Looking to interview as many CS Recruiters as I can to create a report on what recruiters are lookin

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Kevin Mitchell Leonor
Kevin Mitchell Leonor Member Posts: 248 Expert
First Comment Name Dropper First Anniversary
edited August 2023 in CS Conversations
It's time to answer the question of what do recruiters want, what are they willing to have as a substitute, and why is SaaS experience the number one barrier to entry for CS

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  • Tim Gilhooly
    Tim Gilhooly Member Posts: 17 Thought Leader
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    edited December 2020
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    Great Question Kevin! Would love to hear from CS Leaders. 
    To add to your question.....Are the CS Leaders willing to hire someone without Saas Experience OR is this a requirement from the Recruiter to shorten the hiring cycle?
  • Ed Powers
    Ed Powers Member Posts: 180 Expert
    Photogenic 5 Insightfuls First Anniversary 5 Likes
    edited December 2020
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    @Kevin Mitchell Leonor, I recommend you reach out to Swati Garg at Melo Associates. Swati is a professional recruiter specializing in Customer Success and she has some unique perspectives (and a bi-weekly workshop) on this topic. She can be a great resource for you.
  • Kelly Bryan
    Kelly Bryan Member Posts: 2 Navigator
    edited December 2020
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    That is a great question!  I have been in Sales for many years and trying to make the pivot to Customer Success. I am hitting major road blocks because I do not have Customer Success experience. As a sales rep I did everything from Customer Success to Sales, any ideas on how to emphasize that I have the experience, just a different title.

    Thank you and open to your comments.
  • Scott Morgan
    Scott Morgan Member Posts: 24 Thought Leader
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    edited December 2020
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    Hi Kelly,
    As a sales person isn't customer success one of the main points in closing the deal? Discovering and identifying the pain point or business outcome the customer is requiring. Consulting the customer on the best fit. Validating the customer is committed to on boarding and getting value (short time to value). Listening to the customer to understand their needs and wants. Many attributes of sales translates directly to CSM.
  • Scott Morgan
    Scott Morgan Member Posts: 24 Thought Leader
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    edited December 2020
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    Kevin,
    I am interested in your findings and to assist if you would like.
    Scott
  • Kevin St. Cyr
    Kevin St. Cyr Member Posts: 2 Navigator
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    edited December 2020
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    Scott,

    There are few areas I focus on when interviewing Customer Success professionals; Change Management and Influencing Skills.  I think we all understand how vital early adoption is to customer retention.  I believe the Customer Success manager must have the ability to assess the current state and identify the customer behaviors that need to be changed/influenced to ensure the customer gets full benefit from the product.  I want specific examples of situations that required significant change.  As an example, my former employer was an SMB HCM platform.  Many new customers had never used a SaaS product or system – people resist what they are not comfortable with –to affect engagement, the CSM's needed to understand the users' beliefs and attitudes.

  • Patrick Ruster
    Patrick Ruster Member Posts: 8 Seeker
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    edited December 2020
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    You're absolutely right here. I think one of the roadblocks that comes into play, whether accurate or not, is the played out assumption that folks coming to CSM from sales are trying to 'escape' something... quota stress, activity metrics, etc.

    In reality, you might be escaping those, but you're really just trading them in for a new set of stressors... upsell targets, retention metrics, etc. 

    I believe CSM teams benefit from additions of staff from all areas of the org. The more viewpoints and perspectives, the better. 

    My 2 cents.
  • Erika Villarreal
    Erika Villarreal Member Posts: 41 Expert
    5 Likes Name Dropper Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2020
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    Hey Kelly!!

    If you're transitioning from Sales into CS I would suggest the following:

    - Maybe take certification from CSM Practice or Success Hacker and add that to your resume, this will validate you know the specific terms to CS.

    - Make your resume include activities and responsibilities that apply to CS, for example: talk about how your communication skills, consultative approach when selling, talk about training sessions.

    - Work on a portfolio that can help showcase your abilities, maybe a business review, or a success plan.

    Those would be my recommendations.

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