Account Executive

The Account Executive role could include finding and closing deals, managing client relationships or both. 

High-quality candidates are experienced (think: sales or customer service), enthusiastic, outgoing, curious and confident professionals. They’ll have awesome communication and negotiation skills and a great business acumen, plus they’ll have high initiative, persistence and a problem-solving aptitude.

Top tip: 

• Set an assignment: Ask candidates to create a brief presentation or sales pitch to test for top communication skills.
• Think diversity: Diversity is key for a thriving workplace. Keep an eye out for management and exec-level candidates from varying backgrounds and aim to eliminate bias from your hiring process.

Account Executive interview questions

• What’s your favorite thing about being an Account Executive?
• Do you enjoy cold-calling?
• How do you deal with rejection?
• How do you discover sales opportunities?
• How would you create a killer demo/presentation? 
• How do you ace business relationships?
• Have you used CRM tech before?
• What’s the best way to use social media to find great prospects?
• How would you deal with an unresponsive prospective client?
• How do you prioritize multiple clients at the same time?
• Have you ever dealt with an angry customer? What happened?
• Tell us about a time you aced a client’s problem.
• Describe the most challenging deal you’ve ever had to close.
• Tell us about a time you aced a customer contract negotiation.
• Describe a time you reached an objective despite challenging odds.
• What was your most complicated sales cycle in past positions?
• Have you ever lost the chance to engage a prospect? What would you change next time?