities the role offer? * What is their level of business acumen? Do they have a grasp on Product Strategy and Competitive Environment? * Do they understand what it means to be successful in the role?

Your experience in Sales Comp Design is definitely relevant for a Sales Strategy role. You have an understanding of the GTM model and roles, the Sales Org structure, and some aspects of the sales operation (e.g. quotas, rules of engagement). You have the opportunity to build on top of your current experience, by preparing for an interview process for a Sales Strategy role. Here are some ideas (based on a similar question I've answered): * Find someone who went through a similar transition (from Sales Comp Design to Sales Strategy) and learn as much as possible from their transition process * Find someone who works in Sales Strategy for the same company and asking them for help with common interview questions. LinkedIn is a powerful tool to help jobseekers connect with insiders. * Get a referral. LinkedIn data shows that candidates with an internal referral have much higher odds to land the job * Check materials on "Consulting Interview Prep". There are extensive resources available online, and a Sales Strategy interview, although unique, will include some common aspects * Do basic research on the company (product portfolio, growth trends, culture) and the market it plays (competitors, industry trends) * Understand who is your interviewer and mention common experiences or connections during the interview. Also, understand the function they represent and reflect on the angle they might be evaluating you from * Prepare for an Excel test (when applicable). If you are not proficient at Excel, go learn it - this is a critical skill for the job, and you will need it beyond the interview