Workplace Anybody in Exec Admin? Looking to leave the sales world

[paper_flowers]

So I'm a few years into sales and I think I'm just done and over it. I hate the pressure, I hate being bound to a quota and feeling like I'm living on the edge every month. I hate the phone calls, the "what are you doing for me" mentality of management.. I think I've had a rough go at it though. The first company I worked for was a total joke and was eventually dissolved, but not before I was taken by another person within a separate organization. That was another nightmare in and of itself. Drugs and alcohol were a big part of this persons life and my life at work was utter hell because of this person, and I had a manager who would not manage and would not help me one bit because they were the biggest producer. I left, and now sell medical services which is very expensive and very very hard to sell.. I have to be a bit vague because I'm paranoid of who can read this. I went from a hellish job where I had nightmares at night and my hair was falling out, to a job where my performance is measured by how many phones calls I make each hour, talk time, I punch a time clock. I'm MISERABLE. I just can't find my happy place in sales.

I do really well in support roles which is what I did for the crazy person at my last job. I was hoping to break into administrative assistant, with hopes of moving into executive assistant at some point. I'm not sure if that's the path, but I think it'd be the best fit for me because I just don't know if I can ever be successful and enjoy sales. I've heard of consulting roles where you're not necessarily bound to a quota, but you come in pre-sale to help the actual sales reps place product. I feel like that would work for me but those jobs are hard to come by. I don't like being tethered to a phone like I am currently, I can sit in an office no problem as long as I can get some semblance of flexibility in my schedule (I get NONE right now with this time clock garbage). I'm just so incredibly unhappy and frustrated and it's affecting everything in my life right now. I can say the one good thing about my last job was the tremendous flexibility I had, but it came with a huge cost. This job is so micromanaged it's unbelievable, despite hitting my goal. I really would like to go back into assisting but I'm finding it hard to make my resume appealing with so much sales experience. I'm working with a recruiter who thinks I'd be the perfect fit for exec admin but is having a hard time selling people on my resume. Does anyone have any advice as to how to get out of sales and possibly break into admin? Or how to make the best of sales while I'm still stuck in it, or find a better path in it? I also haven't been bitten hard enough by the sales bug that I live a super lavish lifestyle and am used to making a lot of money. I could pay my bills and have a little extra making $45k a year right now.

 

[RedPlanet]

It sounds like the biggest issue for you has been the culture at the organizations you have worked for. Sales doesn't have to be the way you describe it, though I know from personal experience that it certainly can be like that if you don't choose your positions wisely. To a certain degree, you have to go through what you have been through (basically paying your dues) until your resume is robust enough to find a better more stable sales position. It sounds to me like you have done that and you do have a strong sales resume now. Your recruiter should be helping you look for better sales positions in addition to the support roles you say you'd like to try. When interviewing for a new sales position, don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions about the sales goals/quotas, how they are established, what sort of reporting will be expected, how successful are the other sales people at achieving goals, what is retention like, what is the overall corporate culture, etc.

If I were you, I would broaden my search to include industries you may not be so familiar with. Medical supply sales can be a really tough go. I'm not sure what your past positions were, but basically being tied to a phone is NOT the "fun" sales position successful professional salespeople dream about! Look for an outside sales position in an industry where your sales calls are mostly face-to-face warm calls (i.e., those you're calling on have a need for your products, usually a preexisting relationship with your brand, and they're expecting to hear from you). For instance, working directly for a large manufacturer in an industrial or construction vertical, sales reps are usually treated VERY well, have a lot of autonomy, and are given realistic goals. If you can't find a manufacturer direct position, look for an outside position with a manufacturers rep agency. These positions are typically much better than what you describe, salary before commission is typically 50K or above, and it's a great stepping stone to eventually wind up with a manufacturer direct position where you will be working for PROFESSIONAL management personnel and not for some whack job who has a drug, alcohol or ego problem.
Hope that helps!

 

[baxa17]

I'm an executive assistant and started out as an administrative assistant. My degree was in finance but I did not want to start out as a teller as an entry level. So I went into the admin path. You can make very good money if you support high level executives (easily $100k plus bonus, stock options, etc. if you support a CEO or CFO for example) but of course it depends what kind of industry you're in as well. I've supported multiple execs and they're all different. They can be micromanagers but once you know them well enough, it gets easier. In the beginning, I asked a lot of questions and never assumed anything (I got in trouble when I did). Anyone can do admin work, you don't need a lot of experience, just basic office tools.

Whatever path you're in, you have to choose the company wisely, read up about their culture, their benefits, what their current or ex employees say about them, etc.

 

[paper_flowers]

It sounds like the biggest issue for you has been the culture at the organizations you have worked for. Sales doesn't have to be the way you describe it, though I know from personal experience that it certainly can be like that if you don't choose your positions wisely. To a certain degree, you have to go through what you have been through (basically paying your dues) until your resume is robust enough to find a better more stable sales position. It sounds to me like you have done that and you do have a strong sales resume now. Your recruiter should be helping you look for better sales positions in addition to the support roles you say you'd like to try. When interviewing for a new sales position, don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions about the sales goals/quotas, how they are established, what sort of reporting will be expected, how successful are the other sales people at achieving goals, what is retention like, what is the overall corporate culture, etc.

If I were you, I would broaden my search to include industries you may not be so familiar with. Medical supply sales can be a really tough go. I'm not sure what your past positions were, but basically being tied to a phone is NOT the "fun" sales position successful professional salespeople dream about! Look for an outside sales position in an industry where your sales calls are mostly face-to-face warm calls (i.e., those you're calling on have a need for your products, usually a preexisting relationship with your brand, and they're expecting to hear from you). For instance, working directly for a large manufacturer in an industrial or construction vertical, sales reps are usually treated VERY well, have a lot of autonomy, and are given realistic goals. If you can't find a manufacturer direct position, look for an outside position with a manufacturers rep agency. These positions are typically much better than what you describe, salary before commission is typically 50K or above, and it's a great stepping stone to eventually wind up with a manufacturer direct position where you will be working for PROFESSIONAL management personnel and not for some whack job who has a drug, alcohol or ego problem.
Hope that helps!

Thank you. It does. I just don't even understand the manufacturing industry enough to even know where to look. Manufacturing in construction, or manufacturing anything? It's just so broad it's overwhelming. I'm in a very "clutch" situation right now where I need to find my way out asap. This boiler room environment is killing me. I do have a few interviews this week, one in the insurance business which I may withdraw myself from because I really don't think I'm qualified for it. Another with a software company. The con to the software company is it's all inside and 9-6 but they say the goals are realistic and the culture is phenomenal. A few people from my current employer went there and love it. And the other interview is with my former employers competitor. I signed a non-compete with my last employer though and don't want to risk litigation if I accept a position there. I might only get sued if I jump into their accounts though. The only thing is by industry standards going to work for these people is a downgrade compared to my last employer.. *sigh* I just need to get out of there but I wish I had more time to find the truly right fit.

 

[paper_flowers]

I'm an executive assistant and started out as an administrative assistant. My degree was in finance but I did not want to start out as a teller as an entry level. So I went into the admin path. You can make very good money if you support high level executives (easily $100k plus bonus, stock options, etc. if you support a CEO or CFO for example) but of course it depends what kind of industry you're in as well. I've supported multiple execs and they're all different. They can be micromanagers but once you know them well enough, it gets easier. In the beginning, I asked a lot of questions and never assumed anything (I got in trouble when I did). Anyone can do admin work, you don't need a lot of experience, just basic office tools.

Whatever path you're in, you have to choose the company wisely, read up about their culture, their benefits, what their current or ex employees say about them, etc.

I'm envious of you lol! My degree was in english, and I'm getting rejected for admin roles that I apply to. My resume is still too "sales-ey," but I keep applying. My recruiter has not gotten back to me so I'm assuming she's just done but hasn't given me the courtesy to tell me she's having no luck. I am sure being an executive assistant does have pressure because they're expecting you to execute flawlessly daily, but definitely the right culture fit is very important. I just know I'm good at being detail oriented and enjoy supporting people. The salary range is hard to pin down with administrative assistant because it seems to swing a lot, anywhere from $12/per hour to $45000 per year. I had an offer for administrative assistant and turned it down because of the promise at my current employer and I kick myself EVERY DAMN DAY. I had no clue they'd pull the rug out from under me a month after starting, and you better believe I'm going to (diplomatically) mention that in my exit interview.

 

[baxa17]

I'm envious of you lol! My degree was in english, and I'm getting rejected for admin roles that I apply to. My resume is still too "sales-ey," but I keep applying. My recruiter has not gotten back to me so I'm assuming she's just done but hasn't given me the courtesy to tell me she's having no luck. I am sure being an executive assistant does have pressure because they're expecting you to execute flawlessly daily, but definitely the right culture fit is very important. I just know I'm good at being detail oriented and enjoy supporting people. The salary range is hard to pin down with administrative assistant because it seems to swing a lot, anywhere from $12/per hour to $45000 per year. I had an offer for administrative assistant and turned it down because of the promise at my current employer and I kick myself EVERY DAMN DAY. I had no clue they'd pull the rug out from under me a month after starting, and you better believe I'm going to (diplomatically) mention that in my exit interview.

I started out at $15/hr as a contractor and after a year they converted me to full time. I did not have any experience when I started so being a contractor helped ease into the position. Once I was full time, my salary jumped up fast. I work in the software industry, which generally compensates well. I now made almost 3 times more than when I started 5 years ago and my company offers fantastic benefits. An admin position is versatile, you can work in any industry or any department. With your sales experience, would you consider looking for an admin position in a sales department? Also, look into staffing company. There are many companies specializing in placing admins (temp & permanent). Without experience, you can look for temp position that can turn permanent, or at least, you can start building your experience from there. Interview process is usually much easier for temps. Just speaking from my own experience but it could be different where you live.

 

[ipsum]

You need to ask yourself if sales is still your passion in a culturally fit organisation. Of course, the product range you're assigned to must be easy to sell as well. If it's, then you need to find an organisation you culturally fit in well with a sought-after product range. This might takes a lot of time (even years) but it's all worth it.

You said you hate pressure. EA is one of the most stressful jobs with constant interruptions and answering to the endless demands of the shareholders. If you're serious with your career change then you need to master at least these skills: https://michaelhyatt.com/rockstar-executive-assistant.html
The term "rockstar" is quite extravagant. They are actually basic requirements of any assistant to be considered to be hired (unless you're super lucky or know somebody already within an organisation). Most of the supervisors have weird habits and are extremely demanding (requires you to be ready to serve them around o'clock). Unfortunately, those who fall into "easy to work with" category are often taken (or being transferred to their assistant friends or the executives are taking their assistants with them to the new work place). You won't get "easily $100k plus bonus, stock options, etc" just for offering standard support. If you aim to that salary range, then you're basicly doing your supervisor's work being a "junior CEO" while adding strategic value to the business. You often need multiple university degrees to back you up if you aim to $100k. I would say $30k-60k is more realistic for EA positions. Here's a good article: http://www.afr.com/news/how-much-should-you-pay-your-executive-assistant-20150712-giajua

Good luck with your journey!

 

[AirJewels]

I'm an EA and I started out as a temp. I'd cover sick days, medical leaves, maternity leaves, etc. Eventually I got placed in a long term assignment that led to a permanent position. I actually left a full-time position (it was a crappy sales type job) to be a temp admin. It was risky but ended up paying off. If you live in a big city like NYC you can make great money. I work in the entertainment industry so my salary isn't as high as say, finance. It's an easy job once you get the hang of it which doesn't take very long. I can figure pretty much anything out that I don't know with the help of google. You can spend a lot of time on the phone but probably more inbound than outbound calling. And it's not necessarily flexible. Some execs want you to work long hours and be available 24/7. As someone else mentioned, the great thing about being an EA is transferable skills. But a good EA gig will be hard to even get an interview for unless you have experience or connections.