A review of Always Hired as a sales bootcamp

Hi, I’m Alex! I’ve been working in sales for innovative startups like SoftBank Robotics and large corporations like NBC Universal for years. Now, I work as an industry mentor at Pathrise to help people land great sales jobs through workshops and 1-on-1 mentorship. Check out my review of Always Hired.

What does Always Hired do?
Who is Always Hired for?
What does Always Hired cost?
Ratings and reviews of Always Hired
Alternatives to Always Hired
How does Always Hired compare to Pathrise?

What does Always Hired do?

Always Hired is a sales bootcamp for people who are looking to land a job as a sales development representative (SDR) at a SaaS (software as sales) company. They offer part-time, in-person courses in San Francisco, as well as live online options.

Courses meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6pm-9pm PST for 8 weeks. Students should expect to complete about 2 hours of homework per week as well. They participate in lectures, mock interviews, daily assignments, and 1-on-1 sessions with instructors and Always Hired alumni. Attendance is mandatory. Throughout the program, they develop crucial sales skills, such as prospecting, cold calling, sales cadence, and closing sales. In addition, students learn how to use in-demand tools, including Salesforce, Outreach.io, LeadIQ, Vidyard, Zoom, and others.

Students who participate in the bootcamp can choose from 3 options: SDR bootcamp with no company commitment, SDR bootcamp with hiring partner commitment, and training only. Those who select the first option receive career coaching and assistance with their job search. But, there is no job guarantee. People who choose the “hiring partner commitment” option are placed with an Always Hired partner company after successfully completing the program. However, they must commit to working with their placement company for at least 1 year before finding a new position. Hiring partner companies include Salesforce, Yelp, Mulesoft, Lever, Udemy, and many others. Finally, students who select the “training only” program do not receive job-seeking guidance of any kind.

Who is Always Hired for?

If you want to land an entry-level job as a sales development representative (SDR), you can benefit from Always Hired. The program is also helpful for those who are currently working as SDRs in non-tech industries but are looking to pivot into a sales role at a SaaS company.

What does Always Hired cost? How much work is involved?

For people who enroll in the SDR bootcamp with no company commitment, the cost is $4,000. However, tuition is free for those who commit to working with a hiring partner after graduation. The “training only tuition” option costs $2,500. This does not come with job-seeking assistance. Internship participants receive hourly pay. All participants must pay an additional $200 fee for course materials.

To apply, candidates start with a 30-minute online sales activity. Then, they complete a 45-minute elevator pitch module and fill out a 60-minute online application. After successfully completing these 3 steps, prospective students speak with an Always Hired team member to discuss which bootcamp option best suits their career objectives and learning goals.

Ratings and reviews

Online reviews of Always Hired are generally positive.

Graduates of the program on Yelp praised Always Hired for its instruction and job placement assistance. As one reviewer notes, “I love the fact that everyone was transparent and there was no sugar coating. I’ve never gotten such honest feedback”. Similarly, another person noted that “they have a strong alumni network and extensive list of hiring partners.”

On SwitchUp, people with no prior experience in tech or sales benefited from the program as well. One reviewer, who landed a job within 2 months of starting the program, said, “I was able to not only gain a tremendous amount of tech sales knowledge, but to also secure a job with an international-level, rapidly growing tech startup with an excellent reputation.”

Echoing other positive reviews, a Medium reviewer whose “resume was a mishmash of day jobs” and who had no prior sales experience said that he landed a position as a sales development representative as soon as he completed the bootcamp. Praising the instruction, he noted, “they continue to stick with you, coach you, pep you up, give you feedback, and find you opportunities long after you finish their in-person training.”

Alternatives to Always Hired

There are a number of alternative bootcamps and online resources if you choose not to enroll in Always Hired.

Flockjay is a sales bootcamp as well. They also allow their students to finance their education through an ISA. Learn more about Flockjay in our review.
Similarly, Aspireship has courses for people interested in becoming an account executive at a SaaS company.
Vendition offers free online courses in sales for tech, as well as job placement assistance for those looking to land an entry-level account executive position at an SaaS company.
Like Always Hired, SV Academy is a sales for tech bootcamp that offers free online training courses and job placement.
Students can also consider Uvaro, which has a 12-week sales bootcamp and internship opportunities, and Austin Sales Academy, which has a 5-week online course.
In addition, Re:work is a nonprofit sales training program that helps people launch careers in SaaS sales and other tech sales roles.
In the same vein, students at Fuel Sales Academy work while learning and actually get paid during the program.
Alternatively, check out Victory Lap, which is a live sales bootcamp. Or, consider CourseCareers, which has a self-paced course.
Likewise, SalesWise Academy is an online sales resource that offers sales training via podcasts, coaching, and live events to help people launch their sales careers.
You can also consider The Brooks Group or Software Sales Gurus, which teach online courses and workshops on a variety of sales topics.
Merit America is a nonprofit that teaches tech sales and software engineering to people without college degrees.

More alternatives

Another sales bootcamp option is Headstart Academy, which is online and self-paced. They also give a job guarantee to students.
A tech bootcamp with full-time, part-time, and 1-day courses in a variety of topics, General Assembly is a good option for people looking to learn the basics and get a great job. Learn more about General Assembly in our review.
Similarly, GrowthX Academy has courses for people who are interested in sales, business development, product management, UX design, and growth marketing. Likewise, School16 and GreenFig teach marketing, sales, and product management.
edX is one of the most popular online learning platforms. They have courses from top universities like Harvard and MIT as well as big tech companies like Microsoft. Learn more about edX in our review.
With free and paid options, Coursera is an online learning platform with courses that cover inbound sales techniques, including researching prospective clients.
Similarly, Udemy offers a free “break into software sales” course, which prepares students for entry-level software sales interviews.
An online resource, Skillshare has free and paid courses in tech entrepreneurship and sales.
Or, consider JBarrows Sales, which has online and self-paced courses.
Current and aspiring sales professionals can check out Winning by Design or Richardson Sales Performance, which teach courses for beginners and managers.
Women who want to learn sales skills quickly can check out TalentMinded Women in Tech Sales Bootcamp, which lasts 5 days.
You can also consider TechPoint Sales Bootcamp, which has short internship opportunities throughout the course.

How does Always Hired compare to Pathrise?

Always Hired is a program for people who are looking to develop the necessary skills to land a sales job in tech. Students can choose whether they want job-seeking assistance, company placement, or no career support at all.

Pathrise is a full service organization that helps people land the best job possible. Our mentors have experience on both sides of the hiring table and work 1-on-1 with fellows on each step of their job search, including resume & LinkedIn optimization, cold emailing, reverse recruiting, interview prep, salary negotiation, and more. Fellows learn lifelong skills that can be beneficial in their next job search as well as in sales roles.

Our program is flexible. There are only 2-4 hours of sessions per week and fellows can schedule 1-on-1 sessions as needed. All sessions are live, as well as recorded, so fellows can review previous material and keep learning. We place a big emphasis on 1-on-1 mentorship, which allows us to tailor our curriculum to meet each fellow’s specific career goals and learning objectives.

Pathrise is a career accelerator that helps people land their dream job in tech through 1-on-1 mentorship. If you are interested in working with our mentors to get help with your technical and behavioral interviews or any other aspect of the job search, join Pathrise.