Alexa Mamatas has had quite a year so far. At a time when a big swath of the tech industry is ordering hiring freezes, and the rest is grappling with the logistics of a fully-remote interview process, Alexa has not only managed to find a new job, but to shift into an industry that’s more aligned with her career ambitions.
And it’s only May.
We talked to Alexa about her advice for navigating today’s stressful job market, her plans going forward, and her experience using Betts Connect to find the right role at the right kind of company for her.
Betts Connect and succeeding in the face of challenges
Betts Recruiting: Thanks for talking to us today, Alexa. Can you start by telling us about your current role, as well as where you were before?
Alexa Mamatas: So the role I just got through Betts Connect is as a Business Development Representative at a software company. Before that, I was at a hospitality startup, where I worked the full sales cycle, from cold calling to pitching and beyond.
It was a great role, and I grew a lot there. But my goal was to move into the SaaS space. That’s really where I wanted to establish myself in sales.
BR: You’ve done something pretty amazing. You could argue that getting hired is harder right now than it’s been for quite awhile. But you’ve managed not just to get hired, but to get a new job that advances you toward your career ambitions. What advice would you give to someone trying to navigate the job market in the current climate?
AM: The number one thing, I’d say, is: Don’t fall victim to stress and anxiety. You can easily psych yourself out being in this type of environment, feeling like there’s so many negatives. You’ve got to try to look at the small wins and look at what’s happening, and just stay positive. I think that mindset is really important during any type of interview, but especially now. Don’t overthink it.
“You’ve got to try to look at the small wins and look at what’s happening, and just stay positive. I think that mindset is really important during any type of interview, but especially now. Don’t overthink it.”
Alexa Mamatas, Business Development Representative
There were times when I was going through the interview process for my new company and they were asking me hard questions that made me think, “Okay, maybe it’s not going to be fit, I don’t know.” But the way I look at most of my life is everything happens for a reason, so that was how I got clarity when I was waiting to hear back from them. If it’s a fit, great. If not, it’s not the end. I got this interview, so I can get another one.
BR: I’m sure Betts Connect isn’t the first online hiring platform you’ve worked with. How would you compare working with Connect to other platforms out there?
AM: I think a big difference is how you can set up your Connect profile to make it very personalized. You can establish all your specific needs and expectations right away: the roles that you’re looking for, salary, all of that. It lays out all these boxes for you, and you go through them and check them off until you have a solid picture of what you’re looking for. I think that gave me some good direction of what companies I should be reaching out to. In that way, it also kind of helped me clarify what my own needs were, and the best way I should be approaching my search.
“You can establish all your specific needs and expectations right away: the roles that you’re looking for, salary, all of that. It lays out all these boxes for you, and you go through them and check them off until you have a solid picture of what you’re looking for.”
Alexa Mamatas, Business Development Representative
BR: That’s a great point you make, about getting a sense of what kinds of companies you want to work with. Were you finding different kinds of companies on Connect versus on other platforms?
AM: I think the main thing is that it felt more real with Connect. It can be hard to figure out which company is the right fit when you’re browsing roles on a typical hiring platform or site. It often seems to me when I’m on the job hunt, everything looks perfect from the outside. It’s hard to know what’s really happening on the inside. You don’t really get the inside scoop on these companies, or get a good read on them.
“It can be hard to figure out which company is the right fit when you’re browsing roles on a typical hiring platform or site. It often seems to me when I’m on the job hunt, everything looks perfect from the outside. It’s hard to know what’s really happening on the inside.”
Alexa Mamatas, Business Development Representative
The reason Betts Connect is different is that all the companies in the platform are in the Betts network, which is specialized in sales roles at tech companies, so there’s a much higher likelihood of finding a good fit. At the same time, you also get to work with a recruiter at Betts, who has the knowledge to vouch for these companies. I really liked working with my recruiter, Emily, because I really knew I could trust her. She was working with these companies before me and had these relationships built and a solid foundation. It felt a lot more personalized. I felt like she was putting herself in my shoes, whereas with other platforms, I’m kind of flying solo.
BR: How long did this whole process take? How much time passed between the moment your company first contacted you about the role, and the moment they made you an offer?
AM: It was just two weeks, pretty much to a tee. And in that time, they packed a lot more stuff into the process than I’ve seen when interviewing at other companies in the past. I had like three or four rounds of first week, and the second week I had to do a presentation and a mock call and more behavior interviews. I had to do three different behavior interviews.
They even dove into culture aspects, like who I am as a person outside of work. In the past, my experience with interviews was very surface-level and just focused on skills. It gave me better clarity to know that this company was hand-selecting people based on more than just their skill set.
BR: So what’s next? You’ve taken the next big step in the journey of your career – where do you go from here?
AM: The most important thing for me now is to make sure I can grow here. My manager has said that anywhere from six months to a year, if I’m doing well, there’s no reason why I wouldn’t be promoted. That just really excited me to know how many doors are available and open there. Even talking to the recruiter early on, she said, “If there’s a passion that you have outside of that role, like they can make roles for you.”
So there’s a lot of flexibility, which is good, because I’m very open minded about where I’m going to grow at this company. I’m seeing where my strengths are. I could see myself going into the AE role. I could also see myself managing our sales enablement, working with teams. I like leading and collaborating as well, so I’m just going to go into it with open arms and see what makes the most sense and is successful for me.
BR: Sounds like you have a lot of exciting things ahead. Thanks again for the chat, Alexa.
AM: Thanks, this was fun!