Are You Thinking About Your Next Career Move? Your Attitude Could Be Holding You Back

If you're working in SaaS or AI and want to progress in your career, are you already showing the qualities needed for that next step? Whether you're a Business Development Representative (BDR) looking to become an Account Executive (AE), or an experienced salesperson aspiring to move into leadership, your experience and performance are only part of the picture. How you communicate, conduct yourself and engage with others can tell a prospective employer or recruiter just as much about your potential. At Oakstone International, we see this regularly when speaking with candidates across the industry.

Are You Thinking About Your Next Career Step?

We discuss career progression with candidates every day, and for some, it means moving into a more senior position. For others, it's taking on greater responsibility, managing larger accounts, entering a new market or joining a business where there's more opportunity to develop.

Within SaaS and AI sales, there's often a clear progression route, if it’s desired. A BDR or SDR might want to become an Account Executive; an Account Executive might want to move into Enterprise or Strategic Sales. From there, the next step could be Sales Management, VP Sales or eventually CRO.

But how often are people thinking about what they need to demonstrate to make that next move? Wanting a promotion and being ready for one are two very different things.

You might be consistently achieving your targets, have the right experience on your CV and feel ready for more responsibility, but are you demonstrating the attitude, communication skills and professionalism expected of someone at that next level?

Your Attitude Today Reflects Your Potential Tomorrow

When we recruit Account Executives for our SaaS and AI clients, we look for the skills, experience, and attitude to succeed in the environment they're joining. For a BDR looking to progress into an AE role, that means more than booking meetings or generating pipeline. It means demonstrating the ability to build relationships, communicate effectively, understand customer challenges and manage conversations with people at different levels of seniority. It also means having the emotional intelligence to recognise how others might perceive your behaviour.

You're representing your employer to prospective customers, often engaging with senior decision-makers who have competing priorities and limited time. Some prospects won't be interested; others will challenge your proposition, question your pricing or push back on what you're offering. How you respond in those situations matters, and those behaviours don't suddenly develop because your job title changes.

If you want to be considered for the next step in your career, you need to start demonstrating the qualities required for it before you get there.

You're Not Just Representing Yourself

Something candidates don't always consider is that when a recruiter introduces them to a client, they're representing more than their own experience. They're also representing the recruiter who has recommended them, as well as their current employer.

At Oakstone International, we spend considerable time getting to know the candidates we work with, understanding their experience, achievements, motivations, career ambitions and what they're looking for in their next opportunity. But we're also assessing whether they're someone we feel confident introducing to our clients.

When we put a candidate forward, we're making a recommendation and telling our client that we believe this person has the capabilities, experience and professional qualities to succeed within their organisation, which is not something we take lightly.

A candidate could have an impressive CV, consistently exceed their sales targets and have experience working for some excellent SaaS companies. Still, if their attitude during our conversations raises concerns about how they might represent an employer, we have to consider it.

Would we feel comfortable putting that individual in front of a client's CEO, CRO or VP of Sales?

Would we feel confident that they'd represent themselves professionally throughout an interview process?

And, more importantly, would we feel confident that they'd represent the company appropriately when speaking with its customers? We consider all of these when assessing suitability.

The SaaS and AI Industry Is Smaller Than You Think

Another thing worth remembering is how connected the SaaS and AI industry is. People move between businesses, hiring managers become candidates, candidates become hiring managers, and relationships develop over many years.

We have placed Account Executives who are now hiring managers holding VP Sales titles. At Oakstone, we've built relationships with candidates and clients over many years, often supporting people at different stages of their careers, and that's one reason we place so much value on maintaining those relationships.

You might not be interested in the opportunity we're calling about today, but that doesn't mean something relevant won't come up in the future. Equally, the recruiter you're speaking with today could be working on exactly the opportunity you're looking for a year from now.

We're not suggesting that candidates should engage with every recruiter who approaches them. Still, there's a difference between declining an opportunity and leaving a poor impression and in an industry where relationships matter, it's worth being mindful of that distinction.

Think About the Impression You're Making

At Oakstone International, we believe recruitment is about understanding the individual, their motivations, their capabilities and whether they're genuinely suited to the position and business we're recruiting for.

A strong track record might get you considered for an opportunity, but your attitude and how you conduct yourself can influence whether someone feels confident recommending you.

So, if you're currently a BDR with ambitions to become an Account Executive, or you're already in a senior commercial role with your sights set on leadership, ask yourself:

Are you already behaving like the person you want to become?

Your next career move isn't just about what you've achieved so far; it's also about whether you're demonstrating the qualities needed to take that next step.

Sometimes, something as simple as a conversation with a recruiter can reveal more than you might think.

Recommended Reading

A Recruiter's View on Standing Out

SaaS Leaders Desirables Beyond Experience?

The Most In-Demand Skills in SaaS Sales Hiring – and Why They’re Hard to Find

Is Title Inflation a Problem in Executive Search?

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• What do SaaS recruiters look for when assessing candidates?

  SaaS recruiters assess a combination of relevant experience, commercial performance, communication skills, career motivations and cultural suitability. At Oakstone International, we also consider how candidates conduct themselves throughout the recruitment process and whether they demonstrate the professionalism and attitude required for the position.

• Does attitude matter as much as experience when hiring SaaS salespeople?

  Both are important. Relevant experience and sales performance help establish whether someone has the technical and commercial capabilities for a role. However, attitude, professionalism, adaptability and emotional intelligence can influence how successfully they work with customers, colleagues and senior stakeholders.

• Should I respond to recruiters if I'm not looking for a job?

  You aren't obliged to engage with recruiters if you're not considering a move. However, responding professionally can help maintain relationships that may become valuable later in your career. A brief, polite response is often enough to keep the door open for future opportunities.