Choose one company.
Use public information to describe its product, who it serves, and a problem it helps solve.
FREE TECH-SALES GUIDE · RE:WORK TRAINING
How to get into tech sales.
Understand BDR and SDR work, connect your experience to real responsibilities, and choose a practical learning step. Start with the free guide, then explore the Academy.
Free for participants. Start at your own pace with community support.
Next: create an account, complete your profile, and begin the Academy’s Kickoff Series.
TRY IT NOW · NO SIGNUP NEEDED
Try the work behind the job title.
BDR and SDR roles commonly involve researching organizations, starting relevant conversations, and helping identify sales opportunities. Employers define their own responsibilities and requirements.
Explain your experience.
Write a truthful example of listening, organizing work, researching a question, or helping a customer.
Read two job postings.
Compare daily activities, required skills, base pay versus variable pay, and how performance is measured.
The free Academy gives you a place to practice relevant skills. No degree or previous sales experience is required to begin; employers may have different requirements.
01 / PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
Understand the role before chasing the title.
Business development representatives and sales development representatives—BDRs and SDRs—often research potential customers, start conversations, and help a sales team identify relevant opportunities. Responsibilities, targets, pay structures, and schedules vary by employer.
Read several current job descriptions. Compare the daily activities and essential qualifications. Ask someone in the role what a normal week looks like. Explore our introduction to tech sales.
02 / PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
Treat your job search as the business of you.
Know your value.
Connect real experience to the work an employer needs. Build examples you can discuss, whether they come from employment, school, or life.
Research your market.
Choose relevant employers and roles. Understand the requirements before tailoring an application or requesting a conversation.
Build professional trust.
Reach out with context, ask useful questions, and follow through. Keep applications and relationship-building moving together.
03 / PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
Look carefully at compensation and requirements.
Do not treat an advertised earning potential as a guaranteed salary. Ask which amount is fixed base pay, which is commission or bonus, what targets apply, and what support is available during ramp-up. Compare the whole role with your needs and constraints.
No degree or previous sales experience is required to begin the Academy. Employers set their own requirements, and training does not guarantee employment. The skills you practice can also support career paths outside sales; role-specific qualifications still matter.
04 / PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
Learn through practical work.
In the Academy, work on professional positioning, employer research, outreach, conversations, and opportunity tracking. MissionXP connects lessons and missions with the activity of your search. Use feedback to revise your work, and continue applying to suitable openings.
REAL PEOPLE · COMMUNITY SUPPORT
A career change can matter beyond the job.
Rodney describes working to support his family, trying re:WORK, and moving into a new role. His story connects professional learning with the stability and possibilities people are working toward.
Use his experience as a community perspective while you investigate whether the work and requirements of a sales role fit your own circumstances.
This is an individual experience with an earlier re:WORK program. Outcomes and timelines vary; current learning options are described below.
Read the video transcript
Rodney Cohns: “I am from a small town right outside of Chicago, Evanston. I’ve worked at Amazon for three months because I had to pay the bills. I had to keep things going.
“And I was working extremely—I was working extremely hard. I got children, I got bills, I need to get something going. I’m like, what do I gotta lose? Let me go ahead and give re:WORK a shot.
“Maybe about three weeks in, I didn’t even get maybe halfway, you know, through the program. I was offered a job at [company name unclear]. I’m making more money than I ever made. I’m in a better position. I just bought a house.
“Like, things are good. I’m able to put my [unclear] through college. Sales has changed my life. re:WORK has helped change my life.”
Visual description: Rodney speaks outdoors beside a table, with palms and the ocean behind him. Text cards introduce the story as an example of impact, invite support, and credit Salesforce, Zscaler, LinkedIn, HireVue, and Sprout Social for investing in opportunities. The video closes with “Be part of the change” and the re:WORK TRAINING logo.
QUESTIONS ABOUT GETTING STARTED
A few things to know before you start.
Is the Academy free?
Yes. The Go To Market Career Academy is free for participants. You can begin self-paced learning in MissionXP.
Do I need a degree or sales experience?
Neither is required to begin the Academy. Employers set the requirements for the roles you pursue.
Can I use this guide without joining?
Yes. The guide and exercise are available here without signup. Create a MissionXP account when you are ready to continue with the Academy.
What happens after I create an account?
Complete your jobseeker profile, follow onboarding, and begin the Academy’s Kickoff Series. Self-paced learning is available alongside community support. Staff separately confirm cohort placement and schedules.
FREE LEARNING · YOUR NEXT STEP
Start building skills you can explain.
Learn professional positioning, company research, outreach, and conversations through the free Go To Market Career Academy.
Start in MissionXP.
Use the account-creation page to get started. If you have an account, sign in.
Give your learning a direction.
Complete your jobseeker profile and follow the onboarding steps.
Take one learning step.
Begin the Kickoff Series, then work through the lessons and practical missions.
Free for participants. Learn at your own pace with community support. Cohort placement, referrals, and employment are not guaranteed.
Prefer structured group learning? Register interest in a quarterly eight-week cohort.
KEEP EXPLORING