So I currently work in higher ed as a sys admin and I am close to locking down a position as a systems engineer for a VAR that's a pretty high profile partner with Citrix and VMware. I'm very adamant about getting into the consulting side of IT so I can be exposed to all sorts of environments and scenarios as opposed to just one which is the norm for a sys admin. I've already gotten past the first two phone interviews and will be soon having a third one with the CTO and director of tech services with the company. Do any of you have any tips relating to the transition into the consulting/B2B side of things? What do you think I should be prepared to answer and what should I ask in this third (hopefully final) interview?
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question for those that work for a VAR/partner
- Thread starter moto316
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And to build on that, make sure you have an answer when they ask you about the possibility of travel.
Yes we already covered that. This particular position is limited to just the state but mostly one area of the state.
Training, do they pay, if they pay is there a period your obligated to stay there and if you leave are you required to repay. VMware VCP classes cost 3-5K and are a prerequisite to certification in addition to taking the test as an example. I would also ask about compensation, if you are not certified, will they increase your compensation as you acquire certifications. I am part of the technical interview panel for my company and I appreciate driven applicants that can talk about in reasonable detail their IT accomplishments, emphasizing those where your comfort/knowledge level was low and and the end result was successful and any logic that you used to define the path to success.
The problem is that we get alot of applicants that can rip a resume from Google, but can't answer technical questions, they don't get called back.
Oh, and good luck.
The problem is that we get alot of applicants that can rip a resume from Google, but can't answer technical questions, they don't get called back.
Oh, and good luck.
peanuthead
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I am on the other end. I have the technical answers but I'm not able to get the calls. To the Op, you way want to ask about weekend hours/work and how that impacts your sales numbers.
Is the position post-sales (implementing product/services) or pre-sales? My guess is post-sales. The big transition point for most people in that role is being able to get projects done in the allotted time. If you go over you cost the company money. So the key is managing the customer and staying on task. Customers love to ask about having you do a few extra things while there..make sure that you tell them you'll look at that at the end of the project once everything in the SoW (statement of work) is done. That's the priority. Then it's just a matter of good people skills while onsite. That's the hardest thing to find.
Child of Wonder
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Not necessarily. Depends on the company and position.
I work for a VAR as a Solutions Engineer and travel once every 8 weeks on average.
peanuthead
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Amen! Being in project management keeping the customers, and sometimes team members, focused on the primary objective is a challenge unto itself. Just to tack onto Jason's statement don't be afraid to state when something is out of scope. Customers need to know when something is out of scope so they can properly budget for the task, or drop the request if the funding isn't there.
This is a job about people, bottom line. Technology is there, of course you would hope the skillset is there and always evolving, but the people skills, hands down the most important.
You will find that a lot of the sales effort is from engineers that are onsite doing other work, of course the Change Order process, etc...so again, the people skills have to be there...
The relationship and trust being built is extremely important. You are the the trusted advisor, and customers look to you as the "expert" in the field you are providing service for and they look to you for the proper SOLUTION to their problem...not just someone who sells/installs a widget.
You will find that a lot of the sales effort is from engineers that are onsite doing other work, of course the Change Order process, etc...so again, the people skills have to be there...
The relationship and trust being built is extremely important. You are the the trusted advisor, and customers look to you as the "expert" in the field you are providing service for and they look to you for the proper SOLUTION to their problem...not just someone who sells/installs a widget.
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Child of Wonder
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I'd echo what others have said. Some VARs partner with a small number of technology vendors and have a vested interest in SELLING you on products and shoehorning those products to fit your needs. The kind of company I, and I'm sure others here, work for are about selling solutions. Customers come to us for help solving problems and we partner with a wide array of vendors that may offer products we'll use to fix the problem. Sometimes, a vendor we aren't partnered with has the right tool for the job and we may seek out a partnership with them because it's the right fit for the client.
Bottom line, people skills are HUGE in this business. Even more than the technology being sold, the engineers and architects are the true product of a great VAR. We're trusted advisors, the ones who can help tackle big problems, and who have a large backing of other super smart people to draw upon even if we don't know the answer. Despite all our experience and certifications, we put our egos aside to ensure the client is taken care of which includes saying "I don't know but I can find out" if we don't know the answer or deferring to other experts when needed.
The IT industry is filled with smart guys many of whom can learn products and how to implement them. I've found successful consultants do that along with having great soft skills, documentation skills, a great sense of professionalism, time management skills, and great networking abilities with their peers.
Bottom line, people skills are HUGE in this business. Even more than the technology being sold, the engineers and architects are the true product of a great VAR. We're trusted advisors, the ones who can help tackle big problems, and who have a large backing of other super smart people to draw upon even if we don't know the answer. Despite all our experience and certifications, we put our egos aside to ensure the client is taken care of which includes saying "I don't know but I can find out" if we don't know the answer or deferring to other experts when needed.
The IT industry is filled with smart guys many of whom can learn products and how to implement them. I've found successful consultants do that along with having great soft skills, documentation skills, a great sense of professionalism, time management skills, and great networking abilities with their peers.
Be ready to work more and get paid less.
Child of Wonder
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If you remain a one trick pony, don't grow yourself, don't build a customer base, etc. then it's quite possible you may not make much more than a regular System Admin.
On the other hand, if you work hard to expand your skill set, to make yourself a unique and valuable asset to your employer, and prove to be a reliable and trustworthy asset to your clients, you can make a LOT of money working for the right VAR. Some may not reward employees as well as others, but when you find one that does....
I interviewed with a big VAR a couple of years ago. Turned out we weren't a good fit for a number of reasons;
Sleeping somewhere other than home for ~20 days per month. That was a total dealbreaker for me even though the compensation was essentially double (when counting bonuses) of what I was making at the time.
No health insurance, instead a 1k/mo stipend to either buy health insurance or not. The cost of continuing my current family coverage would have been 1.8k/mo, essentially reducing the raise I would have gotten by 9.6k per year.
Hours. They don't pay you big bucks for nothing, projects are on a deadline, I simply wasn't interested in working 12-14 hour days 7 days a week, primarily because I am at a point in my life where I don't have to. I am OK with less money and a 40 hour week.
The one thing that wasn't a deal breaker but is still something to consider is that the company I interviewed with didn't issue corporate credit cards, so all travel was charged to personal cards and reimbursed after the fact. They told me that the reimbursements take an average of 10 business days from filing till the money is in my account and that the average monthly expense for their engineers is in the $12,000 range. So if I didn't have a card that could handle that then the job wouldn't be for me.
That credit limit wasn't the issue but there's a bunch of interest charged if you leave the balance on the card, interest for which I wouldn't have been reimbursed, and I didn't think that it was necessary to float the company with my own money by paying the card off before reimbursement.
Big raise may also mean next tax bracket which may have additional implications that are worth checking out just to be informed.
Sleeping somewhere other than home for ~20 days per month. That was a total dealbreaker for me even though the compensation was essentially double (when counting bonuses) of what I was making at the time.
No health insurance, instead a 1k/mo stipend to either buy health insurance or not. The cost of continuing my current family coverage would have been 1.8k/mo, essentially reducing the raise I would have gotten by 9.6k per year.
Hours. They don't pay you big bucks for nothing, projects are on a deadline, I simply wasn't interested in working 12-14 hour days 7 days a week, primarily because I am at a point in my life where I don't have to. I am OK with less money and a 40 hour week.
The one thing that wasn't a deal breaker but is still something to consider is that the company I interviewed with didn't issue corporate credit cards, so all travel was charged to personal cards and reimbursed after the fact. They told me that the reimbursements take an average of 10 business days from filing till the money is in my account and that the average monthly expense for their engineers is in the $12,000 range. So if I didn't have a card that could handle that then the job wouldn't be for me.
That credit limit wasn't the issue but there's a bunch of interest charged if you leave the balance on the card, interest for which I wouldn't have been reimbursed, and I didn't think that it was necessary to float the company with my own money by paying the card off before reimbursement.
Big raise may also mean next tax bracket which may have additional implications that are worth checking out just to be informed.
Child of Wonder
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Then they were a pretty shitty VAR to work for IMO. I've worked for two and neither have been like that.
Great salary, bonuses, full health insurance, lots of PTO, minimal travel, excellent work/life balance, lots of working from home, no micromanaging when not doing project work so long as you're doing something useful with your time, and plenty of opportunities for attending training and conferences.
If you remain a one trick pony, don't grow yourself, don't build a customer base, etc. then it's quite possible you may not make much more than a regular System Admin.
On the other hand, if you work hard to expand your skill set, to make yourself a unique and valuable asset to your employer, and prove to be a reliable and trustworthy asset to your clients, you can make a LOT of money working for the right VAR. Some may not reward employees as well as others, but when you find one that does....
I am self employed and I know what you mean. This is why I have a myriad of education and experience. I like Doing things in life.
I learned a lesson long ago. Don't finance other people the credit card thing would have been a deal breaker for me right away. That's a red flag in my book. What happens if they go tits up?
I've been told I should have done that for my self. I honestly couldn't be bothered. Its not like I have time to take a vacation.
Oh man.. I tell you what. Turn around and walk away. Consulting isn't for the faint of heart. I gave up that life after it about ripped apart my family and my life. Having one place to come to everyday know the ins and outs of it is where it's at.
As can be seen in this thread, it really depends on the unique situation.
Consulting and VARs make up a very large industry and each have their own unique Pros/Cons. As a whole, if you are self-managed, strong work ethic, and understand that you will need to put in the time, the life can be very lucrative.
On the flip side, if you are expecting a 8-5 job that you can forget about after you walk out the door at 4:59, do not even consider this path...
Consulting and VARs make up a very large industry and each have their own unique Pros/Cons. As a whole, if you are self-managed, strong work ethic, and understand that you will need to put in the time, the life can be very lucrative.
On the flip side, if you are expecting a 8-5 job that you can forget about after you walk out the door at 4:59, do not even consider this path...
Interesting to see reports from the VAR side. I've always been in an IT role dedicated to a particular site/client. I considered working for a VAR or consultancy to be my next logical step up the ladder in order to get more experience with higher level enterprise environments (and the pay bumps that I need). Maybe I just need to stick to in-house/contracted and work up into larger environments.
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IMHO the pay bump for IT folks who are not in consulting comes from getting out of IT proper and going into IT management. As much fun as it is to physically do the IT work, as the guy who does that you'll always be limited when it comes to compensation.
Managing the people who do this type of work is where the non-consulting career ladder takes you unless you run your own business. Team Lead -> Department Head -> Bigger Department Head -> Executive Director/Officer over a branch of IT -> Chief Information Technology Officer
For this "corporate" ladder you then need fewer IT skills as you progress and more project management, fiscal, and leadership skills.