Bad AE interviews look the same everywhere: "tell me about a time you missed quota," "walk me through your last deal," "what motivates you." Candidates rehearse. Interviewers can't tell strong from average. The wrong AE gets hired.
Good AE interviews are different. They test specific competencies with structured questions, force candidates into stories with real detail, and calibrate against a hiring bar that's written down before the interview.
This is 47 real interview questions for AE candidates, grouped by category. For each group: what good answers look like, what red flags to listen for, and how to structure the interview.
