I've been an SE for almost 10 years at various SaaS companies, including 4 years with an individual quota (all 4 years made club). I've been trying to make the switch to an AE role, but have absolutely zero interest from any place I've targeted.
This is an established path at my current company (5 SEs have jumped to Strat AE over the past few years), but my company doesn't have any AE headcount, so I've been looking elsewhere. I get a ton of replies from recruiters and hiring managers telling me the AE role won't work but they have an SE role for me. I've even interviewed with sales directors, who tell me they want me, but end up getting shot down by HR when my resume shows no AE roles.
I'm not looking for a sideways move, so the SE roles don't interest me as I'm already in a principal role. Just wondering if anyone has any advice or leads for making that jump.
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