Vantaggi
The company is worth $2 billion - they must be doing something right. The perks and benefits are great, there's a gym downstairs, as well as plenty of free food and beer at the office. The vendor events are fun, again with the free food and drinks. There is definitely room to grow here. You can make lots of money if you really try - there's tons of spiffs and commission for sales rockstars. There's also relatively good work-life balance, although you find yourself drinking with your coworkers and you end up talking about work. But after 5pm, you don't really have to worry about work; during the weekends, you can relax. Five years ago, it must've definitely been a great place to start your career.
Svantaggi
The office is too small for its future plans. There are lots of new employees to squeeze in, but not enough managers (or toilets) to take care of these new people. The company is trying to grow its Sales force. Their method has so far been like the Hunger Games - hiring 50+ people every 4 weeks and seeing who survives in their 16-week Sales Academy program. I call it the Hunger Games, because there is no sense of organization within - instead there is so much gossip, backstabbing, favouritism, and unfair advantages. There has been so much toxic energy on the sales floor, with certain employees calling into other people's patches, people tagging accounts that aren't theirs, etc. And so far, there hasn't been any discipline against these measures. The philosophy behind the Sales Academy is worth praising, but its execution has been so damaging. The first 4 weeks, you're inside a classroom, taking weekly tests and learning the theory behind IT. Yes, the classroom part of the training is easy if you study for the tests and presentations. The next 12 weeks however, you're on the phone, cold calling 100+ a day and trying to make some form of opportunity out of thin air. You have to make 500+ leads on your own and try to hit a certain quota within 12 weeks. Fair enough for all sales jobs - but the opportunity however comes depending on your given patch. Plus, some are given a book of business, while some aren't (and who determines that? Who knows?) For example, if you're given an American territory, the difficulty becomes tenfold compared to a Canadian patch. After all, Softchoice is a Canadian company and you're calling in from Toronto - your 416 number will show on the IT manager's desk. American IT managers will usually NOT pick up some Canadian number. The thing is, Canadian companies call into Softchoice all the time for their IT needs. So if you're given a Canadian territory and you hear the phone ringing with a Canadian area code, pick up that phone and make the sale because it will count towards your target. American reps, you're out of luck. I say about 60% of Canadian reps have been successful so far, compared to about 5% of American reps. People drop like flies here anyway, so be prepared for the Hunger Games. But there are the advantages you can definitely take, the things they don't tell you in Senior management. You will see lots of favouritism here, especially if you're an attractive young woman. Take advantage of it, because the tenured reps will swarm around you and give you leads, accounts...
