TheAsSaaSsin profile picture
TheAsSaaSsin profile picture

TheAsSaaSsin

Account Executive

Contributor
Fire Starter
Good Citizen

Big Names = Big Job Opps

In software sales, is it still believed to be true that in order to significantly drive your career you need a fortune 500 on your resume at some point?


I personally love the atmosphere and hunger that comes with being on a scale-up sales team. There is nothing better than the feeling of landing big deals that significantly better the financial state of your company. However, as I think about what I want to do in my 30's and start to look at if my resume is on track for a Director of Sales position in the coming years, the one thing I am missing is a fortune 500 name.


Does this still matter?

Does your resume need a fortune 500?

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19 comments

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braintank
Politicker
22
Enterprise Account Executive
In my opinion it's more important to have sold *to* a Fortune 500 than sold *for* one. 

Working at a scrappy startup that can take down a deal at Walmart is more impressive than being a paper pusher at IBM or Cisco.
TheAsSaaSsin
Contributor
4
Account Executive
That's a great point! Being able to navigate a cycle within the fortune 500s, especially dealing with multiple teams (end-user, legal, procurement, decision maker) is a valuable skill. 
funcoupons
WR Officer
3
👑
100% agreed with this
Sunbunny31
Politicker
2
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
That's how I read the question at first - then reread it.  I agree, being able to sell to them is more important than working for them.

That said, even if you haven't sold to strategic companies, it's really the skills you have that matter.
jefe
Arsonist
0
🍁
Love this perspective! And it's not nearly as limiting - only so many people can WORK for a Fortune 500, but so many more can have sold into them.
poweredbycaffeine
WR Lieutenant
15
☕️
I've worked for an F50...and I don't think anyone gives a shit.
1nbatopshotfan
Politicker
3
Sales
That’s not true @poweredbycaffeine your friends here do! 
poweredbycaffeine
WR Lieutenant
3
☕️
Hahaha well I’m glad y’all are proud of my claim to the top 50 blood sucking companies in the world 😂
UrAssIsSaaS
Arsonist
12
SaaS Eater
I work for a head of sales that never sold to or for a fortune 500 company and shes by far the best sales leader Ive ever worked for. Its a nice to have but not a necessity IMO.

If you love working the startup life and are making the money keep ringing that dry while you can. 
funcoupons
WR Officer
10
👑
Absolutely not. Any hiring manager worth their salt cares about your skills, whether you can make and exceed quota, culture fit, and if you're trainable/moldable to suit their missions and processes, not the names of the companies on your resume. 
InQ5WeTrust
Arsonist
5
No marketing, mayo isn't an MQL
All about what your goals are and what you enjoy. 

Selling at a F500 is a vastly different experience from any startup/scaleup some people don't like the red tape. Seems like you've already identified you prefer that hunger of a scaleup (I'm the same).

Better to crush your numbers and showcase you're the guy than roll the dice just because of a thing you think is missing. 

Have you had that feedback previously? 
Diablo
Politicker
3
Sr. AE
Agree with everyone. You are evaluated on your skills and capabilities not where you come from.
1nbatopshotfan
Politicker
3
Sales
My experience in hiring from the biggest names is that you get spoiled reps. “We used to get unlimited inbound!” “All my tasks and leads were ready to close.” 

I’d rather hire from a smaller competitor who beats the whale. 
jefe
Arsonist
1
🍁
Agreed.


Doesn't sound like a bad gig if you can get it though.
hh456
Celebrated Contributor
2
sales
Ok check this. If you haven’t worked at a fortune 500 company don’t see it as a negative. A common mistake recruiters and hiring managers make is they see a big shiny logo and they think that person is the best candidate for the job.
Here’s how you overcome that you tell them you had to sell something difficult and were successful with no brand equity. So now that you’re moving into this new role in a company that has greater brand recognition you will be more successful than the person who was coming from a big fortune 500 company and simply relied on their brand recognition to close deals. The person who had less tools to work with will be the better sales person in the new role.
Please excuse any grammar errors I’m writing this with voice to text I’m a boomer.
E_Money
Big Shot
1
💰
I think it completely depends on where you are looking to work. The same way having an MBA is subjective. Small startups probably won't care, but more established companies might. 
CuriousFox
WR Officer
1
🦊
Absolutely not. Your numbers matter. Not who you worked for previously. 
Mobi85
Politicker
0
Regional Sales Manager
Skills and capabilities all day. This is nothing against anyone with a degree from a prestigious school but that is only a piece of paper and doesn’t mean you are worth a damn in the workforce. Same thought on a Fortune 500 company on your resume, it means you got hired there but doesn’t mean you can truly sell worth a damn.
TheNegotiator
Arsonist
0
VP of Sales
I’m blessed. The nature of my new trainwreck startup is with work almost exclusively with large-enterprise, F500 companies (who ironically have the lowest expectations out of any customer segment I have ever worked with). Deals close on promises, not value or delivery.
.
No matter how things go with this company I will be able to plaster my resume with F500 opps and deals, which up until now was experience I didn’t have.
.
And with that said, yes. Big names = big opps. Tbh until I started working here I didn’t realize that the pace and nature of business interactions with these big fuckers is actually different. Not at all to say you can’t land an opp without them, but it does help to be able to say you already have the experience. People who know, know, and it comes across in interviews.

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