Hi, I’m Alex! I’ve been working in sales for innovative startups like SoftBank Robotics as well as 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 Re:work.
- What does Re:work do?
- Who is Re:work for?
- What does Re:work cost?
- Ratings and reviews of Re:work
- Alternatives to Re:work
- How does Re:work compare to Pathrise?
What does Re:work do?
Re:work is a non-profit sales training program that helps people launch careers in SaaS sales and other tech sales roles. The program is free. They encourage unemployed, underemployed and out-of-school job seekers to apply, especially people from Chicago’s underserved communities. While their sales training course is usually in-person at their Chicago campus, the program is currently remote due to Covid-19.
Their flagship sales course meets for 8 weeks. Class sizes are small, with only about 15 students per cohort. Students participate in live workshops, lectures, quizzes, project-based assignments, job shadowing, getting up to 65 hours of professional development. The course also includes guest speaker events, discussion boards, and hands-on projects. Most students don’t have prior experience, so they must complete sales pre-work before starting the course.
The curriculum takes a holistic approach to sales training, covering technical sales concepts as well as personal development, networking, and cognitive skills. Students learn about sales processes, best practices for cold calling, email cadence, business acumen, as well as business sales tools like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Showpad, and more. The course prepares students to land entry level sales jobs and advance their careers.
All students get access to extensive career services. Mentors and career coaches work 1-on-1 with students throughout the program. The curriculum also includes mock interviews, networking training, LinkedIn optimization, and elevator pitches. All students get access to 115+ hiring partners including top tech companies like Pinterest, Salesforce, and Linkedin. Over 66% of their graduates have found full-time sales jobs. The average starting salary is just under $55,000.
Who is Re:work for?
People with no experience in tech sales who are looking to launch a new career could benefit from Re:work. The program is especially helpful for people based in Chicago.
As a non-profit, Re:work aims to diversify the tech industry and train untapped communities, especially Chicago’s South and West sides. People from Chicago’s underrepresented communities as well as unemployed Chicago locals are especially encouraged to apply.
What does Re:work cost? How much work is involved?
The program is completely free. Corporate partners and donations fund the non-profit training. While no prior experience is required, candidates must be eligible to work in the United States and be available on weekend afternoons for about 2 months.
The admissions process begins with a chat-based application on their website. There is no technical assessment, but candidates are screened based on their drive to learn, confidence, and their verbal and written communication skills. Experience with customer service jobs like retail or hospitality can also help.
Ratings and reviews
As a relatively new program, there are not many online reviews of Re:work. However, they are listed among Built In’s 20 Top Sales Training Programs and Courses and featured in media like Biz Journal.
The program holds a 5 star rating on Facebook, based on only a few reviews. One grad raved that “the staff and volunteers are top-notch” and the “up-to-date” curriculum covered in-demand skills. The grad was also impressed with the career services and job search training, commenting “My recommendation is DOUBLED for those who are currently unemployed or underemployed.” Another student appreciated that the mix of practical and professional development training, confident that “these skill sets are transferable to life.”
The program hosts over a dozen graduate success stories on their Youtube channel. Testimonials are also available on their website.
Alternatives to Re:work
If you choose not to enroll in Re:work, there are a number of alternative bootcamps and resources that can help you start a career in tech sales.
- The online bootcamp GrowthX Academy offers 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.
- Tradecraft is a tech bootcamp and immersion program that offers courses in sales, product design, growth marketing, and more.
- The bootcamp Uvaro helps students launch a career in tech sales. Like Re:work, Uvaro is remote, includes career assistance, and has no upfront costs.
- Students can also consider Prehired or CourseCareers, which are self-paced sales bootcamps. Alternatively, check out Victory Lap, which is live.
- The sales bootcamp Aspireship offers courses for people interested in becoming an account executive at a SaaS company.
- Similarly, Software Sales Gurus offers online courses for aspiring salespeople.
- Merit America is a nonprofit that teaches tech sales and software engineering to people without college degrees.
- Flockjay is an online sales bootcamp for those looking to launch a career in B2B software sales. They offer an income share agreement (ISA) so the program is free until the student is hired. Learn more about Flockjay in our review.
- Another sales course with career assistance is Vendition. Like Re:work, they teach students the skills they need to find an entry-level account executive position at a SaaS company.
- Students seeking apprenticeship programs can also look into Always Hired and SV Academy. These sales bootcamps pair students with partner companies so they don’t have to pay anything upfront.
- In the same vein, students at Fuel Sales Academy work while learning and actually get paid during the program.
- You can also consider TechPoint Sales Bootcamp, which has short internship opportunities throughout the course.
More alternatives
- Another sales bootcamp option is Headstart Academy, which is online and self-paced. They also give a job guarantee to students.
- Those interested in self-paced, remote learning can check out Skillshare, an online resource with free and paid courses in tech entrepreneurship and sales.
- Or, consider JBarrows Sales or The Brooks Group, which also have online and self-paced courses.
- Women who want to learn sales skills quickly can check out TalentMinded Women in Tech Sales Bootcamp, which lasts 5 days.
- Similarly, SalesWise Academy is an online sales resource that offers sales training via podcasts, coaching, and live events to help people launch their sales careers.
- Current and aspiring sales professionals can check out Winning by Design or Richardson Sales Performance, which teach courses for beginners and managers.
- Another online learning platform with both free and paid options, Coursera teaches courses on inbound sales techniques, including researching prospective clients.
- Students on a budget can also look into Udemy. This online learning platform hosts 100,000+ self-paced video courses in tech sales, digital marketing, software engineering, and more. Students only pay around $10 per class.
- The online learning platform edX hosts courses from top universities like Harvard and MIT as well as big tech companies like Microsoft. They offer courses on a wide variety of tech topics, including digital marketing and sales. Learn more about edX in our review.
- Similarly, Udacity is an online educational platform that offers courses on a variety of tech subjects, including business analytics, data science, software engineering, and more. Read more about Udacity in our review.
How does Re:work compare to Pathrise?
Re:work is a sales training for people looking to launch a new career in software sales. While a passion for tech is recommended, most students start with no formal experience. Fellows in the Pathrise program should already have a background in their chosen field so that they get the most out of our technical curriculum.
Pathrise is a full service organization that helps people with all phases of the job search. Our mentors work 1-on-1 with fellows to optimize their resumes and LinkedIn profiles, build their portfolios, prepare for technical and behavioral interviews, negotiate salaries, and much more. The curriculum is tailored to fit each individual fellow’s needs.
Our program is also flexible. There are only 2-4 hours of sessions per week and fellows can schedule 1-on-1s as needed. The Pathrise income share agreement (ISA) means that our fellows never pay until they land a job they love and start working. Plus, we never require upfront payments. On average, fellows in our program land a job in just 3-5 months.
Pathrise is a career accelerator that has helped 1,000+ students and professionals land their dream job. If you are interested in working with any of our mentors to optimize your job search, join Pathrise.
Apply today.
