The process spanned from mid April to late June.
The interview process began on a positive note. The recruiter (who initially reached out to me) was engaging and set clear expectations at the beginning. However, as it progressed it became increasingly drawn out and also deviated slightly from the original interview path that was shared with me.
The first 5 interviews were 30 minute virtual 1:1 interviews via Zoom. Two of the five interviews went over by 20-30 minutes. Four out of five interviewers were a few minutes late. Follow-up between interviews averaged 10-14 days.
The final stage was an in-person presentation to a panel of four people (though notably, three of the four attendees joined remotely making the in-person requirement feel unnecessary). Additionally, I had trouble finding the building as the address took my uber to one location and my phone map app took me to another location and in the end the office was in a different location. Despite being a couple minutes late, they seemed understanding.
For the presentation I was asked to structure it into 4 segments:
1. Icebreaker - 10 mins
Pretend you have an unlimited budget, you have three months to open a bar, anywhere in the world. Where is the bar? What is it called? What is the vibe? Is there a signature cocktail? What is your Why?
2. Case Study 1: Creative ABM Campaign - 20 mins
Tell us about a successfully run ABM campaign you executed to help your revenue teams (new business side) build touchpoints with strategic accounts and increase pipeline. Provide us with an outline of: The logistics of this end-to-end campaign and event stream involved - both online and offline (who, what, when, where, why, cost). The goals of the campaign. Details on the teams you partnered with vs. other channels within your org that you leveraged. Your communication structure with the SDR/BDR teams, AEs, stakeholders, etc. Proposed budget, etc. to make the most of this investment. The results! What made this event successful? How did your team capitalize and leverage the results of this event to help with new and existing pipeline?
3. Case Study 2: Shoptalk 2025 - 25 mins:
Botify is a Level 3 sponsor of Shoptalk 2025 the biggest retail conference of the year, investing $150K in the event alone. We have a 10x20 booth, Day 2 track discussion, onsite branding, 1:1 meetings with attending executives, and an opportunity to reach attendees pre and post-show through sponsored email sends. If our main goals are brand awareness, pipeline generation, and client engagement, how do we make the most of this event? Think about before/during/after experiences and ensure proper reporting as well as communicating success/shortcomings afterward. The total budget is $200K (to include T & E, external expenses such as swag, partner events/dinners, etc.). Please create a brief project plan that details what teams you’d partner with, activations you would plan (onsite and offsite), channels you’d leverage, your communication structure, proposed budget, etc. to make the most of this investment.
4. Q&A - 15 mins
If you add up the time, that's 70 minutes, which I reviewed with the panel at the very beginning of my presentation to make sure we were all on the same page. However I was abruptly cut off at the hour.
The week following the presentation they reached out and asked for a copy of my deck for review. And 12 days after the presentation I got a brief message from the recruiter letting me know they moved forward with another candidate. My initial disappointment wore off in a few minutes and I felt relief.
I was simultaneously interviewing with two other companies and ranked Botify as my top choice, but by the end of the interview process with Botify I was left with a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth. I wouldn't say there were any major red flags, but there was enough that I saw and experienced to give me peace of mind about not getting an offer.
I received an offer from one of the two other companies I was interviewing with. So in the end, things worked out great. I just regret not bowing out of the interview process with Botify the moment the interview plan began to deviate without notice as well as them going weeks without contact in between interview rounds.
