This is the interview plan I am using to hire an Engagement Manager (customer success team member). I'm trying to see how people think and work while also giving them a sense of this role.

I like to check references mid-process as opposed to as a "check the box" at the end of the process. This allows to use the references to inform where we want to double click in later round interviews. Also, rather than just asking for references: I ask for specific introductions (e.g. can you introduce me to your manager from X, and to a client from Y). This helps to avoid selection bias, and how readily they introduce you (or the reasons for offering a different introduction) can be informative.

Created this interview plan to hire the 3rd member of our Customer Success team. We started the customer success team only a few months prior to posting this so this was a critical hire.

Some people dropped out of the interview process because they perceived it to be too much work. I actually was OK with that. Others felt it showed we were buttoned up and really thorough.

The hardest part was figuring out which dimensions we cared about evaluating based on what is truly going to be required to do this job effectively.

Ellen Naruse

Judy Merzbach

Kevin Weiss

I created this interview plan when hiring an Engagement Manager for our Reforge for Teams product. This was a critical hire, so a clear plan was essential.

 - As a next step, please schedule a call with Morgan who can tell you about our compensation philosophy and answer any questions you may have. No prep required.

 - Youʼll do 2 simulations as part of Round 1, one with an existing Engagement Manager and the other with Kevin, who leads Reforge for Teams. See Prompt 1 [redacted] and Prompt 2 [redacted] below.

 - We check references mid-process as opposed to at the end of the process. This allows us to get to know you from multiple perspectives. Weʼll ask you for a couple specific introductions at this stage.

- Youʼll do one more simulation as part of this round with a member of our Sales team and/or our COO, Tom.

Occasionally, we will add or change the above format depending on questions that come up or our teamʼs capacity. Please let Kevin or Morgan know if you have any questions or concerns.

These simulations contain a set of prompts that are meant to give you a taste of what the work in this role might entail. There is no right or wrong answer - the goal is simply to get a better sense of how you think. All of the interviews are intended to require less than 4 hours of prep 

In each of these calls, weʼll reserve at least 10 minutes for you to interview us. Thatʼs important too!

Thanks in advance for your time. We know that this is a thorough process and so will seek to make it useful and fun in the process.

Hereʼs a video from our CEO [redacted] where he shares the founding story of Reforge and our vision. Below is a bit more information about the Reforge for Teams side of the business.

Today, Reforge has approximately 10,000 members who are affiliated with business accounts, representing over 1,000 different companies. These companies range in size, function, and industry, and they are distributed across the globe. Historically, individuals signed up for Reforge for their own learning and development. Some paid out of pocket while many were reimbursed by their companies.


In 2022, we started selling directly to businesses. Instead of an individual buying an annual license for themselves, we now see functional leaders (e.g. CPO, VP Marketing) and L&D leaders purchasing Reforge for their teams.


As an Engagement Manager at Reforge, you would play a key role in activation, engagement, retention, and expansion of these accounts.


Please feel free to sign up for WorkArtifacts on our website and/or 

ask Kevin if youʼd like access to the product.

Please book a time with one of our current E.M.ʼs here 

. If you have anything youʼd like to review during the call, please send it at least 24 hours in advance.



Here is “data” [redacted] for a set of teams using Reforge. Please see here [redacted] for more context on what this data means.

Which accounts would you prioritize intervening with and why?

What other data would you want to look at to help you prioritize?

Weʼll be looking to assess your ability to make sense of and talk through data.

. If you have anything youʼd like to review during the call please send it at least 24 hours in advance.



Weʼd like to do a better job of partnering with champions and relevant stakeholders within the companies that buy Reforge. Our hypothesis is that if we can identify the right internal stakeholders and support them with the right assets, these individuals can help us drive adoption and engagement of Reforge by influencing the end users.

How would you go about identifying the right internal stakeholders to partner with post-sales?

What would you share with them to make it easy for them to support Reforgeʼs launch, adoption, or re-engagement? An example would be great! You could share a specific template or an outline of a recommended series of touchpoints, as two examples.

How would you assess whether or not this works?

Weʼll be looking to assess your approach to experimentation and creative problem-solving.

Weʼll reach out to schedule your Round 2 Interview.

The plan manager of technology company with 25 seats at Reforge reaches out with the following note: 

“Iʼd like to cancel my companyʼs subscription.”

 This subscription started in a self-service purchase (no sales assistance) so we donʼt know much about them.

What would you say to get this person on a call?

Prepare for a (role play) phone call with this plan manager.

Weʼll be looking to assess how you run a call and do discovery as well as how you process & incorporate feedback.

WEEKS_ACTIVE - Total number of weeks someone (anyone) from a company was active in the product

DAYS_ACTIVE - Total number of days someone (anyone) from a company was active in the product

NUMBER_OF_SEATS - the number of seats purchased by the client

Number_of_members - the number of employees who have created a reforge account

AVG_WEEKS_ACTIVE_IN_CONTENT - average number of weeks people on the team were active in content

AVG_DAYS_ACTIVE_IN_CONTENT - average number of days people in the company was active in the content

Interview Plan for Early Customer Success Team Member at Reforge

Engagement Manager, Reforge for Teams

Interview Plan

Objective

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