Type · pitch
You are pitching a new client who is skeptical about the cost of premium media placements. How do you justify the higher CPM compared to programmatic alternatives?
How to Pass the Havas Sales Interview in 2026
Enterprise · Sales Interview Guide
Sign up to see ATSHeadquartered in FranceInterview language: French
The Havas DNA (TL;DR)
Havas's integration of "Design Creative Media Health" requires candidates to pitch campaigns that seamlessly cross traditional and medical advertising boundaries. Interviewers grade your ability to translate complex health regulations into compelling consumer narratives.
The Havas Interview Loop
Your onsite loop will typically consist of 5 rounds.
- 1
Round 1
Recruiter ScreenMotivation, territory fit, logistics. - 2
Round 2
Sales Pitch / DemoPitching the company's product to a mock prospect. - 3
Round 3
Deal StrategyPipeline management, multi-stakeholder navigation, MEDDIC qualification. - 4
Round 4
Customer DiscoveryAsking diagnostic questions, surfacing pain, qualifying. - 5
Round 5
Behavioral / LeadershipPast evidence of ownership, influence, resolving conflict.
The Danger Zone: Top Reasons Candidates Fail
Based on our database of Havas interview outcomes, avoid these common traps:
- Relying only on the official RFP document
- Failing to connect 'awareness' to a specific revenue goal
- Failing to acknowledge the client's budget constraints early in the conversation
- Being confrontational or dismissive of the client's vision
Test Yourself: Real Havas Questions
Three real prompts pulled from our database.
Type · discovery
During discovery, a client mentions their 'customer data is a mess.' How do you dig deeper to turn this into a qualified opportunity for our data services?
Type · deal-strategy
A prospect asks you to participate in an RFP that you know is rigged for an incumbent. How do you respond?
+ many more questions, signals, and worked examples
Sign up to unlock the full Havas grading rubric
Havas Interview Question Bank
A sample from our database, grouped by round. Sign up to see the full set.
9 of 15 questions shown
1
Recruiter Screen
1- 1
Type · motivation
Why does Havas's 'Village' model, which integrates creative, media, and data under one roof, appeal to you more than working at a siloed agency holding company?
2
Sales Pitch / Demo
3- 2
Type · pitch
Pitch a cross-channel campaign strategy for a legacy retail brand looking to pivot their entire media spend toward Gen Z digital platforms. - 3
Type · pitch
You are pitching a new client who is skeptical about the cost of premium media placements. How do you justify the higher CPM compared to programmatic alternatives? - + 1 more questions in this round (sign up to unlock)
3
Deal Strategy
4- 4
Type · deal-strategy
A key stakeholder at a prospect firm is pushing for a 20% discount that would jeopardize our margin. How do you handle this without losing the deal or devaluing the service? - 5
Type · deal-strategy
You are managing a multi-stakeholder deal where the CMO wants to move forward, but the Procurement lead is blocking the contract due to 'standard agency fee' benchmarks. What is your strategy? - + 2 more questions in this round (sign up to unlock)
4
Customer Discovery
4- 6
Type · discovery
During discovery, a client mentions their 'customer data is a mess.' How do you dig deeper to turn this into a qualified opportunity for our data services? - 7
Type · discovery
How do you uncover the 'hidden' decision criteria that aren't mentioned in the formal RFP? - + 2 more questions in this round (sign up to unlock)
5
Behavioral / Leadership
3- 8
Type · behavioral
Tell me about a time you had to pivot your strategy mid-campaign because the initial data was not meeting the client's KPIs. How did you communicate this to the client? - 9
Type · behavioral
Describe a time you had to push back on a client's request for a specific creative direction because you knew it would not perform well in the target market. - + 1 more questions in this round (sign up to unlock)
Unlock all 15 Havas questions, free
No credit card. Every question with its framework, the grading signals interviewers score against, and a worked answer for each.
Interview tracks at Havas
How Havas's DNA translates across functions. Pick your role.
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Practice Havas interviews end-to-end
Havas Mock Interview
Run a live mock interview with our AI interviewer using Havas-style prompts. Get scored on structure, signal, and answer length - exactly how the real loop grades you.
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STAR Stories for Havas Behavioral Rounds
Build a Story Bank of your past wins, mapped to the leadership signals Havas interviewers grade on. Reuse them across every behavioral round.
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Havas Interview Prep Hub
The frameworks behind every Havas round: CIRCLES for product sense, hypothesis-driven debugging for analytical, STAR for behavioral. Learn each one in 10 minutes.
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Interview Frameworks
CIRCLES, STAR, AARRR, RICE, MECE. The exact frameworks that make Havas interviewers nod instead of frown. Step-by-step playbooks with the moves and the pitfalls.
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Sample answers
What a strong answer to these Havas interview questions shows.
You are pitching a new client who is skeptical about the cost of premium media placements. How do you justify the higher CPM compared to programmatic alternatives?
A strong answer shows: Ability to sell value over cost; Understanding of brand safety and environment impact on conversion.
During discovery, a client mentions their 'customer data is a mess.' How do you dig deeper to turn this into a qualified opportunity for our data services?
A strong answer shows: Diagnostic questioning skills; Ability to link technical pain to business outcomes.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the Havas interview process take?
Most candidates spend between 4 and 8 weeks from recruiter screen to offer. The onsite loop itself runs in a single day or is split across two half-days, with debrief and offer typically within 5 business days after.
How should I prepare specifically for Havas?
Focus on three things: (1) the company DNA shown above - what they actually grade for, (2) the rounds in your loop, especially the round most candidates underestimate, and (3) drilling on the question types in this guide using a structured framework like CIRCLES or STAR.
Does this apply to engineering or design roles at Havas?
The DNA stays the same - what changes is the round mix. SWE candidates face coding screens instead of Product Sense; designers face portfolio reviews and design exercises. The "what they value" and behavioral signals carry across all functions.
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