1 min lesson
Questions to ask them
Say what this means in practice: "Your questions are an answer."
Step 1 of 4
Your questions are an answer. They reveal whether you think like an owner of the role or a candidate hoping to get hired. The best ones probe how the SA function actually works at Cursor today and could only come from someone who's already imagining the job.
Group your questions so you have the right one ready for the right interviewer. A hiring manager can speak to role mechanics; a Product or Eng panelist can speak to the feedback loop; a founder can speak to culture and the bet.
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Advanced table
Theme
- Theme
- Role & success
- Ask something like
- How do you measure SA success here - is it tied to adoption depth, expansion, account outcomes or something else?
- What it signals
- You think in outcomes and want to be held to a number
- Theme
- Portfolio shape
- Ask something like
- What does an SA's account portfolio look like and how does the post-sale / Field split actually work day to day?
- What it signals
- You understand this is an embedded, post-sale role
- Theme
- Product feedback loop
- Ask something like
- How does field signal from strategic accounts actually reach Product and Eng - is there a real mechanism or is it ad hoc?
- What it signals
- You take the feedback-loop responsibility seriously
- Theme
- Adoption bar
- Ask something like
- What does a 'great' enterprise rollout look like to Cursor right now, versus one that stalled?
- What it signals
- You're already calibrating to their definition of success
- Theme
- Culture & the bet
- Ask something like
- How does the no-narrow-roles, fast-growth environment actually play out - what did someone end up owning that surprised them?
- What it signals
- You've read the bet honestly and want texture, not reassurance
| Theme | Ask something like | What it signals |
|---|---|---|
| Role & success | How do you measure SA success here - is it tied to adoption depth, expansion, account outcomes or something else? | You think in outcomes and want to be held to a number |
| Portfolio shape | What does an SA's account portfolio look like and how does the post-sale / Field split actually work day to day? | You understand this is an embedded, post-sale role |
| Product feedback loop | How does field signal from strategic accounts actually reach Product and Eng - is there a real mechanism or is it ad hoc? | You take the feedback-loop responsibility seriously |
| Adoption bar | What does a 'great' enterprise rollout look like to Cursor right now, versus one that stalled? | You're already calibrating to their definition of success |
| Culture & the bet | How does the no-narrow-roles, fast-growth environment actually play out - what did someone end up owning that surprised them? | You've read the bet honestly and want texture, not reassurance |
Two of these are quietly the strongest. The product-feedback question shows you grasp a core SA responsibility most candidates ignore. And asking what a stalled rollout looks like signals you think about failure modes, not just happy paths.
Never ask what's answered on the careers page or in the job post - "so what does an SA do here?" signals you didn't do the homework, which is fatal for a research-heavy role. Ask about how the work actually runs, not what it is.
Close with a forward-looking question that assumes the job: "If I joined and you handed me one stalled strategic account, what would great look like in my first 90 days?" It makes the interviewer picture you in the seat and invites them to sell you.
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Optional practice
Practice: Questions to ask them
QWhich closing question best signals seniority and genuine interest for this SA role?