How do I Land my First Job in Customer Success?

A LinkedIn friend wrote to me yesterday and asked me the following question:

----------------------

Hi Rick,

I was wondering If you could kindly advice me a bit on a career in CSM.

I am an IT professional with around 12+ yrs experience and currently based out of UK due to a recent family relocation and hence on a furlough. Though I have never held the traditional CSM role, have been fascinated with this profile for quite some time and wish to make a mark in this role in my next career switch.

I have good global customer facing experience in technical as well as managerial positions but lack the typical B2B sales experience that most of the SaaS companies expect. I have taken up courses in CS and have projected the best of my experience in my resume however it is tough to get companies to consider my profile .

It would be great to know your thoughts on how do I approach this.

Regards, XXXXX

------------------------

An excellent question! Below is my answer... but what answer would YOU have given? Please let me know...

------------------------

Hi XXXXX,

Firstly, please review some of my podcasts, particularly the very recent one with Ankit Aggarwal about how he secured a CS role even during the COVID-19 lockdown. and one I did a while ago with Amanda Hsuing on "My First 30 Days in Customer Success" and the first podcast that I did with Maranda Dziekonski called "Getting Started in Customer Success". You can access them all from  https://practicalcsm.com/podcasts

Secondly, purchase Full (or at least Basic) membership at the Practical CSM Academy and get yourself certified (this is what Ankit did and he found it very useful).

Thirdly, do a LOT of networking - get to know lots of CS professionals and ask them lost of questions. Attend physical and now predominantly virtual CS meet up type events. Become known as someone with a deep interest in and knowledge of the profession, show your qualities and helpfulness, and ultimately, start to ask around for job opportunities.

Fourthly, expand your LinkedIn network - set a goal to make a thousand LinkedIn connections with CS professionals within twelve months. Why? Well aside from the general networking opportunities and the ability to get to know what people are thinking and what the issues of the day are, I see  CS leaders posting job opportunities on Li ALL the time, and these job opportunities are probably a lot more real than those through a recruiter and if you know the poster then you already have a warm lead!

Fifthly, in your resume focus on transferable skills and activities. It doesn't have to even have been called the same thing, but many jobs involve liaising with an managing customer stakeholders, communication and leadership skills, change management skills, project management skills, problem solving skills, data analysis skills, product knowledge, and so on. Try to show where you have perfomed activities and used skills in your current and previous roles that are directly relatable to the Customer Success profession, so that although you may not have had a role with "CSM" in the title, you are showing that you have indeed already performed at least part of the role successfully.

Finally, if opportunities come up within your existing role to perform tasks or activities that are part of or similar to a CSM's duties then take those tasks and duties on - and indeed actively seek those types of tasks and duties out rather than just waiting for them to come to you. And if you have the right relationship with your existing e,mployer you might even make your boss aware of your interest in moving to a CS role, so that they may consider you should such a role (or a similar role) come up.

Does this help? I hope so - let me know!

All the best,

Rick