The key to any successful interview is preparation. As part of an interview you’ll be asked questions to evaluate the compatibility of your skills, experience, education and character.
So, it’s best to know what interview questions you may encounter and prepare ahead of time how you will answer. This will help you present yourself effectively and leave a memorable impression on your interviewer.
We asked a few Gartner Hiring Managers (GBS and Sales) to reveal some of the questions they ask during the interview process and what they are looking to gain from the answers they receive.
Ryan R.
8.4 years at Gartner
What are some of your frequently asked interview questions?
I’m looking at historical performance and will ask questions about where they stack against their peers. If at the top, what’s their differentiated “superpower”? If they don’t believe they have reached their top, I’ll ask what they admire about their peers and how they would leverage that influence for future success.
I ask because:
I’m testing their competitive spirit. I want to see how the candidate self-reflects and communicates, and whether the candidate points to things that are controllable. We want our candidates to be more focused on the controllable aspects, i.e., “I wasted time with lower tiered prospects at the beginning of the year, which slowed me down. Top performers spent their time marketing to must wins. I learned and adjusted my strategy accordingly,” instead of outside factors, i.e., “larger territory or they had a supportive manager.”
Paula R.
10 years at Gartner
What are some of your frequently asked interview questions?
I’m always interested in first finding out about the candidate’s best manager and what made them a great partner in their success.
I ask because:
I want to find the cultural fit with the hiring manager and team. From experience, this is what it takes to help empower the candidate to be successful, and my goal is to find that fit within Gartner.
Kieran D.
7.5 years at Gartner
What are some of your frequently asked interview questions?
I’ll inquire about past feedback that the candidate had received and disagreed with. Then, I will follow up by asking how they feel about it now.
I ask because:
Every high performer I have met in my career at Gartner has one common attribute — a willingness to learn, take on feedback and be coached. I’m looking for external candidates who show that they are ready to take on feedback, and even where they may not fully agree with it, they are prepared to listen, understand and try new ways of working.
Tony B.
19 years at Gartner
What are some of your frequently asked interview questions?
After asking about what drives them I always follow up with, how will they measure their success in their first year?
I want to hear, “I will measure it against the best first year performance for a new hire, or how would you measure my success?”
I ask because:
My intention is to get to know their mindset and ambition. Sometimes, associates will have a boilerplate response such as, “If I can develop relationships with all my clients, learn as much as I can about Supply Chain/Gartner, hit my quota, etc. This doesn’t tell me much about the individual, and my goal is to understand what level of success they are truly willing to settle for.
Is quota truly enough, or will they do what it takes to be the absolute best?
I’m also looking into their executive presence and selling style to eliminate the relationship sellers. At Gartner, we’re always looking for challengers.