Big 4 exit plan - my strategy

After 5 years at Deloitte, I knew I had to plan my exit. Toxic team, crazy work hours while life seemed to be passing me by... I switched to a SaaS startup. I've been getting a lot of Qs as to how so I thought I'd share this here:

• Joined SaaS communities and showed up in every meetup. Went on a LOOOOT of coffee chats.
• Spoke to a lot of people to understand how things work in SaaS, what kind of roles are available, what skills are needed, what the pay is like, etc. Zeroed in on AE roles to match my pay and consultative skills.
• Slowly started getting job referrals. At first, I wasn’t able to crack interviews. But after the first few interviews, I understood the kind of questions they ask, what they expect, etc.
• showcased transferable skills from consulting (e.g., stakeholder management, client-facing skills, problem-solving, and adaptability, etc. etc.)
• Finally got a job in enterprise sales that pays well and matches with my skill set. Negotiated hard on salary, got a 35% hike!
• It’s a startup, so hierarchy is flat, I don’t feel like a cog in the machine, and no BS politics so far.