therewardistheeffort

Enterprise AE

Unemployed with 7 years experience

Mostly transactional sales. Digital ads and SaaS. Closed well over 500 lifetime deals. Was a top rep at a public company. Transitioned to a startup. Got laid off after 1 year. Been going through interview process and getting constant rejection. About 7 interviews in a row. No one will take a chance on me. Taking feedback and translating it but it clearly isnt working. Not sure what to do. I get to the final round of every interview and fail. Spending hours of prep and grind. Know I have what it takes to be well-rounded AE.

Most recent feedback was, "you're great and you crushed the process, but we don't know enough about you. Our interviewers felt like they had to ask prying questions to get answers from you and when they did, your answer were too concise."

Got it. I'll absorb that and apply it on the next one. If there is a next one. I dont know what to do with my life. Not looking for a hand out. Just looking for an opportunity to prove that I'm capable. At the end of my wits.

15

20 comments

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CuriousFox

WR Officer

4

🦊

I hear you. It's definitely a broken process. Have you filled out a profile on the jobs tab?

therewardistheeffort

Executive

2

Enterprise AE

yes i have - thank you

Gasty

Notable Contributor

4

War Room Community Manager

Even if you have to take a hit on the OTE, take it. I think it's more important for you to have a job at the moment, else it can really get into your head and mess things up.

There are a ton of orgs hiring sales reps at the moment. Fill out your profile here as well on the jobs tab. Things will change soon, Amen!

therewardistheeffort

Executive

0

Enterprise AE

Thank you so much

Kosta_Konfucius

Politicker

3

ERP Sales

Sorry to hear that, what roles are you mostly applying to?

Not knowing how concise your answers are, the only advice I can give is to tell a story for your answers whenever they ask behavioral questions.

Keep the hard work, I am sure someplace will love you to join the team.

I would also look at the academy to get some ideas on interview prep.

therewardistheeffort

Executive

0

Enterprise AE

Software, A.I., SMB to Enterprise - thanks for your support

jefe

Arsonist

3

🍁

Try and open up more, I guess.

And keep putting yourself out there.

Have you tried Bravado jobs?

therewardistheeffort

Executive

2

Enterprise AE

Thank you. Yes I have - not much success with my profile. I'll take a deeper dive.

Pachacuti

Politicker

2

They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy

I hear you. Its tough not having a job since much of people's self worth is tied to their job/profession.

I have gone through some tough times unemployed and count myself grateful to be employed. But I know it could all go away in an instant.

The reason they say the best time to get a job is when you have one is because you have all the confidence in the world when you walk into their office because you don't care if they hire you or not.

When you interview, you need to have that mojo. You need that confidence that says "I don't care if you hire me, but if you don't, you'll be sorry".

Work on your outside work stuff and just keep plugging away at the job stuff every day. Its a numbers game (just like sales). It will work out.

therewardistheeffort

Executive

0

Enterprise AE

Much appreciated

Sunbunny31

Arsonist

2

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

You have my sympathies. Interviewing can be such a grind.

Without knowing what you're applying for, it's tough to know what the magic bullet is for interviewing. Too concise at one company might be perfect for another; it's hard to know. Are you freezing up in interviews and not expressing yourself? Have you had the same experience in every interview, or was the one you mentioned different than the others, and you might be getting different feedback from each company?

On a more tactical level, have you filled out a profile here at Bravado jobs?

FinanceEngineer

Politicker

1

Sr Director, sales and partnerships

Most jobs are written with a person in mind. With that said, hit up your network. I’m sure someone wants you in their org or knows of one that would be delighted to have a sales person like you.

therewardistheeffort

Executive

0

Enterprise AE

Will do. Thanks!

TennisandSales

Big Shot

1

Head Of Sales

damn. sorry to hear this. without knowing a ton of details I would encourage you to treat these last few interviews like dates.

yes its important they know you can do a good job, but they need to LIKE you. they need to remember you, they need to want to talk to you again.

SO maybe focus more on sharing stories about different situations, ask good questions in return to keep good conversations.

Sounds like you have the other stuff down solid.

keep grinding homie!

GDO

Politicker

1

BDM

It’s clear you cans ell. Use those skills and sell yourself. Being concise is my thing as well. Make sure you address it yourself.

therewardistheeffort

Executive

0

Enterprise AE

Thank you!

saaskicker

Tycoon

1

Enterprise AE

find a sales recruiting agency

boredAnti

Tycoon

1

That One Guy

As you have gone through a few interviews, what are some common questions they keep asking you?

UserNotFound

Politicker

1

Account Executive

My recommendation is... sideways (at best) from what other people are saying- but stay with me. I think you should begin volunteering. Find an org with an open board seat if you can. Throw some time that way- most non profits are ecstatic to get a few hours a month of volunteer time from a business professional.

I believe this helps in a few capacities:
1- You're exercising your chops outside of an interview environment.
2- You're going to build your confidence again by bringing value to an organization.
3- You'll have fresh new stories to tell interviewers so things won't feel so 'boring' as you rehash "tell me about a time when" after "tell me about a time when"

Got a Technology Council locally? They're great for plugging into the tech community. An org that helps underserved children with digital literacy? That looks amazing to an interviewer.

therewardistheeffort

Executive

0

Enterprise AE

Thank you for all of your kind words - I secured a new gig, 25% increase base, and more of an enterprise role. Signed and starting in Sept. Thanks so much guys.

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