This is a very competitive and exhaustive process. Maybe 5-6 total interviews with great exposure to the company and senior leaders. The big reason is they mainly hire former agents or internal employees because the Sales Leader is a mid level executive role with high visibility, comprehensive metrics, and great responsibilities. The base salary and bonus make this position very attractive! This leader role typically will have influence over 30-40 agents and contact with over 100-150 producers in a given territory. Very great visibility and influence on frontline results. You gotta be competitive to succeed and a servant leader. Also being well studied on analytics and metrics can help you stand out. The process began with an online application and phone screeners by internal recruiters. After this they then pass you to a senior leader with the title VPA. They run entire states. This then leads to entering into their candidacy pool if the recruiters and VPA have interest. This is a great process because you get to date them and they get to date you. You roll into the meeting with a panel and you can learn through Q and A. I even got to invite my wife. Very cool to see that. Big thing to remember is you are constantly being evaluated during this even though it’s more Q and A. Be sure to speak up, ask questions, and add value where you can. They are looking for leadership qualities and confidence. This interview has a current Sales Leader, VPA, maybe a current agent, and others interested in Sales Leader. This q and a session was great because we got to learn the State Farm Sales Leader Culture, compensation framework, and job responsibilities more fully. From here you if the interest is mutual they will spin you off to meet the Field Senior Vice President or leader of the VPAs. This was a continued Q and A dialogue but with the highest executive of the region. This person was so down to earth and you could tell he put a ton of sweat equity to get to where he was. He had run call centers, been an agent, and knew State Farm. At the same time he showed some humility which I respected for someone in that role. I believe this interview is setup to see if you can be confident in front of Senior Leaders and show poise. You actual responded to 2-3 STAR questions while still getting to know him. He was very open and this process was fun. After this point, you are on 3rd base with a lead off for home. All you have to do is win over a panel interview of 2 VPAs from other regions and a Senior Recruiter in a key leader interview. This is probably the toughest part because this is where the rubber meets the road. You also do this interview solo. You and the panel. I felt I won over 2/3 panelist and they asked some really great questions. This process stretched me more than any other interview process I have ever been on and I’m so grateful I’m in the candidate pool for SL at State Farm! If you make it this far it’s just about final fit and finding a market that matches. Always be open to relo and show why along the way. There is a reason this role is mission critical and the process is extra rigorous. I look forward to the challenge.