I applied through an employee referral. The process took 3 months. I interviewed at Salesforce in Nov 2015
Interview
6 interviews over a 3 month period.
First 3 interviews felt like it was an opportunity for both the employer and I to get to know each other to see if there was a cultural fit. The next 2 were more role specific where you needed to answer situational questions and demonstrate your communication capabilities in both answering technical questions as well as dealing with objections. You're then given a use case for a final presentation to a panel. The hiring manager was very supportive and gave me an opportunity to perform a dry run - everyone should take advantage of this generous offer. The final presentation requires you to present and demonstrate the product. Everyone will have a persona and you are tested not only on your presentation skills but on your ability to handle objections and to tell a compelling story. It is tough but definitely designed to weed out the wrong candidate.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Salesforce is much more expensive than the competitor. Why should I buy Salesforce?
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Salesforce (Londen, Engeland) in Oct 2015
Interview
Probably the hardest process I've been through. They are looking for the best and the process is designed for that.
1. Interview with recruiter (phone)
2. Technical interview with peers (2 x phone)
3. Interview with manager (in person)
4. Panel interview (in person) - A case study is provided and you should prepare in two weeks a presentation and role play with 5 people from the company.
5. Senior manager interview (phone)
The process took 4 weeks (counting the 2 weeks for the panel preparation). It was smooth and very well structured. Feedback was provided after each step.
I applied online. The process took 4 months. I interviewed at Salesforce in Apr 2015
Interview
The process itself is straightforward, but headcount comes and goes so fast that it can take months, or sometimes years to complete the interview. It's really only a few steps for an SE role, all of which are fairly classic for an SE position:
Phone screen with recruiter (if applicable)
Phone screen with hiring manager
Phone screen with someone else (role varies)
In person panel interview
Final in-person demo
There may sometimes be one final phone screen with an executive prior to getting an offer, but I found that that's sometimes a sign that they're stalling because of headcount problems.
In my process, there was a wait of several weeks between each step, and a two month wait after the final interview before the offer came through.