Pivot to CS

Ted Phillips · 2023-11-09T15:11:17+00:00

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Hi all,

Question for people who have pivoted.

I have experience that heavily overlaps with CS responsibilities, though no recent CSM title, and the struggle to get a hit from CS applications has been mighty. I recently obtained my level 1 certification to help increase the appeal of my resume. My curiosity is is it wiser to target CS specialist/associate jobs and then pivot to a CSM role or just apply to either one? Any insight is appreciated!

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Felix

https://gaingrowretain.com/discussion/comment/11744#Comment_11744

No worries, Ted. I think I would apply to jobs based on the product, leadership, and company, as opposed to title. You can maybe start off in any CS-designated title or role and then change from there?

Ted Phillips

Sorry if my comment made it seem like I thought the manager part of the title was referring to managing specialists. I know that's not how the titles are structured. I've applied to a lot of CS positions, both as a CSM and a specialist/associate. I'm trying to figure out if my best bet is to apply to a specialist role and then move up to a csm role as opposed to applying directly to be a csm? I have plenty of overlapping experience through account management but getting a bite through applications has been impossible.

Felix

https://gaingrowretain.com/discussion/10736/pivot-to-cs

The differences between a specialist and "manager" role are not very significant. You'll likely be doing similar tasks in both roles. Customer success aligns a lot with traditional account management roles, so you end up with the specific "customer success manager" title in some companies, but it doesn't mean that you will be managing other specialists.