The challenge is that there is always change at the company - this is a pool from which people move on to other jobs as quickly as they can by switching from contractor status to internal employee once you have demonstrated that you can handle the current role. Since there is a lot of change it is not always easy to see consistent hiring timelines. Some people are hired on the spot - others, like I did, take a while for them to find the position against which they will fill it. The main concern each manager has then, is how you will adapt to an outbound sales-oriented nurturing process where you are engaging the prospects and qualifying them, but not closing deals (as that is handled by another department.) If they feel you can't get up to speed with the products, the process, or the calling metrics, then you likely won't get the job offer.

The initial communication was through an employee referral. Once the hiring manager saw resume, I was contacted by phone. After a phone interview I was brought in to interview with 3 different hiring managers on the same day. It was a very open and comfortable environment, more of a conversation than a "what type of animal would you be" interview.