I went through a lengthy 7 round interview process for an AE role at TCP Software. From the very beginning, I was transparent about having limited closing experience specifically within their industry. However, I also shared that I’ve successfully closed deals across multiple tech consulting firms throughout my sales career. I was explicitly told this wouldn’t be an issue, as they were prioritizing a “hunter” profile, someone who could generate meetings and pipeline and that the closing aspect could be taught. Throughout the process, I completed a full presentation, multiple role plays, and met with several managers and directors. I invested significant time preparing, researching their solutions, and even built a custom sales presentation on my own time that took several hours to complete. Despite consistent positive feedback and being encouraged forward at each stage including acknowledgment from leadership that my closing experience gap was understood, I was ultimately rejected for “not having enough closing experience.” The most frustrating part was the lack of alignment between what was communicated upfront and the final decision criteria. After weeks of time and effort invested, it felt like the goalposts shifted late in the process. Overall, the interview experience felt disorganized and inconsistent, and I would encourage the team to better align internally on candidate requirements before putting candidates through such an extensive process.