Making Moves: Shirin’s Journey from Marketing Intern to Inbound Sales Rep

I studied International Business Communication in Munich and held a variety of working student positions throughout. These gave me initial experience working in events, promotions, and trade fairs. Then, in my last month of university, Personio snatched me up! At that time, sales wasn’t even on my radar – I was much more focused on marketing, joining the Personio team as a PR & Social Media working student.

From that first day I was actively involved in projects and jointly responsible for further developing our social media presence. It was such a great experience that, when the time came to find a full-time position, leaving Personio was out of the question.

That’s when I realized that my prior roles had helped prepare me for a role in direct customer contact. This made my transition to the Sales team feel very natural. I just moved my touchpoint from the Marketing team, which functions at the beginning of the lead generation funnel, to one step further in: an Inbound Sales Representative for the DACH region.

A Sales Development Representative, commonly known as an SDR, is responsible for proactively reaching out to companies who could benefit from Personio’s software.

What I do as an Inbound Sales Representative, on the other hand, is take care of any potential client who has already expressed interest in our product. They might do this by signing up for a demo or downloading a content piece. I and my teammates reach out to them to understand the challenges they’re facing and see how Personio might help solve them!

There are so many things I enjoy about this job! I have a lot of autonomy and #Ownership (one of our company values), as well as a nice variety of day-to-day work. In fact, it’s hard to define a "normal" workday routine, as each day is different from the last. The challenges are unique, keeping me on my toes and constantly pushing me to refine the way I work.

I also love being the first contact with potential clients. It’s an opportunity to introduce them to our product and make a clear impact on their customer journey. Here, too, every day is different because each person has unique challenges that they’re facing – and I get to help them find a solution!

Our value of #SocialResponsibility is all about being grateful for our privilege and taking action to have a positive impact on our environment and society. This concept has always spoken to me, and I appreciate working at a company that is so aligned with my personal interests and values.

Environmental sustainability in particular is a huge part of my life, and one way I live that out is by participating in the Sustainability Committee at Personio. Together with my colleagues I can influence our sustainable office practices and therefore help make an important contribution to the environment.

We recently hired a few new Inbound Sales Reps (we’re still hiring more if you’re interested!) and I got to participate in their interview process. One main thing I was looking for were people who could balance between individual and teamwork.

Though people who work in sales are often considered ‘lone wolves,’ on our team it’s different. We all have our individual goals and responsibilities, of course, but in the end we’re always working toward a joint goal. We’re always looking out for each other, stepping in to help each other on hectic days, and keeping each other motivated and inspired. That’s why it’s so important to have someone who can work both ways, so they can help us continue to build that team culture.

Are you a university student interested in working at Personio, or a recent graduate looking for the right place to kickstart your career? Then look no further! Our Sales team is hiring multiple roles in our Dublin, Madrid, London, and Munich offices. (And soon, Amsterdam!) Head on over to our careers page to get started!